The independent brewer, Brewdog will launch an online bar session tomorrow (Friday) at 6pm.

The online session will include beer tastings with experts, homebrewing masterclasses, Q&A sessions, quizzes, live music and comedy, and giveaways

Brewdog will set up online bar sessions for bars in the UK, USA, Australia and Germany to give locals and regulars a chance to reconnect and share a beer.

The brand will announce details across it’s Twitter and Instagram accounts.

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Natalie Betts, Director at Relish Agency, shares how trial and sample of a product can encourage consumers to change the brands they habitually buy from.

There are a multitude of scientific studies previously conducted to find why someone would change brands, such as  the prime frequency of seeing an advertisement, the frame of mind the consumer is in when they experience an advertisement, what stage of the payday cycle a consumer is in.

However, whilst investigating how consumers felt about receiving samples in their online orders, Relish conducted some research and we found sometimes it’s less about the timing and more about the experience:

• Despite the most elegant and enticing ad campaigns – consumers will still only purchase a fragrance after they have smelled it.
• Consumers who wouldn’t have engaged with a fragrance because they did not connect with the branding or the advertisement, changed their minds after smelling the perfume.
  • Some of the women in the focus group deemed one particular fragrance as ‘patronising’ and ‘probably for the younger generation’ because of the word ‘girl’ in the branding, they commented that they wouldn’t seek out a sample of it because they probably wouldn’t like it. However, when they received a sample of this fragrance in a recent online order, they were very pleasantly surprised and changed their perception of the brand
• Consumers also thought more positively of a brand when they had been surprised and delighted by them.
  • It was considered a more genuine interaction and therefore when they recalled the brand they used more positive words – “they’re nice”, “I like them”, “it was cute” as opposed to “they’re ok”, “I think I remember them”
• The average UK adult owns 3 fragrances and over 50% have been gifted, therefore any gender could arguable receive any gender of fragrance sample as they will probably end up being the buyer or the recipient of the fragrance
• Over 70% of people who received a food sample said they would go on to purchase that product at full size
• Consumers claimed that their preference in the type of sample they received would be beauty/ grooming, yet the highest responses come from consumable samples

Pragma found that within the Beauty market outside of special offers and price point, product samples were the main reason they changed the brands they bought.  This is crucial in a market where consumers become extremely brand loyal at 30 years old and thus offering a very long lifetime loyalty!

Change in life stage

A change in life stage can be a crucial time for consumers to change brands: learning to drive, moving to university, first time home owners, a promotion at work, bucket list travelling, starting a family etc.

It is widely accepted that when a human sets up their first home outside of the family unit, they either inherit or create brand traditions e.g. “this house is a PG Tips house” to “I think Teapigs would look better in our kitchen”; “Any own brand washing up liquid is fine” to “the values and packaging are so good, we are going to have everything from ‘Method’ in this home”, this can be a crucial time for brands to be front of mind with consumers.

‘The Home Move Box’ clearly realised this and offers a chance for brands to reach consumers just as they move into their precious first home.  The brand loyalty from such initiatives has shown that consumers want to interact with brands when they are changing stages in their lives, and nothing does this better than when a brand provides a sample to let the product speak for itself.

“The Home Move Box arrives the day a customer moves into their new home, very deliberately before the mover has had a chance to go to the shop. This allows brands the unique opportunity to be the first product on the shelves of that new home. The timing of the welcome box drives a brilliantly positive response and that reflects onto how the brands are perceived in turn. It’s an opportunity for a brand to be not only present but involved in a pivotal and very memorable moment in someone’s life. As a challenger brand this is perfect opportunity to unseat long held buying habits and for an established brand it is perfect opportunity to re-enforce those habits.”

• Guy Nathan, Business Development, The Home Move Box 2019

The Power of Direct Mail

The Mail Men also conducted some research around direct mail (DM) – essentially promoting the effectiveness of sending communications through the post.  At Relish, we think this is transferable to the medium of sending samples in online orders (it is named and sent through the post, directly into consumers homes), this shows that when multichannel campaigns finish with a DM piece (in our case, a sample) campaigns resonate for longer:

Summary

As well as the many nuances around why and when a consumer changes brands, we have seen and heard repeatedly, that when a consumer can trial and sample a product, this is what will actually encourage consumers to change the brands they buy habitually.

