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Why are more and more companies choosing experiential? The lure behind the choice for experiential marketing as the ideal marketing strategy is the immersive and engaging nature of its campaigns. It is important we understand what is meant in detail by experiential marketing and how it differs from traditional marketing. Experiential marketing is sometimes used interchangeably with “live marketing” or “mobile marketing” and makes use of branded experience such as an event, as part of an event, parties, or mobile popup activations that may not necessarily be tied to any event to create lasting positive brand impressions.

There is no one right way to approach experiential marketing but the end game is to ensure that whatever strategy that is chosen, is one that creates engagement and live immersive experiences for the consumers.

Some of the benefits of using experiential marketing to get your brand includes but is not limited to the following;

1. Humanizing your brand: Experiential marketing can help to give a human face to your brand or sponsor’s brand. With experiential marketing strategies, you create an immersive and lasting experience for the consumers while creating a positive brand impression. An immersive experience paired with social content in a great location can create a lasting impression and help amplify your efforts across different social media channels. Using this form of marketing allows for direct interaction between the business and its fan base, creating lasting experience and increased knowledge.
2. Brand awareness: This is very important and particularly true for new brands or brands making market entry. Using experiential marketing strategies, there is a limitless opportunity to sway the minds and hearts of consumers towards patronizing your brand by creating engaging touch points that leave lasting memories. And when nearly 70% of buying experiences are based on how customers feel about a brand this becomes vital.
3. Increased Social Expressions: You and I are aware of the power of social media to driving brand awareness. Experiential marketing is immersive and usually involves photo opportunities which helps the conversation to continue online, there is a marked increase in social awareness of brands that partake in such events. The more marketing efforts made during the event, the better the publicity for the brand.
4. Increase sales: Experiential marketing when done right, translates to increased sales and business for the brand. Evidently, the more a business is known, the more likely it is to see better patronage.

Experiential marketing may not be “a one size fit all” but it is a sure way to gain consumer attention and increase brand awareness.

To find out how Jam Van can help you add an experiential element to your next campaign and put a smile on your face, reach out to us at 416-203-2375 or email info@jamvan.com

By: Elisa Nolli, Marketing Co-op Student

Marketing is not only selling or delivering a product, it is far more than that. According to Dr. Philip Kotler, an American marketing author, consultant, professor and also known as “The Father of Modern Marketing”; marketing can be defined as “the science and art of exploring, creating, and delivering value to satisfy the needs of a target market at a profit.  Marketing identifies unfulfilled needs and desires. It defines, measures, and quantifies the size of the identified market and the profit potential. It pinpoints which segments the company is capable of serving best and it designs and promotes the appropriate products and services.”

My first experience dealing with marketing was at university, in Brazil, where I had two important subjects, “International Marketing” and “International Market Analysis”. I was able to learn that if a company wants to succeed, its marketing department is crucial to lead it to the top.  This division is in charge of not just to promote the product or service, but also to analyze the environment needs, political situations, if the product/service needs adjustment, potential markets and even other issues that could interfere in the company’s management. Likewise, it is responsible for promoting and representing the business of the organization, coordinating and producing every promoting material from the company, expanding the customers/investors catalogue and also producing a positive view of the brand. In other words, the marketing department plays a vital role in the company.

Once I got my degree in International Relations, my country was passing through a tumultuous economic and political situation. Some politicians and businessmen from multinational companies were arrested, the President suffered impeachment and all these events culminated in the increase price of products, taxes and rates. Due to this, most companies were not hiring new employees and instead were firing their employees in order to preserve their savings. In this way, myself, as a recent graduate, decided that studying abroad would be a unique experience to improve and qualify my knowledge and skills while my country was experiencing an unfavorable scenario in economic and politics terms.

After analyzing pros and cons of some countries and their study/work programs, my family and I decided that coming to Toronto would be the right choice to make. Canada is the second-best country in the world to live in, the safety rates are extremely high, and the study program was compatible with my desires and expectations. Here, I started a co-op course in “International Business Management” where I studied marketing such as its concepts, strategies, marketing mix (product, place, price and promotion); international business; Canadian law; human resources and the Canadian environment workplace.

Meanwhile, I volunteered at the Brazil Canada Chamber of Commerce and at a business consulting business called Mandala Group. In both places, I had the opportunity to practice what I studied at the university in Brazil and college here in Canada: I helped in planning and organizing some of their marketing events, provided marketing research such as looking for suppliers / clients / competitors, supported the negotiation among Brazilian and Canadian companies and governments on health / mining / education / technology; and assisted in bilingual receptions for senior executives doing business between both countries.

