We love brand activation and we have found a way to make it even more effective with the help of personalised products. Find out how you can give new clients the best of both worlds at your next event, conference or trade show.
What is brand activation?
Brand activation refers to the moment when a consumer or target client becomes actively aware of your brand. At a consumer level, it can happen with a brightly coloured and hard to miss display stand outside a public transport hub, at a street party or music festival. B2B brands use brand activations at trade shows, conferences and other events.
A successful brand activation usually includes some form of interactive engagement where people are encouraged to stop and find out more. They may be given a free sample of a voucher they can apply for a discount at a later date.
As shared by peekage.com, brand activation highly relies on elements of surprise and creativity. Creative ideas provide a multi-touch brand experience to connect a new local or even online brand to its target audience.
Given how challenging it is to stand out in today’s competitive world, brand activation kick-starts the consumer-brand relationship. It can make things feel more personal and give a new product or label the chance to be remembered.
Some fun ideas for brand activation include virtual reality experiences, free food giveaways, physical challenges that bring in a crowd, major prize draws and ‘hybrid’ experiences which take place in person but also give people a reason to participate or get involved online (think hashtags and/or live streaming).
Of course, giveaways always work well for a brand activation campaign.
Add the extra layer with personalisation
Walking past, seeing something mildly interesting and maybe grabbing a flyer is one thing but people may still find themselves asking ‘Who were those guys again?” after a single interaction.
When you add personalisation, especially at a conference or trade fair, you give people a reason to come back and make your brand ‘stickier’.
An example of this can be as simple as a beautiful notepad that is embossed on site and handed to a delegate. In return for their name, number and email address, people can add themselves to the list for a freebie in the morning, then return in the afternoon for their ‘gift’. This approach gives the brand’s team the opportunity to interact twice and start building a more genuine relationship with a potential client.
It’s easy to come home from a trade show or event with a swag of goodies and toss them in a pile but if you have something with your own name on it you’re likely to take a second look and even bring it with you to the office the following week. Having people ask ‘Where did you get that?’ extends the brand recognition and the conversation.
Personalised brand activation gifts can include:
- Notebooks and journals
- Diaries
- Embossed keychains
- Engraved water bottles & tumblers
- Torches
If personalisation can’t be done on-site, you can always consider delivering things in the post, although it is easy to set up an embossing station at a trade show so you can share a same-day experience.
Why personalise?
As shared by outgrow.co:
Personalised emails tend to deliver six times higher transaction rates
Personalisation can reduce acquisition costs by as much as 50%. It also lifts revenues by 5–15% and increases marketing spend efficiency by 10–30%
77% of consumers prefer to choose, recommend, or pay more for a brand that provides a personalised service or experience.
Personalising promotional products gives a far more special experience that people appreciate. If you have conference delegates or event attendees stopping to check out what you have to offer you’ll draw more of a crowd and compound your success on the day. The added bonus is being able to gather email addresses or even phone numbers as you will need them to let the person know when their free gift is ready. It gives your marketing team an ‘in’ to follow up with an email campaign, special offer or phone call.
Want the latest personalisation ideas for your next corporate or consumer brand activation? Talk to the experts at Honeycomb Agency today.
