The Guide to Brand Activation
January 2021
Brand activation may be a term that you’re not quite familiar with. After all, the definition tends to be confused or misconstrued with other more general branding strategies.
However, brand activation plays a critical role when ensuring that your business resonates with consumers on a personal level. Today, these personal connections are critical to the success of modern companies.
With that being said, in this guide, we are going to reveal everything you need to know about brand activation, from the different types of brand activation to the benefits of this marketing approach.
What is brand activation marketing?
First of all, we need to explain what brand activation is. Brand activation is any type of interaction, experience, or campaign whereby your brand creates awareness and builds lasting relationships with the intended audience.
The majority of brand activations are interactive, which means consumers can directly engage with your brand and your products.
As building awareness and connecting with consumers are at the focus of most marketing campaigns, you’d be forgiven for assuming that brand activation simply means general marketing and advertising. However, this is not the case.
Brand activation refers to a specific event or campaign. It is an isolated experience that has the sole purpose of taking your brand to new heights.
Why is brand activation important?
Now that you know what brand activation is, you’re probably wondering why it matters!
Brand activation is incredibly important because there are numerous suppliers available for every service and product. For your business to stand out from the crowd, you need to think of ways to reach potential consumers that will create an emotional engagement and long lasting recall. This is what marketing events do.
Isolated branded experiences create a positive feeling amongst consumers, helping to convert them into loyal brand advocates.
Types of brand activation marketing
There are a number of different types of brand activation, and we’re going to take a look at just a few of the main ones below:
Trade shows and industry events
Firstly, industry events and trade shows give you the perfect opportunity to activate your brand. Whether you host a live seminar or book a booth at a trade show, these events will introduce you to new audiences and boost the authority of your brand.
These events also provide you with a great setting to try out some of the other brand activation techniques we will discuss below, such as sample giveaways and experiential marketing.
We have supported Alpro on several Trade shows in the past, please find more information here
On-site activation
Forging strong connections between your brand and audience is the purpose of brand activation. Naturally, there is no better location for this to happen than at your company premises.
Retailers and other B2C brands find this method beneficial. They host events within their stores so that people can sample their products in person.
These sorts of events enable people to have a newfound appreciation for your brand and how you treat consumers.
Free trial campaigns and sampling
One of the most tried-and-tested brand activation forms is a sampling campaign. The aim here is straightforward: you give potential consumers the opportunity to try your product for free in the hope that they fall in love with it and purchase it.
The strength of a sampling campaign lies within your product and how it is delivered to the consumer.
Timing is important when launching a sampling campaign, as is the environment. Think about upcoming events your target consumer base is likely to attend if you want to pull off an in-person sampling campaign. Check out our sampling guide.
Experiential marketing
Finally, we have experiential marketing. This is a strategy in which a real-world, immersive experience is created so that your brand can engage with consumers effectively.
These experiences do not exclusively have to include your company’s specific products. Rather, they incorporate the sentiments you want to relay to your audience and the values you believe in.
Live participation is a key feature of most experiential marketing campaigns. However, augmented and virtual reality technologies have also led to digital experiential marketing, which has flourished in recent times. You can engage with consumers while they are in the comfort of their own homes thanks to interactive content, games, and virtual tours.
Who can benefit from brand activation?
Any business can benefit from brand activation. Brand activation techniques enable you to build loyal relationships with consumers, and this is something that any company can benefit from.
Brand activation is especially important for businesses that rely on repeat orders, as well as those operating in a crowded marketplace.
Benefits of brand activation
Finally, we’re going to end by taking a look at some of the key benefits that are associated with brand activation. This includes all of the following:
- Create and improve interaction with consumers and prospects through brand activation. After all, two-way communication is the foundation of any relationship.
- Brand activation helps to generate an emotional attachment between a consumer and your brand. Today, consumers purchase something that they have an emotional connection with. They want to connect with the brand they are buying from. Brand activation is all about building this connection.
- Increase awareness of your brand through these isolated branding events.
- Brand activation can be used to revitalize your brand, changing the perception of your products or your company.
- You can lower the cost of other marketing activities with brand activation.
- As the interaction is voluntary between your brand and the consumer, it does not come across as forced or pushy.
- You can position your products effectively with brand activation.
- Boost the effectiveness of other marketing efforts, whether print or online.
Contact Purity today for brand activation success
If you would like to reap the benefits of brand activation, please do not hesitate to get in touch with Purity today. We have many years of experience in the industry and we can help to unlock your brand’s true potential. Simply send an email to uk@wearepurity.com and we will get back to you as soon as possible, or give our friendly and experienced team a call on +44 (0)1296 682 555 to speak to someone directly.