As part of the course, I am now a co-op student at Jam Van Inc.; a national, award winning, experiential marketing agency that pioneered mobile experiences in Canada which is now expanding its boundaries in the marketing role. The company’s knowhow is in experiential marketing activations and with its well qualified employees and brand ambassador staffing, is one of the top experiential marketing agencies in Canada. The promotional vehicles can rapidly pop up and are always the hit of the event.

The experience of being an intern at Jam Van Inc. is certainly challenging and taking me out of my comfort zone. Apart from the language, everything is new and different for me. Working just with Canadians; fighting against my shyness; writing and speaking in English, which is not my native language, all day long, is not easy for an exchange student. However, I am lucky to have an understanding team which is patient enough to comprehend that, in the beginning, I might have some limitations. I am absolutely sure that during my time at Jam Van Inc. I will develop my marketing and management skills, learn with and from my colleagues besides creating memories that will last forever and worth all the effort of being alone in a different country.

If you want to chat more about the work we do at Jam Van or even about how my international experience is going, reach out to us at 416-203-2375 or email info@jamvan.com

By: Viktor Arzethauser, Senior Account Manager

As a senseless yet eager young marketer, I made the decision early in my career to focus on experiential marketing, or XM for the uninitiated. Having worked in the food service industry since 17, it seemed like a logical progression for me: like an upscale version of my local dive bar.

The similarities between XM and hospitality are abundant and apparent, but the links that chained the two disciplines together for me were the one-on-one human interaction and full sensory engagement. And while the human element brought me to the dance, it was the later that kept me coming back for more in an industry where burn out is an all too real inevitability. Every food trend, tech development and hot local musician can be encapsulated within an activation to launch something as sterile as soap. And as each of these elements fulfill their corresponding sense, consumers will come to realize that this soap is what they’ve been missing in their life. No intricate digital strategy or catchy tagline will replicate the ability to quench a sun burnt and dehydrated 21-year-old with a cold bottle of branded water at Coachella, all in the name of mouthwash.

There is, however, a fine line between too much and not enough and even if you get that right, your approach could mess it all up in the end anyway. For instance, giving out cupcakes for cupcakes’ sake is an exercise in futility and your deodorant sales will remain as flat as the topless cupcake remains. Your approach needs to be rooted in market research and sprouted through insights, making the sheep’s clothing as convincing as possible.

Generally, sensory strategy should come organically; like the inclusion of pine air fresheners at a Santa Claus photo op or the smell of hay and dirt at a vegan food festival. In contrast, I should never ask myself why I smell cinnamon candles at a beer sampling tent. That is, unless it’s cinnamon beer, but that’s disgusting and a whole different conversation altogether. Long story short, it needs to make sense (pun intended. I’m sorry).

Luckily, many of these elements are some of the lowest hanging fruit and easy to decipher. Simple enough that the soundtrack to your activation can actually be a strategically selected Spotify playlist instead of spending hours building a custom list.

If you’re thinking of serving up some grub as a means to entice engagement with your activation, use local food blogs and publications as a starting point. With that being said, be weary of whose influence you choose, any 22 year old with 5,000+ followers is willing to write a positive review in exchange for complimentary melted cheese on a cardboard box. As an example, I use blogTO as my jump off when activating in Toronto. I’ll get a sense of which food trends’ stocks are rising and which restaurants are hot. From there, I’ll mine the comments section and hashtags of those restaurants’ social channels, to get authentic consumer feedback (if you’re still using Yelp, you and your flip phone can stop reading and go to Arby’s. I hear they “have the meats”). Then for dessert, I go to blogTO’s Facebook comment section. After which, I either feel better about who I am as a person, or I come to the realization that we’re doomed as a species. Either or.

To encompass this blog post into a quote, I’ll go back to being young and senseless, and reiterate something I heard back in college by now retired creative guru, Alex Bogusky, which is “great advertising is research done right” (or something to that effect, it was a long time ago). This concept remains true to this day and should be a mantra for creative and account types alike. As long as you keep your ear to the ground, your consumer touchpoints will, at the very least, keep your fickle target demo engaged long enough for you to convince them that a deodorant will somehow prevent them from being awkward and creepy.

Want to discuss how sensory engagement can help your next campaign? Either way we’d love to hear from you!    Email info@jamvan.com or call us at 416-203-2375

By: Gary Francis, Managing Partner

Today people are spending their dollars in different ways than before. In fact, studies consistently demonstrate that millennials prefer buying experiences to purchasing physical objects, and 72 percent plan to increase the amount of money they dedicate to the former in the next year.