Lowering prices has also shown high effectiveness in encouraging purchase, but in today’s day and age of ever-lowering margins – is a constant special offer the way brands want to go?

If anyone would like access to the research documents, please drop us a line, we are always looking to add to the knowledge we have so would be happy to collaborate on any future projects.

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Handmade, small-batch Mermaid Gin, produced by the Isle of Wight Distillery, has been proving highly popular among passengers at Gatwick Airport thanks to the presence of a pop-up tasting experience run by Blackjack Promotions.

Throughout August, Blackjack’s Mermaid Gin brand ambassadors have been spreading the word about the craft spirit to Gatwick passengers, explaining how it’s made using 10 botanicals sourced for quality and carefully blended to create the gin’s smooth, fresh flavour. These include elderflower and rock samphire foraged locally on the Isle of Wight, with the latter giving the gin its unique essence of the island’s coastlineand a tag line ‘Hint of Sea Air’. Passengers have also been able to sample Mermaid Gin’s invigorating flavour for themselves.

Malcolm McClellan, Sales Director at the Isle of Wight Distillery, said: “Working with Blackjack on our Gatwick promotion has been an outrageous success. Due to our exceptionally busy sales team, we needed outside help to make the most of our Gatwick opportunity, which helps take our product across the globe. Blackjack has been the perfect extension to our team. Its staff are highly professional and presentable, and thoroughly understand the Mermaid Gin brand.”

The Gatwick campaign is going so well that it has been extended until the end of September, while Blackjack has also been asked to run a number of out-of-airport Mermaid Gin activations and events.

Malcolm further explains: “The Blackjack team has been incredibly supportive. They visited our distillery to get under the skin of Mermaid Gin and this has shown in their superb presentation of our product. They have also been incredibly flexible, putting together exceptional promotional teams at relatively short notice. It’s like having a team we can switch on and off when required, which has enabled us to react to new opportunities quickly and effectively, driving invaluable sales and awareness of our product.”

Vicki Folly, Senior Liquor Account Manager at Blackjack Promotions, said: “We pride ourselves on the professionalism and performance of our teams and understand the importance of immersing them in any brand they represent so that they are able to present it in the best possible way. Mermaid Gin is an incredible product and we’re delighted to be working with the Isle of Wight Distillery to spread the word, and look forward to representing the brand more in the future.”

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Experiential agency TRO has been working with Japan Tobacco International UK (JTI UK) to design and build “Logic Steamtown” – an interactive consumer installation made up of industrial, steam-powered machinery and anachronistic inventions. The visually stimulating, all-encompassing set provides the perfect backdrop for adult smokers and vapers to learn about JTI’s Logic Compact e-cigarette brand.

The festival environment creates an excellent opportunity for adult smokers and vapers  to take time out during the festival and visit Logic Vapes Convenience store where they can trial and purchase Logic products.

The interactive “Engine Room”, challenges visitors to weave their way around a series of steam pipes without getting buzzed while visitors get to rock out to their best tunes at the “Steam House Tavern”.

Steamtown Residents will also be in attendance, bringing the stand to life with fire performances and costume characters, immersing guests in a theatrical show.

Logic Steamtown has already toured Isle of Wight, NASS, Latitude and YNot festivals and will be visiting Boardmasters, Lost Village and Sundown in the coming weeks.

Lynn Bardsley, Activation Director at TRO, said: “Working with JTI our objective was to create a stand out Logic destination and hub that delivers unique trial and engagement experiences to all those who visit. Competition between brand experience spaces within festivals  has never been higher and we knew that to achieve our objective we needed to create something that stood out from the crowd. Steamtown has a Logic brand and product inspired identity and is like no other stand.”

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SEA LIFE, has launched an immersive visitor experience globally. The campaign created by global brand experience agency Sense, launched in Brighton and London and will roll out to another 20 aquariums worldwide featuring innovative interactive installations. The campaign is designed to drive brand engagement and inspire visitors to support SEA LIFE’s mission of celebrating aquatic life, while working to preserve the oceans.

Two themes are covered by the activations. The first invites visitors to join their underwater heroes, celebrating the amazing abilities of five key creatures in each aquarium. Featuring a comic-book style set of five interactive ‘pods’, it shares incredible facts about the creatures, likening them to super heroes.

