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The art of a good event, or live brand experience, is the ability to connect with an audience. Such connections have been taking place since 2000BC when passion plays were performed by the ancient Egyptians. While the ancient Egyptian theatre troupes were not connecting emotively with their audiences to sell Diet Coke, they were establishing the art of story telling in a live environment, using all the senses to connect and create lasting impressions. Sound familiar?
Fast forward to 2008 as marketers put brands centre stage to tell a story, to connect with an audience and to hopefully create a meaningful impression through a live brand experience.
Too often the meaning is lost because those involved in producing a live experience have little or no expertise whatsoever. Anyone can fit out a promotional team in bright coloured t-shirts and hand out product but I am referring to unique live experiences with challenging technical and creative elements. Not everyone can do it.
A brand manager, client or marketing director would be unlikely to brief a big brand TVC to a complete amateur. So why would you contract a company with no experience to produce high end live brand experiences.
As an events producer of some 20 years, I have heard countless stories from company executives who have been over promised yet under delivered with live brand experiences. They have identified need for a live component in their overall communications plan. Unfortunately the outcome is often a failed event component which has wasted a large amount of money, resources and caused considerable damage to the brand.
A brand can be damaged by your event in countless ways if not professionally managed. It can be misrepresented in its character, its personality and its values by inappropriate casting, production design or creative.
I’ve seen clients incredibly nervous before a product launch. They have invested large amounts of money (budgets of $1m plus), invited key trade guests and have seen little of what is to be delivered beyond big promises, and pretty words. There is a huge amount at stake. But what if the execution in the live component fails? What can go wrong?
Finagle’s Law says, “Anything that can go wrong, will - at the worst possible moment.”
One of the roles of an events expert is to reduce that risk.
So why would an organisation take an excessive risk and employ a company with no events experience. Why are PR companies, ‘experiential’ agencies and promotional companies attempting to produce high end live brand experiences?
The culture of PR / comms agencies producing events stems from the belief that the live event component is inherently part of the overall communications strategy.
There are PR/comms agencies that do outsource the live component to experienced event producers whilst retaining the client service mechanism. This model works effectively as it enables the client, agency and event producer to work collaboratively.
Effective development of the event creative enables the client/agency to focus on the suitable concept whilst the event producer can play a ‘bullet proofing’ role in assessing viability, cost and effectiveness.
A well conceived, strategically developed and seamlessly executed live brand experience with effective leverage and measurable return on investment (ROI) is a platform for an exciting, sensory, emotive and memorable experience that cannot be achieved in any other form of marketing or advertising.
Unlike all other media whether it be TV, radio, print, on-line or mobile advertising, a live brand experience often allows for only one take. The moment and the experience for the audience may last minutes, hours or days. It’s often impossible to rehearse given time and budget restraints. For this reason, little can be left to chance and only an experienced team can identify the potential risks and deliver content on time, on budget, and most importantly, on brand.
Ant Hampel is the founder of think creative events www.thinkcreativeevents.com
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