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The Financial Times plans to invest heavily in a brand experience campaign this summer, aimed at supporting its recently-launched global marketing push for the FT Weekend section. As part of its plans, it has just hired Tamara Gates, formerly with TV, film and ad production and visual effects specialists Moving Picture Company, in a new role as experiential marketing manager. Her remit will include managing the planned brand experience activities.

The new Open Minds campaign for FT Weekend was inspired by the section’s colourful and provocative journalism and aims to encourage stronger engagement with FT Weekend by the FT’s core business audience, while attracting new readers to its world-class coverage of arts, culture, ideas  and lifestyle.

The campaign, which builds on a 2017 refresh and rebrand of FT Weekend under editor Alec Russell, will have two phases. The first will include out-of-home, digital display, online video and retail elements in high profile locations in London, Hong Kong and New York’s Times Square. The second phase, in the summer, will have a major experiential focus, marking a new direction for the Financial Times.

The creative concept and execution of Open Minds have been developed in partnership with The Brooklyn Brothers. The visually striking phase-one adverts were designed by a variety of illustrators and inspired by a range of thought-provoking FT Weekend articles:

• ‘Is mind control the tech industry’s greatest invention?’ (pictured) challenges readers to question their relationship with the smartphone.
• ‘Can we separate the art from the artist?’ challenges people to think about the character flaws of renowned artists and entertainers;
• ‘Is age a disease we can cure?’ poses questions about wellbeing and mortality;

Financial Times chief communications and marketing officer, Finola McDonnell, says: “We have created this campaign with editorial content at its centre to have strong visual and intellectual impact, sparking debate and conversation – exactly what FT Weekend aims to do. We’re positioning the FT Weekend as an essential read for those interested in arts, culture, ideas and lifestyle, just as the Financial Times and ft.com are essential to our core business readership.”

FT Weekend editor Alec Russell adds: “This campaign goes to the heart of my ambition for the journalism in FT Weekend each week. It is sharp, provocative, probing and embraces the big ideas of our age – yet it is also tinged with mischief.”

The campaign will be supported by social media activity on the FT’s Facebook, Twitter (@FTWeekendand @FTLifeArts) and Instagram (@FT_Weekend) accounts with the hashtag #FTOpenMinds. The articles which inspired the campaign can all be found outside the FT’s paywall at FT.com/OpenMinds.

The Financial Times is one of the world’s leading business news organisations, recognised internationally for its authority, integrity and accuracy.  The FT marks 130 years in 2018 with a record paying readership of more than 930,000. The FT is now a majority digital content business, with digital subscriptions up to 739,554, representing more than three-quarters of the total paying audience. Content revenues represent almost two-thirds of total revenues, double the share of five years ago.

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Neil Davidson  from agency HeyHuman reports back on what film, interactive media, and music festival and conference SXSW 2018 had for the experiential marketer

In a self-contained bubble populated by robots and mechanisation, film, interactive media, and music festival and conference SXSW 2018 was dominated by a surprising theme: empathy.

Talks emphasised the need to tailor our relationships with machines, making them less ‘slave and master’ and more ‘man and dog’, harbouring mutually understanding, empathetic interactions rather than purely subservient ones; and the need to align people and brands on social media, encouraging the latter to use biometrics and neuroscience to engage with users who are typically on autopilot when browsing social channels.

But what does this mean for my own corner of the world, experiential?

At SXSW, it’s almost impossible for standard experiential to cut through the noise. Not only have technophile audiences seen it all before, but brands and agencies must play second fiddle to 5,000 speakers including luminaries such as Elon Musk, Bernie Sanders and Steven Spielberg.

But some experiential events did stand out against the glittering list of politicians, entrepreneurs, filmmakers, and celebrities on the roster.

One of the best experiential panels I saw, Create Magic – 6 Experiential Storytelling Secrets, shared six ways experiential campaigns can make an emotional connection, deepen fan engagement and inspire lifelong brand loyalty. The event highlighted the need to:

• Start in the heart – 90% of all decisions made are based on emotion. What’s the story of your brand in the heart of your audience?
• Know your destination – Think about KPIs, objectives and the change you’re trying to create. Is it action, approach, response or applause?
• Emotional Engagement – All great stories have a central theme. Find your experience’s story arc.
• Engaging all the senses – Expect a 62% increase in impact when using touch alongside sight and sound.
• Create Magic – If you create wonder, phones go away and people engage emotionally.
• Exceptional Hospitality – Think about how the smallest differences can transform an experience and how you can make that happen. A central theme that resonates with a wider audience is crucial for any campaign, and that can be conveyed more effectively via multi–sensorial engagement.