The second theme invites visitors to join the aquarium brand’s Sea Explorer team to discover the wonders of the ocean. Visitors are encouraged to get creative by drawing, colouring and building on each of the five pods in the installation, immersing themselves in different aspects of aquatic life through play.

Sally O’Brien, Board Director for Sense, said:  “Each interactive pod delivers fun, exciting and globally appealing content aligned to SEA LIFE’s essence of Amazing Discovery, throughout 2019, the two installations will be rotated quarterly around SEA LIFE’s 22 aquariums across the globe, from Berlin to Bangkok, to Dallas to Melbourne and beyond.”

Rita Marcal, Global Senior Brand Manager at Merlin Entertainments, added: “We are delighted and incredibly excited to be rolling out this campaign worldwide to engage and excite our visitors about the wonders of aquatic life. We have worked closely with Sense to come up with a creative idea that appeals to young families, couples and school parties, and which is instantly engaging, hands on and able to withstand the attention of millions of visitors a year.”

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Just in time for the release of Men in Black™: International, due in cinemas worldwide from 14 June, Booking.com has teamed up with Sony Pictures to present an out-of-this-world place to stay this summer – recreating the movie’s London based Headquarters.

Following in the footsteps of the new duo of galaxy defenders – Agent H and Agent M, lucky guests of this exclusive stay will be able to heroically prepare, equip and guard themselves (and the universe) against any extraterrestrial mayhem that may appear at night in the streets of London during their stay

Available exclusively on Booking.com and accommodating up to two guests per night, those lucky enough to book this unique stay will enjoy a fully immersive Men in Black experience. Everything in this accommodation – from the agent check-in area, to the main hall of the HQ (including a recreation of the all-seeing eye), to the undercover agent’s bedroom – has been inspired by the futuristic world of the Men in Black. But that’s not all!  Guests will also be invited to explore a selection of original set pieces that the agents used to interact with aliens in the movie.

The guest experience:

• In true Men in Black fashion, the entrance of the recreated HQ is barely recognizable from the street
• Once guests have identified this grand, traditional building as the HQ, they will enter an industrial space with just a subtle identifier in the centre
• Upon confirmation that they are the newest Men in Black ‘agent’, and once fitted with their black suit and sunglasses, as befits all true Men in Black agents, the doorway will slide open to reveal the first of many interstellar experiences
• Through the doorway guests enter a pristine white and mirrored check room where they receive their initial agent and accommodation inductions
• Following this, guests will finally be able to enter the impressive Men in Black HQ, where their experience as an agent will take a lot of unexpected turns…

Pepijn Rijvers, Senior Vice President of Accommodation at Booking.com, says: “We know that travellers are inspired by what they see in movies when planning their vacations, so we are very excited to collaborate with Sony Pictures, another company that delivers amazing experiences to people all over the world, to recreate the Men in Black Headquarters in London this summer. With over 750 Million guest arrivals in alternative accommodations, we’ve been connecting travellers with the most diverse range of incredible places to stay for decades and the Men in Black HQ is no exception, it is sure to be one of the most out-of-this-world places to stay this summer.”

Andre Seddoh, Vice President International Marketing Partnerships Sony Pictures, says: “We are always looking to be innovative and entertain people all over the world, so we are delighted to be working with Booking.com. The collaboration has enabled us to offer a once in a lifetime opportunity to stay in a recreation of the London MIB HQ and extend the hidden universe of Men in Black™: International from the big screen and into the real world”

Book your stay at Men in Black HQ:

Travellers who want to take advantage of this opportunity must be quick as only two nights are available for booking. The Men in Black HQ for the 30th May stay sold out in two minutes. The stay for 31^st May will be released today at 10 a.m. Priced at just £99 per night, this once-in-a-lifetime experience can be booked by visiting the Booking.com listing here: https://www.booking.com/hotel/gb/men-in-black-international-headquarters.en-gb.html

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Ben Bestford, Director at BAM Agency Ltd shares his thoughts on the benefits of brands targeting young people throughout their festival experience.

For the youth of today it is all about experiences. Traditional marketing routes and channels simply do not have the desired effect on this generation, they have almost become immune to it. Brands wanting to capture this lucrative market need to capitalise on experiences and key moments in their lives to truly engage and connect with them.

