We’ve discussed in previous posts that experiential marketing is among the most engaging forms of marketing when executed correctly. The shipping container store trend is thought to have been pioneered by Starbucks in 2011 when they opened a 450-square-foot shipping container store in Washington. Of course, it’s still a relatively new innovation, and the process can fluctuate heavily depending on the overall goal of any given campaign. However, there are some overarching mistakes that can stop any campaign in its tracks, and it’s best to avoid these pitfalls if you truly want your experiential marketing campaign to make an impact. Here are just a few mistakes to avoid with your experiential marketing campaign.
Not having a clearly defined audience.
First, many experiential marketers want to reach the widest audience possible. While this may seem like a logical strategy, it’s putting too much emphasis on the number of your audience members as opposed to the quality, i.e., the demographic to whom you’re most likely to make a sale. With this in mind, it’s worth it to take some extra time and make sure your experiential marketing campaign is tailored and customized to hone in on the proper audience and the proper size audience.
“Brands sometimes want to make a big splash with a certain target demographic but simultaneously say they want to reach as many people as possible. It’s important that brands narrow the audience they want to reach, then refine a campaign to target that audience,” writes Jeff Snyder on CMO.com.
Not giving yourself enough time to plan.
Experiential marketing is typically a long-term investment, and not giving yourself enough time to plan could be a major downfall. Of course, there are alternative options, like shipping container cafes, which take much less time to construct than traditional buildings. Dubbed design 4.0, shipping container studios and pop up containers stand to take between five and 12 weeks off a store’s potential opening timeline. Shipping container modifications can make or break your campaign as well.
Not measuring the campaign’s performance.
After setting up your shipping container cafe, it’s important to know how you’ll measure the success of your campaign. This can be done in many different ways, but it typically includes measuring benchmark statistics like overall event attendance and social media engagement.
Ultimately, avoiding these mistakes can help your campaign achieve long-term success. For more information about modified shipping containers, contact IPME.