People favor collecting memories over materials. And it’s also important for today’s generation to share experiences with peers. If they like a brand, or have an exceptional experience, they will go out of their way to promote the events they attend.

For such people experiential marketing is the best way of marketing.

While a surprising number of people haven’t heard of the concept, it’s kind of a big deal — 65% of brands that use it say that it positively correlates with sales.

But what is it, exactly? And how has it been used effectively? We found some of the coolest experiential marketing campaigns that really break down how it works, and how those lessons can be applied to marketers everywhere.

• Gilmore Girls’ Luke’s Diners

To create buzz and excitement in the lead up to the long-awaited premiere of “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life,” the Netflix team created 200 pop up Luke’s Diners around the country to serve complimentary coffee to excited fans. It was wildly successful, with long lines at every location and tons of social engagement (the event’s branded Snapchat filter was viewed 880,000 times).

• Refinery29’s 29 Rooms

For the past three years and counting, lifestyle brand Refinery29 has hosted its 29Rooms event, a collection of 29 different rooms of individually branded and curated experiences, all loosely connected by a central theme to create a “multi-sensory playground.”  This year’s sold-out event will feature the theme “Turn It Into Art” in its first West Coast appearance.

• IKEA

The furniture retail giant IKEA invited 100 winners out of the almost 100,000 members of the Facebook group “I wanna have a sleepover in IKEA”, to a sleepover inside its furniture warehouse in Essex in the UK.

In the pajamas-only sleepover, the guests each got goodie bags, on top of massages and manicures. They were also treated to movies and a reality TV star swung by to read them a bedtime story.

• Globetrotter

Globetrotter took the concept of a “fitting room” to another level by introducing the “weather room” in its stores. The weather room lets customers get to prove the claims of Globetrotter products in a simulated environment.

Customers who enter a Globetrotter store can now test whether that jacket can really protect them during the winter or is it indeed waterproof.

Experiential is getting a lot of hype these days. Brands wanting to invest in experiential should consider all aspects of the campaign, including social activations and leveraging influencers. The investment should be largely in the experience itself, rather than in paid media. If the experience and plan are well-executed, then earned media will give the brand a bigger payoff.

By: Robert Laughlin, Account Director

Experiential marketing is far more than just getting a sample into a consumer’s hand.  Leading into 2018, that sentiment could not be any truer.  Consumers are smarter and more informed when it comes to your product or service.  Parallel to that, they also have social media as a platform to air both their approval, but also their grievances which makes the consumer more powerful than ever when it comes to the make or break of a marketing campaign.  Here are some things to keep in mind when planning your experiential campaign:

• Honesty: Gone are the days where you can arbitrarily say your product is “just better” then the competition. Consumers are smarter then that.  As a result, they connect with brands that are open and honest with their consumers when it comes to their offerings and communicating “why” their product would be a good fit for the individual.  Further to that, some brands as of late have even embraced their shortcomings and connected even more so with their core consumers with this brutally honest approach.  Consumers today do not want to feel tricked or manipulated, so an honest and real approach is key to any campaign.

• Know your consumer: You know when you are walking down the street and you have the guerilla marketers approaching you to “have a conversation” and 9 times out of 10 (for me personally) I’m not the target at all. Generally, people do not want to be “accosted” by a brand, they want to engage on their own terms.  Ensuring your activation is engaging and inviting is the first step, but your placement is just as important.  Whether it is a festival or a guerilla location, do the research up front and know the demographic concentration you will be interacting with and then tailor your engagement to them.  When the consumer says to themselves, “this brand gets me” you have already won.

• Less is more: A mistake I see constantly is that marketers try and push too many activities or touch points into one activation space.  Now I get it, when you have complex key messaging, or you must promote multiple levels of a product, we sometimes get caught tying these messages into different touch points or activities.  The problem with that is with so many stimulants, the messaging can get lost as it can seem like information overload.  Make sure to be concise and ensure you have 1-3 touch points to convey your message.  Not only will this ensure you get the information across, but you will streamline the consumer journey and allow for more engagements over the course of an activation.

• Give them a reason: A consumer will only engage with a brand if you give them a reason to, and there are many ways to do this.  Whether it is a sample, a takeaway, a unique interaction, groundbreaking technology, or even a fun activity, there needs to be a reason for the consumer to interact with a brand.  When you give a consumer a reason, you then open the opportunity to have a conversation and make a true connection with the consumer.   When the consumer is of the mindset to interact, their information retention is then heightened, and you are able to create a longer lasting impression.