To keep up with this ever changing demographic, brands need to think outside the box and find new and creative ways to market the youth. Festivals in particular offer a unique opportunity to connect with them. They are growing in popularity across all generations, but have always been and always will be popular with the youth. A whopping 30.9 million people attend festivals and gigs every year in the UK, of which The UK Festival Report revealed that 57.4% of attendees were aged 16-34. So for any brand wanting to target the youth audience, festivals are a key event to capture this mass audience.

Attending a festival is an exciting time and something youths will always remember, and brands have a chance to be a part of this experience. Of course you have the standard sponsorship or onsite stall at festivals, however due to the high demand, brands will have to dig deep to secure these options. There are however, other ways to be a part of, or enhance the festival experience.

At BAM, we are always on the lookout for new and exciting opportunities for brands to get involved in this brand new opportunity available.

For example, in 2019, National Express will be providing goodie bags to every passenger travelling from the Glastonbury and Boomtown Festivals, that is 28,000 goody bags! This is an amazing opportunity for brands to get their product directly into the hands of a captive audience. Click on the image below to download the media pack!

A flyer will simply not cut it. Brands need to get into the psyche of these festival goers. Festival goes would have had an action packed few days, and as they board the coach they will not be looking forward to what is likely to be a long journey home. So how can brands capitalise this?

Brands need to think about how to make this part of their festival experience better and more enjoyable. Think sweet treats, energy drinks, hangover cures, earphones, refreshments, breath freshener, wet wipes. These are just some ideas of freebies that these passengers would be delighted to receive. For a brand to provide something of value to them, they will immediately create a positive relationship with the youth by improving their journey and creating a memorable moment of their experience. As a direct result brands can expect to leave a lasting impression on this audience, connecting with them at a time when they are open and grateful to receive this form of marketing.

BAM has a unique opportunity to place your brand into the hands of 28,000 festival goers this summer. If you think you have an awesome addition to the goody bags that will enhance the festival experience and want to find out more about taking advantage of this unique opportunity, please get in touch with the team at BAM today.

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A new augmented reality wall mural has been unveiled in Shoreditch, London to promote the launch of BIG BAD…, the new album from British rap artist, Giggs. By downloading an app via a QR code at the wall, fans can point their device at the wall and watch the hand-painted mural come to life with a scene based on the album launch video.

Located at London’s first dedicated augmented reality wall mural site, the installation has been provided by Gate Reality, an end-to-end augmented and virtual reality experiences production house, and AllOver, an experiential advertising agency focusing on handmade artisan OOH.

They were appointed by Island Records, a British record label owned by Universal Music Group and whose artists include, among others, Giggs, Dizzee Rascal, Ariana Grande and Mumford & Sons, to provide a unique experience promoting the BIG BAD… album release and to engage fans in an exciting and genuine way.

Akosua Scantlebury, Urban Division Manager at Island Records, commented: “BIG BAD… is an album of enormous ambition and arguably Giggs’s finest achievement. The album was introduced to fans through a high energy cinematic trailer, which set the tone for the whole campaign. At Island we really wanted to match that ambition with an interactive visual that stops people in their tracks. Through collaboration with Gate Reality and ALLOVER, I think it is safe to say we achieved that.”

The experience works by using augmented reality image tracking where the app is programmed to recognise the wall as the specific target. This target is then used as a trigger to launch the experience and to map the augmented objects to the specific real-life environment.

Gate Reality used green screen footage of Giggs from his album release video to create his giant form dominating the London skyline, along with 3D models of helicopters and tanks. Both the mural and footage were carefully designed and manipulated to make it appear as though Giggs is moving within the scene.

Ed Morris, Co-Founder & Director at Gate Reality, said: “Giggs has become recognised as one of the most vital and exciting artists around – his two previous albums reached #2 on the UK album charts and he’s collaborated with the likes of Drake, Ed Sheeran and Mark Ronson – and so we were delighted to be a part of this project. BIG BAD… is a very visual album and so this augmented reality mural is the perfect way for Giggs to engage his fanbase.

“By combining street art with mobile AR technology, we can give our clients and brands a platform to tell more engaging and shareable stories across physical and digital mediums, elevating the potential reach of localised out-of-home advertising. We look forward to using this site to bring more brands to life through this compelling medium.”

