WHEN BRAND ACTIVATION BECOMES AN EXPERIENCE.

In today’s world standing out as a brand has never been more important. Many think brand activation and brand experiences are one and the same. To be fair, it’s not. But they do support each other. Let’s start with brand activation, a technique to encourage the consumer to interact with your brand in a different way.

Brand experiences on the other hand are all about, you guessed it, creating an experience. In return, customers get connected emotionally to your brand. As digital is the new normal, there’s no better time than now. Let’s look at a few examples.

Let’s go back to 2019. The year Cartier decided to relaunch the legendary Santos watch. As luxury consumers are seeking meaningful experiences, stories behind products become more important. an immersive VR experience during the launch event, that takes participants through the story of the Santos watch did exactly that. it let people sit back and enjoy the show and the history of the watch.

THE SANTOS IS A CATEGORY-DEFINING TIMEPIECE AND ONE THAT SHINES BRIGHT IN THE CARTIER CONSTELLATION. WHEN IN 1904 LOUIS CARTIER CREATED THE PIECE FOR HIS FRIEND, RENOWNED BRAZILIAN AVIATOR ALBERTO SANTOS-DUMONT, LITTLE DID HE KNOW HE WOULD BE CREATING HISTORY: FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER A WATCH WAS TO BE WORN ON A WRIST.

GETTING CARTIER ENTHUSIASTS TO RELIVE WHAT THE FAMED AVIATOR DID WAS THE AMBITION BEHIND THE EXPERIENCE. WE TOOK PEOPLE ON A JOURNEY, OR BETTER, THE ACTUAL FLIGHT ALBERTO SANTOS-DUMONT DID BACK IN THE EARLY 1900S, RECREATING HIS EXACT PLANE IN FULL 3D. HOWEVER, THIS TIME WE TOOK FLIGHT OVER THE CITY CENTER OF DUBAI, RECREATING THE WHOLE TOWN IN A VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT. DURING THIS 90SECOND FLIGHT, A VOICE-OVER TOLD THE VIEWERS THE STORY IN A POETIC WAY, COMBINED WITH A UNIQUE SOUNDTRACK WE CREATED SPECIFICALLY FOR THIS EXPERIENCE.

THEY SAY, CREATIVITY HAS NO LIMIT. AND YES, the launch of the VOLKSWAGEN ID.4 models was quite the spectacle. As a part of the China Premiere celebration, a massive drone show in Shenzhen was launched at the beginning of November LAST YEAR. 2000 illuminated drones created the outline of the new Volkswagen ID.4. TALK ABOUT A BRAND EXPERIENCE, RIGHT?

it’s fair to say that the automotive industry knows quite well how to craft a brand experience. Gary Yeh (artDrunk founder) and creative technologist Nathan Shipley (Goodby, Silverstein & Partners) recently contributed to the design of the art-adorned BMW 8 series.

“The Ultimate AI Masterpiece” can be described as a “unique exploration of art and technology that uses artificial intelligence to generate entirely new works.” Together with the 50th anniversary of BMW Group Cultural Engagement, the virtual art installation was launched. According to Uwe Dreher, vice president of marketing at BMW North America AI is the way to go: “For 50 years, BMW has supported the arts and culture through numerous initiatives as a way to engage and interact with consumers around the world in an authentic way. As we continue these efforts in 2021 and look for new and creative ways to engage audiences, we shift to a virtual setting where we are combining centuries-old art and the latest AI technology to create something completely new and exciting.”

the glorious world of fashion is also embracing brand experiences. Burberry opened a global series of pop-ups to celebrate the release of its new signature bag, Olympia. The first debut was held in London in the famous department store, Harrods. The Riccardo Tisci-designed Olympia is “a structured and sculptural bag, a celebration of modern classicism”. The Harrods space illuminates this concept and celebrates the craftsmanship and inspiration of the bag.

Alongside the pop-up comes an immersive virtual experience. As you enter the virtual space you are met by the first room, a classic opening inspired by Harrods taking you into the ultramodern virtual store. The 1st room in the experience features floor-length windows looking out to the dreamlike cloudy skies. Attaining distinction, the windows feature Harrods iconic awnings.

Great work by the people from emperia.

Last but not least, a great example by Nike. In 1987, when Tinker Hatfield first understood how the Georges Pompidou Centre in Paris exposed its internal structure to the outside world, he realised how this building in particular was transforming how we perceived urban design.

Thanks to this light bulb moment, he designed the first model in the Air Max range. He was driven by a desire to foster a new way of seeing the world using a product’s design. Thirty years after its launch, Air Max 1 remains an icon in the sneaker store.

To pay tribute to the birth of this vital model and its little-known history, the ‘Just do it’ brand brought back its roots. After sundown, Nike projected a never-before-seen film on the 6,000 m2 façade of the Pompidou Centre in paris. This screening involved a hundred specially invited guests, including Tinker Hatfield himself. and of course, the city of Paris itself.

It can be said that brand experiences are the way to go. even more so when real-world and immersive experiences collide and engage with consumers. Not only does it provide a memorable experience, it also leaves people with a certain emotion around the brand.

According to Forbes, impactful brand experiences create a lasting relationship between customers and a brand. quite the statement if you ask me. I’ll just go ahead and trust Forbes on this one.