Brand Activation: The Key to Ensuring Marketing Success
Brand activation is a process that involves marketing with interactive, multisensory elements that brings a brand to life. It focuses on pushing your audience to build an emotional connection with the brand, enhance customer loyalty, and differentiate from competitors.
An effective brand activation campaign is a multichannel branding strategy that focuses on the right mix of stimuli, whether it's visual, auditory, kinaesthetic or other stimuli. The aim is to make a unique brand experience for the audience.
We think of a brand as a living entity, and as such, a brand needs to do the following:
Learn about the target audience and talk to them.
Determine the right tone of voice to approach the audience and the situation.
And connect with that, talk in their language, solve their pain points which is easily when you know why they buy your product/service.
3 Keys to Brand Activation Success
1. Craft the ideal brand persona
How would you react if you met the person who invented a product you use every day? For many people, a meeting like that would result in a lifetime of loyalty.
By brand activation, you need to know your audience well. Who are they, what inspires them, why do they buy your product, does it solve a problem for them, what they like about your product/service and what encourages them to re-purchase time after time. This means you can connect with them.
For example, if your target audience is moms with young children, you might want to invite them to a playdate where your brand is the host. It could be as simple as a snack and story time for kids and coffee for the moms. The group gets to know you and your brand, and you get to ask questions that help you get a picture of what they're looking for.
Essentially, you need to become exactly the persona your audience wants and needs—including the voice you take on, the qualities you exude, and even your visual aesthetic.
2. Be creative
Don't be afraid to get creative. Think about what makes your brand special. How can you translate that into a memorable experience?
Different people have different learning styles. Think about the way people learn in school, and then reflect on what those same people are doing when they feel they're at their happiest. What did they just eat? What did they just hear? How do they talk to each other?
When you know your audience, you're able to create a memorable experience and make them feel a part of it.
3. Be surprising
Brands must be surprising and unique to stand out. They must do things differently than their competitors.
In a world where advertising is everywhere, being different will do the trick. It's not easy to do, but it needs to be done. Brand Elevation and a good Brand Consultant is essential as they will help you to do exactly this.
For more information about brand activation, get in touch to see how we can help! We're a branding agency based in Dublin, with years of experience in developing brands into respected, sustainable winners.