The augmented reality wall mural is located at 28 Redchurch Street, London.

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Brandwidth, the digital agency which specialises in providing practical innovation, has announced the launch of a new augmented reality experience for Toyota GB, which enables customers to ‘see inside’ the carmaker’s C-HR model.

The new Toyota Hybrid AR application uses AR technology and objective recognition software to overlay graphics of the inner workings of the Hybrid drivetrain onto physical vehicles, helping customers to gain a better understanding of how the system works.

The iPad app, which will be used in Toyota showrooms as well as at other locations including shopping centres and trade shows, brings to life the different drive states of the vehicle, showing how the various elements of the drivetrain interact with each other. By tapping on a drive state, such as ‘deceleration’ or ‘heavy acceleration’, customers can see which parts of the hybrid system are in use and how energy is passed between them.

The 3D experience also features a number of ‘hotspots’ which, when clicked on, enable customers to get in-depth information on key features of the system, such as the motor, battery and fuel tank.

Brandwidth worked with Toyota to develop the Hybrid AR app as part of an ongoing drive to educate the brand’s customers on hybrid technology and the benefits it offers.

The app currently supports the Toyota C-HR model, across all grades and colours.

Chris Wicks, Group Account Director, Brandwidth, said: “Toyota has always been a leader in automotive technology, selling hybrid cars for more than 20 years. Now, with the launch of the Hybrid AR app we’ve created, it’s breaking new ground in the use of AR to enhance customer experience in the car showroom. We’re delighted to have partnered with them on this exciting initiative – another great example of the innovative technology solutions we’re offering our clients.”

Stephen Duval, TCMS & Direct Marketing Manager, Toyota, said: “As pioneers in the hybrid space, we wanted to find a way to help our customers understand how hybrid technology works, and demonstrate the many benefits it offers. This innovative new AR experience, created in partnership with Brandwidth, brings the C-HR’s hybrid drivetrain to life in a simple yet highly engaging way.”

See the app in action here.

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The IPM is an Association Partner of the Event Production Show and sole sponsor of the Brand Experience Theatre – a unique presentation and networking space located at the heart of the event.

On the 26th February, the IPM Experiential Community will be hosting two sessions at the Brand Experience Theatre, that can be attended by anyone who registers for a free event pass. 

Measuring the effectiveness of Experiential Marketing (11.30am, 26th February)

The first session will take place from 11:30am – 12:20pm and will focus on ‘Measuring the effectiveness of Experiential Marketing.’ The IPM Experiential Community will present their recently launched measurement and effectiveness tool and the latest data and insights. The tool reflects the IPM’s belief that experiential marketing can and should be measured and bench-marked. For the past 2½ years, the Experiential Community has been addressing this challenge and in this session will be providing an update on its exciting progress.

Presenting this session will be:

• Steve Messenger, Managing Director, RedRoute International Ltd
• Claire Grecian, Found and Managing Director, Circle Agency
• Fiona Sutherland, Client Services Director, i2i Marketing
• Carlo Montemarano, Associate Director, Haygarth
• Paul Cope, Managing Director, The IPM

How to maximise experiential staffing of the future (2pm, 26th February)

The second session, taking place from 2pm – 2.50pm will focus on experiential staffing of the future. This session will look at the trend towards commoditisation of experiential staffing and will explains why we shouldn’t forget the vital role that people will increasingly play in successful brand experiences. The Experiential Community will identify what staffing of the future will need to look like to ensure the continued success of experiential marketing, and how agencies and brands can ensure that we don’t forget the human.

Presenting this session will be:

• Andrew Orr, Client Services Director, TRO
• Helen Hanson, Founder and Creative Director, Hel’s Angels
• Neil Survilla, Business Director, Kreate
• Joe Sheppard, Managing Director, POD Staffing
• Paul Cope, Managing Director, The IPM

The Experience Economy (12.30pm, 26th February)

Taking place at 12.30pm on the Main Stage, two IPM Members will be involved in a panel discussion on the experience economy. Claire Grecian from The Circle Agency and Caspar Mason from Jack Morton Worldwide, alongside other experiential agency leaders, will talk about consumers’ raised expectations of experiential at events.

To register your interest for any of the above events, click here.

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