The time is ticking….your companies big launch is just a few short months away, and your brand needs an idea. A big one.

And with your competition upping the ante on their side, it’s up to you to figure out how to you stay ahead of the curve and win the loyalties of your large, captive audience. Even if it is just for a night or two….

Brands and companies today face an excruciating amount of pressure to innovate. To constantly stay ahead of the curve, impress their fans, followers and engage the interest of potential new customers.

So, how do they constantly do it? And what’s at stake?

With marketing and PR simply adding to the noise sometimes, many companies today are turning to temporary installations, activations, product launches and ‘off the wall’ launch ideas to create buzzworthy moments for their brands following. And for good reason. There is a lot at stake!

Most companies today in the market only have one or two shots to get it right….you can’t rebrand twice in two years, nor can you survive an event or conference flop….and you sure as hell can’t rely on the, “If we build it, they will come,” mantra…

So, what’s a better way to get inside one of your potential customers heads than to bring them into your world for a short amount of time? And I mean really bring them in….

The term ‘experiential’ has really just come to light over the past few years, and can easily be summed up as something a person experiences in a given area. And while guerilla marketing is nothing new, experiential marketing over the past decade has begun to take a flurry of new twists and turns with the integrations of emerging technologies such as tactile tables, RFID, iBeacons, projection mapping, and virtual reality. And for good reason, it works! Creating impressive and immersive experiences is a home run for brands and companies. The problem is making it a seamless experience.

Whether it’s a brand taking over an event and projection mapping their product onto a building, designing a live-action scene throughout a mall setting, creating immersive environments in public places, or designing customized event experiences that cater to your attendee, brands and companies are focusing on the user-experience in a way never seen before. And it’s elevating their companies in their consumers eyes…

To be clear here, brands need to constantly be integrating new technologies and methodologies to capture their consumers attention and bring them into their world. Yes, social media has always been a big play when it comes to experiential marketing, but beyond that, what’s really possible?

THE NEXT WAVE OF EMERGING TECHNOLOGY

The latest wave to hit the marketing world has been that of ‘augmented’ and ‘virtual’ reality. Two impressive atmospheres of technology. And beyond that, anything seems to be possible, but these two fields are considered the ‘next big thing,’ and here’s why your company and brand should think about using them:

Augmented Reality is the ability to ‘overlay’ a physical world, or space with holograms to create a sort of mixed reality experience. Whether it’s a web page, animal, person, video, or more, you are able to create and see a wide array of 3D images into your world, via a portable headset, phone or other device.

What it could be used for: Product launches, real estate, museums, film, movie launches, product demos, live experiences, diagnosing heavy machinery, science, healthcare, engineering and so much more!

Virtual Reality is equally impressive, as putting on a headset, headphones and utilizing two controllers in your hand, you can transport to any sort of world imagineable. Whether you are battling robots in a 22^nd century setting, or cutting your way through a jungle, exploring real estate options, or flying a plane, you can be whisked away to a whole new world at a moments notice.

What it could be used for: Video games, product demos, real estate, restaurants, travel, hotels, therapy, PTSD, science, space exploration and so much more.

And from a brand perspective, we are already seeing the likes of clients like Disney, HBO, Crayola, Princess Cruises, Nike, Google, Facebook and more brands creating custom, immersive experiences for their fans and followers. The only question is, why aren’t more brands developing these sort of experiences for their audience?

Yes, experiential marketing is important for nearly every client, brand and company out there, but do they all need high-tech experiences?

The short answer is no. And while at Inphantry, we tend to focus on crafting the perfect user-experience, it’s not always necessary for every brand to spend thousands of dollars on a one-time experience. But, here’s the caveat…

We’re at a time where brands are competing against every other brand out there…even if there not in the same industry. Why is that? There’s a noise problem. Americans are lambasted by over 400 different kinds of advertisements a day. That’s a huge number. And even if your product is original, and you have your target clientele down, you’re still just one of nearly 400 different companies vying for that individuals attention….

Which is why digital experience marketing works.

The key is always customization. Being able to give your customer something back, from an experience perspective, in the middle of their busy day is a huge plus, and whether brands choose to spend their ad buys on billboards, TV ads, or engage their consumers personally down on the streets via an engaging, thoughtful, digitally integrated experience, I’d say your best bet lays in the latter part of this sentence.

Lastly, knowing your audience, your end goal, and competition is always a ‘must.’ What’s being done out there already? What do you want your audience to think after the event, product launch, or activation? How do you want them to see you?

In short, there’s a plethora of ways to craft the perfect experience for your customers. And whether your daily tactics are social oriented, event-oriented, or a mixture of both, you need a team, who’s dedicated to the best possible user-experience and who knows what it takes to make it absolutely seamless.

If you’re an interested company, brand, or have an upcoming event and are looking for a customized digital experience, you’ve come to the right place. Email us at: base@inphantry.com to initiate the conversation and let’s build something awesome, together.

Follow @Inphantry on Twitter.