As marketers around the globe increasingly try to create experiences that'll get people talking about their brands, PR and experiential marketing are becoming more intimately linked. Sure, you can have one without the other, but if you really want to get more for your client's investment (and positively influence overall brand exposure and awareness); it just makes more sense to run them as a pair.
Ultimately, the convergence of these disciplines means you're able to target both consumers and media directly. And who doesn't want that, right?!
As a PR professional, I understand more than most that in order for any experiential activity to be successful it must be clever, yet simple, creative, and (truly) memorable. With this balance it will create the kind of impact that - with the right nudge from a savvy PR team - will generate lots of buzz in media, both on and offline.
And with the integration of social media, the life of said experience can be further stretched to involve people who weren't at the live event. The other beauty of social media of course, is that it allows consumers to create their own content.
As Chris Norton explains, "Every person engaged with your event who likes or shares some aspect of it on a social network, increases its potential to be talked about, shared, and changed as it travels from one person to another online." It's the gift that keeps on giving.
I totally agree with the notion that content will continue to be king. The truly sharp marketer will continue to produce the kind of innovative (and immersive) experiences that deliver the brand message, while providing multiple channels through which consumers can share it themselves (in their own words)
And with a little help from PR, these experiential activities will produce three awesome results: media talk-ability, consumer engagement and evangelism, and increased bottom-line.