Want to know how we can help you design a campaign that will grab attention this year? Contact us at 416-203-2375 or email info@jamvan.com

By Robert Laughlin, Account Director

On November 1st, 2017, I began my JAM VAN journey.  It was a decision that was not taken lightly, however 27 days in, I have come to realize that joining the JAM VAN team was the best decision I ever made in my career thus far.

After meeting with the ownership and the various partners over two months prior to my appointment, I was given the opportunity to take the reigns as the Account Director.

Leading up to the first day of this new opportunity, I was apprehensive, asking myself:

“What is the team going to be like with me coming in as the incumbent? Do I have a strong team in place or will I have to be the bad guy? Am I going to be able to make the changes I need to make? Will I be able to make a real difference and help grow not only the company, but the careers of all of my co-workers?” And most of all, “did I make the right decision to take this new job?”.  These I’m sure are questions anyone moving into a senior management role with ask themselves, and I have found the “writing is on the wall” within the first 30 days.

To my delight, after my first 27 days, I asked myself the most important question again, “did I make the right decision taking this new job?”, and the answer was a without hesitation, “yes”.

The account team that works with our clients to manage their project and campaigns are bar none. To my delight they all have an intimate knowledge of experiential marketing in their various roles and responsibilities. They continually impress me with their creative solutions and thinking. As I worked with them on a daily basis, side by side, the biggest surprise to me is that I found myself learning as much from them as they are learning from me. This is a sign of a truly strong and cohesive team.

My colleagues welcomed me with such enthusiasm and have surprised me with their continual growth and progress.

Our operations team has been just as inspiring. Their technical knowledge of the JAM VAN, and also production in general, has made me so confident in our team’s ability to not only execute programs for our clients, but also produce at all scales required. Having national coverage including Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal, and Toronto, the team is able to execute seamlessly in any given market, 365 days a year. The coverage also allows for not only the ability to execute in any given market, but to do so consistently. For any experiential marketing campaign, with or without the JAM VAN, our operations teams are experts within the industry.

I am so happy with my decision to join the JAM VAN family and could not be more excited to see the work that our team will be doing for all of our many current and new clients in the future.

If you want to chat more about the work we do at Jam Van, how we can help you with your next campaign, or even just to say, “Hi”, contact us at info@jamvan.com

By Morgan Little and Justice Mounsey

Ever wondered what it’s like to pull back the curtain and go behind the scenes of a marketing activation? Sure it’s easy to think that once the planning in the office of an experiential campaign is done that there’s nothing left to do but show up on the day and see the smile on the client’s face. But there’s so much more to it…approximately 50% more! Nearly right from the start, a good operations team is there working alongside to provide logistics and planning for the campaign so that the final result is perfect. After all, this is what they do. With years and years of experience they can provide troubleshooting for nearly every scenario possible. They are jack of all trades, able to rig up any sound system or loose flag or even hop in and field manage if need be. The vastness of their skill set is unbelievable but it has to be. They need to be able to solve any and every problem that may arise.

Creative and planning is necessary for a great campaign but so is having an experienced operations team because without them there would be no activation. With decades of experience our operations team is the best (although we may be a little biased). Read on to see what a campaign is like from two members of our ops team.

By: Morgan Little

From the moment of inception in the boardroom, Jam Van’s operation team kicks into gear prepping for another exciting experiential marketing campaign. Whether it’s converting the van into a food truck for Krave Jerky in Vancouver or having Toronto band USS on board to perform six shows in six locations in one day, ops is ready to handle whatever comes our way. Jam Van’s biggest asset, besides our people that is, are the Jam Vans themselves. They are extremely versatile and one of the keys to our longevity. That being said, don’t be surprised if you see one of our ops team driving the Ecto 1, as we did for the release of the new Ghostbusters movie last year. Now that was a lot of fun!

There is a lot more that goes into mobile marketing campaign than what a consumer sees outside the Rogers Center on game day or when they like a photo on a friend’s instagram account, that was just taken at the Motrin backdrop at the finish line of the Goodlife Marathon #UnstoppableWoman. Our typical day starts hours before the activation begins and finishes well after everyone else has gone home for the day. You’ll find us down at the “Batcave”, which is what we call our warehouse, making sure our Jam Vans are spotless, the tires are shined and the generators have full tanks of gas before we head to our first location. There also may be a stop off to load up on product when we are running a guerrilla sampling program like the one we just finished for Summerfresh. It takes a lot prep time to make sure launch day goes seamless.