With this in mind, how did SXSW’s three most talked about experiential activations stack up?

Westworld, HBO

You couldn’t have a conversation at SXSW without someone talking about HBO’s Westworld experience. They clearly had an agency budget to die for, but it was more than just throwing money into the desert.

Westworld is a sci-fi drama set in the future, where people ‘live without limits’ in a virtual Wild West theme park. It’s populated by androids, and you can indulge in any dark desire you wish. At SXSW, the town was recreated with 60 actors and 444 pages of script for a 90-minute looping experience. And because Westworld is built for outsiders in the series, the activation genuinely felt like you were there.

It was tangible. Escapist. You chose either a white hat or black hat upon entrance – this determined whether you were a goodie or baddie. It put the keys in your hands. You got to make that choice.

The budget was ludicrous, yes, but it would’ve been nothing without the legwork. It provided the perfect physical and mental escape for jaded conference-goers, allowing them to be a part of something, letting them share that experience over social media long after everything wrapped up.

And yes, we got to keep the hats.

A Handmaid’s Tale Season 2, Hulu

A Handmaid’s Tale was very much SXSW 2017’s Westworld, characters creepily walking around Austin and generally giving everyone the willies.

This year’s striking installations focussed on the central theme of resistance, which dominates the show’s second season. Operating on a lower budget, the framed red cloaks, burning for all to see, stood as symbols of oppression, married with the clever #ResistSister hashtag.

SXSW-goers have come to expect something creepy from the drama. Hulu delivered. It was something real, something you could latch onto, cutting through all the VR smoke. Finally, with #ResistSister, Hulu linked A Handmaid’s Tale’s themes with 2018’s cultural ills, female brand ambassadors displaying the slogan on badges in a nod to #TimesUp.

Imposters, Bravo

Last, but certainly not least, was an Imposters experience from Bravo.

Based on the TV show, which revolves around con artist Maddie and her trio of hapless victims, the experience gave audiences make-overs and manicures. Guests could then take photos in one of three show-based scenarios, creating the illusion of living it up on a private jet, yacht, or at the ice hotel. Basically, anywhere but a car park in Austin.

Pitted against Facebook, whose ‘experiential’ taught people how to make better Instagram posts, Imposters had a savvy take on social media amplification. It was a bit of a jibe, actually, referencing SXSW attendees’ compulsion to show off on social. Very ‘fake it ‘til you make it’, and all the better as a result.

As proven by the three activations I’ve focused on above, this year was a massive win for experiential at SXSW. It hammered home empathy via genuine interaction. Tangibility, giving people a sense of self socially.

When you apply all of this to a wider, culturally relevant context, that is what really counts when connecting brands with people.

Neil Davidson is Managing Director and Managing Partner at independent integrated agency HeyHuman. With around 100 staff, HeyHuman supports the relationship between brands and consumers via a focus on building ‘Human Brands’ and specialisms in brand, content, social and experiential. Current clients include: Sony, Unilever, Diageo, Slimfast and Mondelez.

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Cadbury is partnering the new live action/CGI movie, Peter Rabbit – launching in the UK on March 16th – for an on-pack promotion which will offer five families the chance to win their own break to the home of Peter Rabbit and Beatrix Potter, the Lake District, plus other Peter Rabbit-themed prizes including tote bags, bunny ears and carrot pens.

Promotional packs will be available across the brand’s family sharing and gifting ranges. In addition, there will be a Cadbury Dairy Milk Peter Rabbit Easter Egg and Toy pack, containing a Cadbury Easter egg and a plush toy of either Peter Rabbit or Flopsy Rabbit from the new film.

Hortense Rothenburger, Senior Brand Manager for Easter at Mondelēz International, says: “Our purple Cadbury egg has been seen as icon of the Easter season for decades and we’re excited to combine this with another British icon with heritage on a number of products in our shell egg, family sharing and novelty ranges.

“This new collaboration allows us to offer something more to consumers and drive even more excitement during the season with a range of joyful prizes that will help families create memories. What’s more, toys are the third biggest gift category after chocolate and flowers at Easter so we believe we can drive more value to the category with our new NPD.”

