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. Since then, experiential marketing events have evolved to a more advanced level with the help of custom shipping containers. But planning any type of experiential marketing event isn’t always as easy as it seems, especially when it comes to advertising your event. Here’s what you need to know about ‘torrential engagement’ as it relates to the overall success of any given experiential marketing event.
The Power of ‘Torrential Engagement’
Many marketers assume that more is always better when it comes to getting users to interact with any part of a business’s online presence. But that’s not always necessarily true. Take it from AdWeek:
“Today’s audiences practice what Kantar Futures calls torrential engagement: a fluctuation between high- and low-intensity usage as users navigate their saturated social media channels. You’ve probably seen torrential engagement in your own behavior. It’s why we binge-watch Netflix shows (high-intensity usage) and skip one-dozen songs at a time on Spotify (low-intensity usage),” writes Brett Hyman.
Essentially, this means that users go all-in when they see something they enjoy on social media, and when the content isn’t engaging, they tune out completely. The mental ‘switch’ has to be fully activated in order for the user to respond. The answer to this lies in experiential marketing events, where users are constantly ‘tuned in.’ You can’t disengage completely from an all-immersive event where the brand and the experience are so closely connected.
The Role of Experiential Marketing
As mentioned, experiential marketing is one of the best ways to activate customers’ ‘switch’ and maximize overall brand building potential. Advertise the event on various social media channels to get your message across to the right audience. And of course, invest in a sturdy structure for your event, like a customized shipping container.
Remember, there are approximately 17 million custom shipping containers in the world, only 6 million of which are in use. While planning the event properly is important to success, social media engagement and interaction can also play a considerable role. For more information about modified shipping containers and other shipping container studios, contact IPME.