In the post-COVID-19 era, brands and people have choices on the worlds they want to engage in: the digital world, the alternative gaming world, the in-person world, or some hybrid combination. And in the topsy-turvy adaptation of technology like AI, AR, and virtual reality, we can pretty much create any world to connect people with physical and virtual products and services. At the heart of brand engagement is belonging.
Strategies for brand engagement require creating relevant customer experiences that lead to long-term, revenue-rich relationships. Strong brand relationships need a nurturing community where every participant feels connected, supported, and loved. Both brands and customers seek these deeper relationships because it feels good to be a part of something. Experiences build trust, open valuable communication, create a hub for co-creating new products and services, and cultivate a closer bond that makes competition irrelevant.
Epidemic Loneliness and FOMO Shift Role of Events
In 2023, the American Psychiatric Association’s Healthy Minds Monthly Poll found that 30% of adults experience feelings of loneliness at least once a week. Coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic, most people have expressed the positive role of technology in social connection. Americans try to ease these feelings of loneliness. 50% find a distraction – like TV, podcasts, or social media – where innovative brands have a valuable opportunity to build a fundamental sense of social connection. Technology-only experiences can lead to feelings of missing out on in-person interactions – a calling that brands now see as a chance to re-evaluate the role of event marketing.
Getting together is elemental to our social and cultural need to belong. It has become more important to us to ‘live in the moment’ and to ‘splurge on experiences that matter.’ Being with one another allows for engagement that doesn’t happen in online or hybrid environments.
People are flocking to in-person events, concerts, comedy shows, classrooms, meetings, fireside chats, online cohorts, and conferences, seeking a memorable experience – shared and enjoyed by people who share something in common. While virtual worlds reach a broader audience, in-person takes the connection to a higher level meaning of engagement. There is nothing like saying, ‘You were there’. This leveling up of community involvement is getting brands to shift the purpose of events in their marketing mix. Cvent commissioned a study that found ‘89% of global event and meeting strategy leaders proclaimed in-person events important or critical to increasing revenue’. Brands are getting the message: customers want to attend must-see” events and gain the right to say, ‘You had to be there’ to get it.
Prioritizing Immersive ‘Must See’ Events
With TD Garden’s recent announcement of a 37% increase in concerts and a 150% increase in comedy shows compared to last year, there’s a timely opportunity to explore the evolving landscape of event marketing in the post-COVID-19 era. Specifically, brands can investigate strategies for enhancing brand engagement and crafting messages to address post-pandemic needs. These increases in live events demonstrate the heightened desire for shared, in-person experiences and present a valuable avenue for brands to connect with their audience in meaningful ways:
- Experience-first approaches take much work to design, plan, and execute.
- Personalized, flexible event packaging—in-person vs. online, large, loud crowd vs. smaller groups, tech-heavy vs. just face-to-face—gives customers a choice to join, network, and participate in a way that makes sense for them.
Pilot Technology and Measure Wisely
Attendees demand the right technology to make their in-person, virtual or hybrid experiences exceptional. A significant 62.9% of attendees expect to use current technology like wearables, according to the State of in-person B2B conference report.
- Interactive technology, CRM, AI, and machine learning tools that enhance relationships are costly but can help people connect, share ideas, and find common interests.
- Yes, technology can count the number of texts, automate and enhance dialogue, and exchange contact info. Still, there is no quantification for the richness of conversations or the value of a shared brand experience.
Get Expert Help
Expectations are exceedingly high. Venue selection, speakers, content, and entertainment will require a team.
- The skill set to produce events differs from a marketing department or the typical marketing mix. That is changing. Events, both in–person and hybrid, are here to stay.
- Product and customer experience managers should have some community management responsibility.
‘You Had to Be There’
And, when we say, ‘be there’, it includes virtual worlds, too. Ikea is paying real people to work in it new Roblox store. This is one of the first examples of virtual immersion of the work life.
- Customers are willing to splurge, but it better be worth it. If you want people to go out, brands need to make it memorable.
- The right types of events are becoming a must-have.
- Blending worlds is redefining the concept of attendance, presences, and participation. Being there could mean anywhere.
It’s time to redefine customer experience and brand strategy to lead to deeper brand engagement and with messaging to cultivate relevant relationships and source a legend of brand lovers. Events are leveling up the entire message and expectations of our customers.
Level 1: Followers Aren’t a Community
Following is a passive act that supports brand awareness but doesn’t lead to rich engagement that matters. Brands need to allow followers to find their people – and to sort themselves into clusters of like-minded people. This is a one-to-many relationship. Strategically, people know your brand, and the message is “Thanks for liking us. You can keep on liking us.”
Level 2: Groups Aren’t Your Friends
Whether it be Meta groups, Meet-Ups platforms, Discord, or fandom support platforms like Patreon, create a deeper dialogue and an opportunity to exchange ideas. Communication is dynamic- individual to individual, brand to individual, individual to brand, and group to brand. If managed strategically, these systems are rich online playgrounds, supporting word–of–mouth referrals, co-creation, and loyalty. Often, the brand message is, let’s push content, foster brand advocacy, and sell more stuff. It is a closed transactional system.
Level 3: Event Attendees Aren’t a Family
Online events allow for more reach but limited participation. Put the people in the same physical room with rich content that needs to be experienced live, and you have a reason to go. Taking the time and effort to attend an in-person event shifts the customer’s intent and behavior from passive to proactive. Customers want and need to engage fully with others who love the brand, create excitement, and build memories.
Experiencing events is entertaining. They create unique moments between the individual and the brand. Giving customers choices to experience the brand in every type of world available allows for a fully realized experience where you and the brand are together forever. In a rush to automate, augment, and artificialize every touchpoint, the most significant differentiation might be an actual human connection.