What the heck is Experiential Marketing (‘XM’)?

If Marketing' is 'the activity of promoting and selling products or services' -'Experiential Marketing' (or 'XM) creates moments and spaces for people to engage with specific ideas, products or brands - its less about just being told about something and more about being shown.

1. It’s stuck around

The earliest recorded example dates back to the Chicago World's Fair in 1893, where William Wrigley, Jr handed out pieces of Juicy Fruit Gum to attendees, in the hope that it would increase sales.

2. Give me a break!

XM often takes the form of events, pop-ups or guerrilla marketing. For example: the 2023 film ‘The Creator’ released actors dressed as cyborgs into London, creating a social media buzz of shares and conversations. Another example is Kit Kat setting up "have a break' benches, looking like their chocolate bars, connecting their tag line with a physical experience.

3. What’s the point? 

As XM directly engages people, through participatory hands-on experiences, customers generally feel more connected to products and businesses, than consuming through alternative models of traditional marketing. When done well, moments are turned into memories.

4. It’s all about connection

If you can ensure your:

• goals

• metrics and

• strategy are well thought out before starting a campaign, XM could be exactly the technique that will help your business connect with the right people.

Need some help? This is our jam, let’s chat!