The beauty of the Jam Van is that it can be fully customized to fit any client’s needs. This starts with an exterior wrap and branded illuminated billboards and continues with an interior build-out which can include anything from a custom photo wall designed by Toronto artist Diana Lynn Vandermeulen for Nordstrom to a full on kitchen set with freshly baked cookies for Hershey Chipits. One of the most rewarding aspects of being on the operations team is seeing the client’s face light up when the side of the van opens up and they see their ideas, for the first time, come to fruition.

This is the same feeling we get each day, when we pull up to Ontario Place and concert goers, heading to the Budweiser stage, get their first glimpse of the Universal Records exclusive pop up shop where they can listen to and purchase their favorite band’s album on vinyl or when we surprise holiday shoppers with free personalized Christmas cards and an on board mailbox for them to post them. After all the asset sourcing, floor and light installation, Ikea furniture building and location scouting, this is what makes it all worth it.

When we’re on the front lines, the Van is open to the public and the brand ambassadors are bringing a brand’s key messages to life, that’s when the magic happens. Our duties then, are to ensure a smooth event from start to finish. Optics are everything and it’s our job to keep our eyes open and head on the swivel. You may not even realize we’re there at first glance until we chime in to answer a question that we over hear a consumer ask. Then we’re back to capturing those magic moments that show the client, who can’t always be on site, exactly how well their brand is being received. It takes a well coordinated plan of attack to successfully run a campaign. Communication between the folks in the office, the operations team and the brand ambassadors in the field is essential and having nearly two decades of experience provides Jam Van with the insight and wisdom to execute precisely and efficiently.

I know this all sounds glamorous but the brass tacks of what operations does comes down to the nuts and bolts of our day to day, which is ensuring the Jam Vans is in tip top shape. However, this is mobile marketing and we are all well aware that, no matter the preparation, things don’t always go as planned. Being able to react quickly to the unexpected, comes with the territory. We have to be ready to deal with shifting weather conditions, changing parking restrictions, maintaining product supply, managing consumer expectations and a variety of other variables that can change in an instant while on-site and in the thick of things. Needless to say, we have to stay flexible and be quick on our feet. This is one of our biggest challenges but it also keeps things interesting and that’s why we love what we do.

By: Justice Mounsey

At Jam Van we are fortunate to run experiential marketing for some of the largest and most interesting brands out there. No matter the campaign we believe in a 360 degree approach to the experience. By enticing the senses we can create memorable engagements with the consumers. It is always rewarding to have a hand in capturing those moments that we help create.

Like everyone else we are riding the wave of food festivals and try to attend as many as possible to try out the varied cuisines offered. Everyone remembers that one great dish they had that one day that has stood out in their memories for years. Here at Jam Van, we have had the privilege of providing delicious snacks that have also created some lasting memories over the years for consumers. Eating something different or unique can remind you of an experience you once had and will always stand out in your mind. The opportunity to taste is a lasting impression and a cornerstone of experience.

Good music is always the key to a good time and over the years we have had various concerts in our vehicles, which can convert to mobile stages. From rock to pop to country, we’ve done it all! We’ve all been walking along, heard a good song and looked around to see where the music is coming from. Music makes you want to stick around and listen for awhile. When we our planning our clients’ campaigns we always take great care and consideration in the music choices, as we understand how important this effect is on the public.

Nothing catches the eye quicker than a large illuminated billboard. Signs can depict anything and everything and lit up, they will always draw attention. The saying of moths to a flame is spot on in these circumstances. The flashing lights on a famous movie vehicle, such as the Ecto 1 which was recently used for a campaign, drew huge crowds as the sight lit up the night sky and attracted people from down the block to come see why the lights were flashing. No matter the lighting, it is a warming glow and we all can find comfort and appeal in that.

Have you ever walked into someone’s home, smelled freshly baked bread and been instantly transported back to your childhood? Scent, as one of the five senses, is a very powerful enticer as the olfactory glands are connected to the memory part of our brains. Think about how smelling the same fragrance your grandmother used or your favourite candle makes you feel. We always try to incorporate scents into our mobile rooms. So the next time you’re at a Santa Claus parade and you smell vanilla, follow your nose and you could end up at our mobile party room that’s waiting for you with freshly baked cookies!

After nearly twenty years we have run a wide assortment of campaigns. Jam Vans packed with children’s clothes and toys that kids can come on board, play with and then add to their Christmas lists for Santa. Or after that big concert when people could come on board and hug and shake hands with their favourite artists. The ability to touch and not just see a brand is a very powerful thing.

For every campaign we always plan and set out to stimulate every sense to create a full and well rounded journey for our consumers. By utilizing these tools, we are able to truly meet our clients’ needs and promote their products. But at the end of the day putting a smile on consumers’ faces isn’t a bad reward either.