So far 2017 is proving to be another great year for experiential marketing.

The constant evolution of technology and the massive growth in social media usage has been harnessed brilliantly by experiential events to make them an even stronger way to communicate a brand’s messages.

Scene2 are proud to be part of the team behind three amazing examples of integrating social media and technology into a live experiential event experience:

If Carlsberg did Chocolate…..Experiential PR stunt for Carlsberg with Blackjack – See case study HERE

Kat Von D Beauty Product launch for Kat Von D at Debenhams with 1000 Heads – See case study HERE

John Lewis Christmas 2016 experiential in store tie-in with TV advert with Pretty Green – See case study HERE

Scene2 predict that live experiential events that embrace technology will grow in number as consumers embrace social media including Facebook Live and Periscope. Experiential events will be able to amplify further their reach by tapping into these technologies and reaching people wherever they are.

Below are some of the key trends to watch:

Bringing the Internet To Life

It will become crucial to involve a live internet element at an event in a way that allows attendees to see, touch, feel, and engage with the brand. This might be as simple as taking a selfie at the event and tweeting or posting on Instagram (eg our production for Kat Von D) to actually buying from a live pop up.

The Live Event Will Live Longer Via Social Media

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The constant evolution of technology and the massive growth in social media usage has been harnessed brilliantly by experiential events to make them an even stronger way to communicate a brand’s messages.

Live events will just be the start of the campaign. Live event content will be re purposed to be used for social media campaigns where attendees can share “digital” memories with attendees and non-attendees alike to extend the life of the event.

Live Streaming Will Become The Big “Experiential” Thing For 2017

Live streaming services like Facebook Live can add an additional element to and complement the event without taking away from people’s desire to attend. Live streaming tools can help increase engagement and build excitement around the event and any future ones. It would be  a brilliant tool for a road show style event.

People Want To Experience the “Physical” and the “Digital” Experience Simultaneously

Some brands are already doing this  – see John Lewis (link). Consumers want to be fully immersed in the brand experience but increasingly they also want to direct their own experience within the environments that have been constructed for them. Brands will start to think of more and more innovative ways in which attendees could use their smartphones to help them navigate through your event, or how the digital landscape that you want to leverage translates into the physical world of your event’s architecture or music. Or by using tech such as Virtual Reality to bring to life your brands messages.

This is the way we see brands continuing to move forward in 2017 and beyond.