Most brand activations utilise social media in some shape or form, but as people spend more time on social media, The Events Structure have seen a visible increase in clients and prospects enquiring about hiring an event shipping container conversion for experiential marketing activities to complement and accelerate their online efforts.
Social media has never been so vital
In 2020, when the world went into lockdown, technology became at the forefront of human connection, with social media usage soaring by 48%. Social media began to serve its true purpose more than ever before, bringing people together over distance, whether around the world or down the road.
And as businesses had to temporarily close their doors and prepare for the unknown, social media was often their leading way of communicating and connecting with customers. Now, these brands are looking at harnessing their increased online engagement and kindling their newly formed relationships in the real world with experiential marketing – socially distanced, of course.
Social media and experiential marketing
Also known as "engagement marketing", experiential marketing invites audiences to interact with a business in a real-world situation. Face-to-face events capitalise on the way people use social media, encouraging visitors to capture and share their offline experiences with their online networks.
When done right, experiential marketing triggers new audiences to engage with a brand in-person and online, expanding the social and PR coverage and reach of the brand. Experiential marketing has the power to revitalise a brand to appear trendy and Instagram-worthy and can cause a campaign to go viral.
Further, with more content, brands have content to shout about on social media, giving customers who visit your activation or see a post shared online through their social network, more reason to follow your brand on social media.
Brands who utilise experiential marketing can drive awareness and position themselves above their competition offline and online. Here's how previous clients have used shipping container conversions for experiential campaigns to excel their social media content:
Vets4Pets awareness campaign
After an outbreak of reported cases of Lungworm in dogs in the UK in late Summer 2019, Vets4Pets launched a pop-up French-themed dog cafe in Victoria Park, London to coincide with their awareness campaign. The experiential shipping container conversion activation utilised a Gallery Plus container and was called in by event marketing agency Bugler Smith.
The experiential shipping container conversion activation allowed dogs to dine in the pop-up dog cafe and aimed to educate their owners on the deadly dangers of lungworm and #TakeLungWormOffTheMenu. The activation provided incredible social media content to share from the Vets4Pets social accounts and the dining dog's owners.
Chi Chi London experiential activation
In 2019, fashion brand Chi Chi London attended Ladies' Day at Aintree Grand National and Epsom Downs Racecourse to raise awareness and showcase their latest clothing and accessories line. Using a Gallery Plus event shipping container conversion, the branded hosted a "Save Your Feet" experiential activation handing out flipflops to event-goers.
Along with the activation, Chi Chi London had brand social media influencers wearing their occasion dresses at the event. The brand encouraged event-goers and influencers to share their brand experiences online using the hashtag #IAmChiChi.
Huawei social media VIP event
To mark the launch of their latest Nova 5T handset, Huawei partnered with Wandsworth Council for their Battersea Park annual fireworks display. As part of the celebrations, Huawei hosted a VIP area at the event using two Impact Premium event shipping container conversions.
To be invited into the VIP area and meet Rudimental, Huawei users had to enter an online social media competition. Winners selected through social media were more inclined to share their experiences online.
England football team live coverage
More recently, the England football team used our Statement Premium shipping container conversion activation as a backdrop to their #LionsDen social media coverage of the much-anticipated UEFA Euros 2020.
Broadcasted live from St George's Park across all social media channels, #LionsDen provided the ultimate online fan experience, sharing exclusive content from live training and media coverage to interviews with the players and "just for fun" player tournaments. Fans could get involved with the conversation using the branded social media hashtag. There was also a chance to appear on the show through live stream.
When experiential marketing grabs attention, you're paving the way for engagement by creating moments and long-lasting memories that customers want to share with their networks online through social media.
For more information on hiring an event shipping container conversion for an experiential social media campaign, contact The Events Structure team today on (0161) 821 1010.