The star prizes are five Lake District short breaks, including travel and three night’s hotel accommodation for a family of two adults and two children (aged 15 or less), and activities which could include bike hire, a tree top adventure, entry to a Lake District Farm Park or entry to The World of Beatrix Potter Attraction.

Tier 2 prizes include 200 Peter Rabbit carrot pens, 517 Peter Rabbit tote bags; and 300 pairs of Peter Rabbit ears.

Consumers enter by buying a promotional pack and looking for winning coupons inside. Winning coupons have been randomly distributed amongst the stocks of promotional products. Winning coupons have a Unique Reference Number on, and consumers who find one have to go to the promotional website, www.cadburypeterrabbit.co.uk. The promotion is open to resident s of the UK and Republic of Ireland aged 18 and over (there is a No Purchase Necessary route available for consumers living in Northern Ireland).

The new Peter Rabbit movie is based on the characters created by Beatrix Potter. It has been filmed in 3D and combines live-action and CGI animation. Peter Rabbit is voiced by James Corden. Margot Robbie, Elizabeth Debicki and Daisy Ridley as Peter’s sisters Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cottontail, and Sia as Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle. It has been produced by Columbia Pictures and is being distributed by Sony Pictures.

The Cadbury brand is owned by Mondelēz International, the global snacking company with 2016 net revenues of approximately $26 billion. Mondelēz is a world leader in biscuits, chocolate, gum, candy and powdered beverages, with power brands including Oreo and belVita biscuits; Cadbury Dairy Milk and Milka chocolate; and Trident gum.

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Sony Pictures Releasing UK has appointed agency Lime Communications to manage its brand partnerships and promotional marketing activity on all its key theatrical and home entertainment releases.

Sony’s slate of 2018 releases includes Hotel Transylvania 3 (July 27^th), Venom (October 5^th) and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (December 14^th), as well as the home entertainment release of The Crown Series 2 late next year.

Peter Staines, Head of UK Partnerships at Sony Pictures, says: “We’re delighted to be working with Lime. Their creativity and knowledge of the promotional landscape in the UK is second to none and we look forward to delivering best-in-class promotional partnerships on what is an exciting and diverse slate of movies.”

Alex Ward, CEO of Lime, comments: “We’re absolutely thrilled to be representing Sony Pictures in the UK. Their slate of films in 2018 and beyond is incredibly impressive.”

Lime Communications works with media companies and brands to create media partnerships (particularly ones involving film, sports and gaming properties), sales promotion campaigns, retail activations and experiential marketing. It works with leading film and TV distributors as well as leading FMCG brands, including Mars, Procter & Gamble and Pizza Express.

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The recently-opened New York office of UK marketing agency Sense has run its first campaign, with the April launch in New York of experiential campaign #feedingthefuture for The Economist.

Sense won The Economist’s North American business in late 2016 following a competitive review; Sense London has been the agency of record for the company in the UK since 2014 and has run a number of awards winning campaigns for the global business and economic magazine where a carefully-targeted potential subscriber base is offered challenging, thought-provoking experiential activations, which have included handing out free ‘cat poo’ coffee and crepes made with insect flour.

The New York #feedingthefuture campaign is aimed at highlighting the impact of food waste on the environment. Running until mid-May, The Economist will have a branded coffee cart at select locations throughout New York City, offer passers-by a free cup of coffee in an effort to highlight innovative uses for used coffee grounds.

The program, entitled “Grounds for Change,” is based on The Economist’s report “Oil in Your Coffee,” which articulates little known uses for used coffee grounds including creating biodiesel fuel. Consumers who participate in the program will have the opportunity to subscribe to the publication at an introductory rate of 12 weeks for $12; as a special gift they can opt to have The Economist plant a tree on their behalf.

In the coming months, Sense will launch the #feedingthefuture campaign in Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Washington D.C.

Marina Haydn, Senior Vice President, Circulation and Retail Marketing, The Economist, says: “The #feedingthefuture campaign brings The Economist’s mind-stretching journalism to life and challenges potential readers to consider new ideas and solutions to reflect on more environmentally sustainable approaches towards food production and consumption.”

The Economist has worked with Sense to develop the #feedingthefuture framework covering The Economist’s live content marketing programs, which are aimed at attracting new readers to the publication through creative and provocative real world experiences. Launched in the UK in 2014, to date more than 30,000 new subscriptions have been generated through this activity worldwide. The Kopi Lowak Coffee activity, which saw potential subscribers offered free coffee made from coffee beans eaten and then excreted by South East Asian civet cats – the most expensive coffee beans in the world – won a Gold in the IPM Awards in 2015.

