4 Event Technologies All FMCG Brands Should Be Using

11 Apr

 

FMCG Markets are tough to compete in! There are hundreds of thousands of brands all competing for the same shelf space. The nature of this crowded market means brands are constantly facing new sources of competition.

 

The Old Enemy

Adding to this, the purchase of FMCG products is often an uninvolved decision, meaning consumers put little effort into their choice of product, often picking at random or out of habit.

The takeaway, is it is difficult for FMCG brands to differentiate from their competitors, due to both market saturation and lack of analysis from consumers. Thus, when you factor in the fact that FMCG brands must win the attention of both everyday consumers and retail buyers, the difficulty level is compounded.

 

How Can Event Tech Help?

The aim here is clearly achieving sufficient differentiation to attract both buyers and customers to the product. We have already spoken, at length, on how experiential marketing can be used to develop a differentiating relationship between brands and customers, so we won’t rehash that topic.

 

Related Article: FMCG – Why Use Experiential Marketing?

 

Instead, we’re going to look at how different technologies can be built into FMCG marketing campaigns to help them create that point of differentiation.

Technology augments every aspect of our lives, making day to day tasks easier, this is no different for marketing.  Correct use of event technology can help brands emphasize a product’s USPs, making it easier to highlight points of positive differentiation to prospective consumers and buyers.

However, it is important to acknowledge that technology can’t do anything by itself, human input is always required throughout the process. Thus, identifying which technologies are appropriate for your brand, and how and when to employ them, are critical skills when building “event tech” into your experiential campaigns.

Below we’re going to take you through four popular “event technologies”, complete with examples showing how they work in context, that would make perfect additions to an experiential FMCG campaign. 

 

 

Event Technologies For FMCG Brands

 

Augmented Reality

Augmented reality technologies use cameras and digital displays to overlay digital content onto real-world images. The marketing takeaway is brands can use this technology to give consumers a deeper insight into their products, using an innovative technology.

For FMCG brands, this technology can be used to build a deeper relationship between consumers and the product through education. The theory being, the more information they have on the product, the more likely they will be to make an informed purchase decision, leaning towards the product with which they have a prior relationship and knowledge.

AR is best used in situations like tradeshows, where high footfall means and time constraints mean brand reps have a limited number of opportunities to engage, however, the technology can be adapted to work with products on supermarket shelves. This technology would increase a stand’s reach, as well as providing a unique hook to draw in interested parties.

 

Related Article: 5 Creative Ways Marketers Are Using AR

 

Campaign Example

Blippar – Covent Garden:

For Christmas 2016, Blippar collaborated with 140 retailers around Covent Garden, creating AR-scanable store fronts, menus, gift packs, maps and even a reindeer hunt. Additionally, they partnered with Hearst Magazines’ style experts to create an AR style guide for 35 retailers in the area, giving customers style and product information at the touch of a button.

 

 

Virtual Reality

Virtual reality is similar to AR, however the user is immersed in the experience by a VR headset, often incorporating headphones. VR has taken the marketing world by storm, and is widely touted to be one of the trends to watch in 2017. For FMCG brands, VR creates a spectacle, which is, in turn, a draw at any event or in-store stand. Consumers like VR because it is a novel and interesting experience for those who have not yet accessed it.

This inherently creates a point of differentiation, between the product & competition, as a high-quality, well-executed VR experience will engrain the brand into the consumer’s mind. This lasting association will re-emerge when prompted, for example when they pick up the product in a supermarket.

In terms of popularity, VR is only going up, the top two 360 videos on youtube have over 100 million views combined in 1 year. In context, VR installations work well as a draw for installations and tradeshows alike, the challenge is creating the right experience.

 

Related Article: The Ultimate Guide To VR In Experiential Marketing

 

Campaign Example:

Gillette Austella – Proshield Launch:

To support the launch of their new Proshield razor, Gillette hired VR production house Austella to create a roller coaster experience, showing consumers just how close their shave can get. The campaign rolled out across Australia, with up to 40 travelling experiences available at any one time during the campaign.

 

 

Photobooths

Photobooths are a prime source of co-created content, netting valuable “earned” promotion by spreading branded images through consumers’ social streams. The upshot being, this creates a tangible relationship with the consumer, every time they see that content, they will be reminded of the brand and the experience they had on the day. This can be enough to influence a typically uninvolved purchase decision.

The knock-on effect, is the potential to attract more customers to the brand through social-validation, “74% of consumers identify word-of-mouth as a key influencer in their purchasing decision.” (Ogilvy). This social validation provides a point of differentiation which many brands lacks. Just make sure you’ve got plenty of oversized props to keep their attention!

Campaign Example:

Nescafé – Rooftop Film Club:

Nescafé put the icing on the cake of their sponsorship of London’s Rooftop Film Club with their photobooth. The added Facebook and email connectivity meant snaps could be posted online immediately after they were taken, which is probably why the queue was so long!

 

Technology Example:

Huggity – Snappie:

With science advancing at the rate it is, it is unsurprising to see brands developing the next steps in these technologies. Snappie cuts out the need for a large booth, in favor of an ipad. This app allows live production of branded images videos and GIFs at events where the footfall is constantly moving; sporting events, festivals etc.

 

 

Data Collection Technologies

The term big data has risen to prominence in recent times, as marketers realize the golden opportunity presented to them by a surge in available data. Generating insights from data has subsequently become par for the course, however, not all data are created equal.

The development of proximity analytics solutions has caused a stir in the events and experiential industry. These systems provide insight ranging from dwell times, to footfall, to how long a consumer was looking at a specific section of your stand.

In such a hotly contested industry, FMCG brands must find advantages where they can, they must strive to create the most efficient processes possible. Often these insights will be small, however, the 5% improvements data insights can provide add up, ensuring your experiential marketing campaigns are as finely-tuned for success as possible.

 

Technology Example:

Curb – Meshh analytics:

Meshh analytics, created by Curb, is a proximity analytics solution which passively picks up wi-fi signals sent out by all mobile devices within 30 meters. This tracking happens in real-time, with data being available as it is collected. This data gives greater insight into conversion ratios and engagement data, by giving this data a more specific context.

This technology would be perfect for a tradeshow or conference environment where everyone is using the wi-fi. A bonus of this technology is your brand’s data can be compared against time-spent at similar stands within 30 meters, essentially giving access to competitor data.

 

 


For more information about how eventeem can help your FMCG brand, either with experiential marketing or promotional staff, contact us today, we’d love to hear from you!