Sense’s London office runs campaigns for clients including The Economist, Coca-Cola, Mars, Molson Coors, Hasbro, Activision Blizzard, Brompton Bikes and many others.

Sarah Priestman, President, Sense New York says: “We’ve always held an ambition to expand overseas, and being appointed to handle the North American business for The Economist provided us with a great opportunity to start an agency, with a team and resources. This was an important strategic investment in the growth of Sense and we are already talking to other global clients about extending our relationship into North America.”

Sense is an experiential marketing agency that creates authentic connections with consumers in the real world. As a response to media fragmentation, ad blocking and consumer cynicism, Sense has developed an approach that breaks through the clutter, reaching people at the optimum points for relevance and receptivity. The agency manages brand campaigns from strategy through evaluation.

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The Institute of Promotional Marketing has announced that established events, brand and media partnerships company What If London has joined its network of influential brands, agencies and service providers in the promotional marketing space.

Carey Trevill, Managing Director of the IPM, says: “Partnership marketing is hugely important to brands and agencies running promotional campaigns, so I’m delighted that What If London has decided to join the IPM. As the UK industry body with responsibility for promotional marketing, it’s important that the leading practitioners in each of the sectors we cover are working with us to deliver work for client brands that grows business in a professional and responsible way.”

What If London manages a growing portfolio of partnerships, experiential marketing campaigns and major festivals and has a proven track record for creating value, increasing brand exposure and achieving client vision. The company also represents a number of stars from the entertainment world.

Companies and brands What If London has worked for include Kopparberg, Mondelez, McDonalds, Swarovski, Vimto, Oreo, Pepsi Max.

The IPM is the UK marketing industry trade association which represents brands, agencies and service providers engaged in promotional marketing across all media channels. Its remit also covers staff, employee and channel motivation activity. It is a stakeholder in the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP), the body which writes the rules governing advertising and marketing in the UK and represents the interests of the promotional marketing industry with government, the business community, academia and other interested bodies.

The IPM owns www.promomarketing.info.

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Domino’s and The LADbible have signed a content partnership aimed at taking the pizza brand into the living rooms of football fans across the nation, recording their reactions to UEFA Euro 2016 matches in the style of popular TV show ‘Gogglebox’.

The campaign launched on June 11^th as the first match kicked off; five short video films will feature fans watching the Euros and sharing in their reactions to the action as they follow the journey of the footballing home nations. Content focuses on the viewers as they support their teams from the comfort of their living room.

The partnership was put together by Arena Media.

Influencers and celebrities such as rapper Wretch 32 will also be watching the Euros matches unfold and LADBible viewers can share in their reactions from around the country.

The videos can be viewed exclusively on The LADbible channels and will allow fans to relive their own viewing experience or live the game vicariously.

Simon Wallis, Sales & Marketing Director, Domino’s, said: “Watching the Euros at home while enjoying a slice of Domino’s is the perfect scenario for football fans. The whole country’s going to be hooked. Domino’s and LADbible have found the perfect way for fans to enjoy this fantastic tournament.”

Elliot Parkus, Managing Partner Arena Media added: “Over the past few years we’ve worked with both production companies and influencers to create fun content for Domino’s consumers to enjoy. LADbible’s massive reach is testament to their understanding of exactly what audiences want to watch, and we’re excited to be working with them on this partnership.”

Arena Media is a media agency that helps brands navigate the new world of digital, data and content, whilst telling brand stories in mass market channels. Key clients include Westfield, Domino’s Pizza, Royal Mail and LG.

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The Economist newspaper has launched a new execution in its ‘Discomfort Food’ experiential strategy offering consumers free nutritious smoothies made from fruit and vegetables otherwise destined for the rubbish bin.

A pop-up market stall will illustrate that ugly, discoloured or mis-shapen produce, which is rejected by supermarkets, can still be eaten and tastes great.

The ‘From bin to blender’ campaign has been devised by agency Sense, which has been responsible for developing the Discomfort Food strategy and execution. The idea behind the strategy is that offering consumers challenging items as free samples – such as coffee made from beans collected from civet excrement or recycled toilet water, or crepes made with insects – highlights the media brand’s challenging content and ‘self selects’ consumers who are more likely to stay as subscribers when an introductory offer ends.

Supermarkets’ and consumers’ obsession with fruit and veg perfection is a key driver of the global food waste problem, with 600,000 tonnes of food thrown away each year in the UK by restaurants alone. Globally, 50% of all the food the world produces is wasted, yet one in nine people on earth don’t have enough food to live a healthy lifestyle. The ‘From bin to blender’ campaign is an innovative and engaging way to highlight both the issue and a solution.

“Serving waste-food smoothies gets people talking about important content from The Economist in an intelligent, approachable way,” said Marina Hadyn, Senior Vice President, Circulation and Retail Marketing at The Economist. “We want to invite potential readers to learn that we don’t only cover economics, but also the issues that impact our future. This experiential activation will leave them not only with a fresh smoothie, but also a fresh perspective on The Economist.”

“By challenging people’s perception about the food we throw away, this activity self-selects the globally curious consumer – just the kind of people who enjoy reading The Economist – increasing brand awareness and driving subscription sales at the same time,” explained Sense Account Manager Daniel Hennessey.

Over the past 12 months, the Discomfort Food strategy has generated in excess of 14,500 subscribers.

The campaign launched in Liverpool Street in the City of London on 16^th June 2016, and will run throughout June and July.

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Rather than just looking to reach their target audience, brands should aim to get them more deeply involved, says Pete Davis at Get Me Media.

If brands struggle with one thing in the audience engagement stakes, it’s getting people actively involved. They can develop highly creative and striking cross-channel ad campaigns, target consumers through social media and mobile, entice them with offers, boost customer experience both online and offline, and more; but arguably more valuable than all of this is driving a direct action – getting people to participate. To do this, brands need to push the boundaries of marketing a little further.

Lego is great at this. It’s Yoda Chronicles offers short tales from the legendary sci-fi story told through animated Lego figures via YouTube. It provides a safe way of presenting to kids what could otherwise be violent stories, is a wonderful soft sell for the Stars Wars Lego range, but, more importantly ,it’s a very clever way to reinforce the world of Lego via social media using content, which is far more engaging and effective than simply advertising its toy range.

What’s more, it has proved so engaging that some consumers have been creating their own Lego animations – and we all know that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Essentially, this provides a great way of participating in Lego outside of the traditional brick building, while reinforcing this core proposition.

But it’s not just in cyberspace that Lego encourages participation. The brand has also launched movies and video games; it also offers another lifeline for parents on the High Street, with occasional pop-up cafés that let kids play with Lego, while mums and dads relax. There’s an entrance fee, but to frazzled parents this will equate with amazing value! And of course Lego kits are on sale. What’s more, all of these ideas have become highly lucrative revenue generators themselves.

Another, perhaps less obvious, example of strong participation marketing is Weetabix. Originally looking to get kids excited about a nutritious breakfast (and of course shift more units), the Weetabuddies campaign encouraged children to create faces on their Weetabix using fruit. It ran across TV, on-pack, in-store, social and online, as well as engaging parenting bloggers. The brand developed its own fun Weetabuddy characters and then encouraged children – and their parents – to create their own. It has proved a major success.

Weetabix Senior Brand Manager Claire Canty has said of the campaign: “By helping families to get creative and encouraging them to make their own Weetabuddies, we hope that kids will be reminded that a bowl of Weetabix is a lot of fun, while mum can be reassured that they are still getting a delicious and nutritious breakfast, helping us to encourage a whole new generation to fall in love with Weetabix as a result.”

Many brands that are waking up to the power of participation are turning to experiential marketing, with the discipline increasingly being used as the core for many campaigns. The latest Bellwether report from the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) revealed experiential as the only other marketing discipline that had attracted increased investment (up 6% in the first quarter of 2016) after online marketing.

Ian Priestman, Head of Experiential at experiential agency Blackjack Promotions, argues: “From the more traditional brand ambassadors getting consumers involved with products directly in the real world to bespoke branded events, experiential is a great way to encourage participation if planned correctly, while the internet has provided a way to amplify this far beyond the live participants themselves.”

Find a way to get your target audience participating with your brand and you’ll ramp up engagement like never before – and, who knows, if you’re really creative you may find you’ve developed new spin-off products just like Lego.

Pete Davis, a former marketer and media controller at Nestlé, is Founder and Managing Director of Get Me Media. Founded in March 2006 Getmemedia.com helps brands and their agencies find marketing ideas, media and sponsorship solutions. It also offers key insight and bespoke training to help companies and individuals build their knowledge of marketing and media disciplines, and keep up with the latest trends. http://www.getmemedia.com/.

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