What Are “Experiential Events” and How Can They Impact Athletes’ Personal Brands?
What Are “Experiential Events” and How Can They Impact Athletes’ Personal Brands?
Like everything
else in the modern world, marketing has undergone some significant
changes in the past few decades. One of the most important shifts is
that from traditional advertising to experience-based exposure.
Just because
they’re personal rather than commercial doesn’t mean that
athletes’ brands have been exempt from this shift, and leaning into
experiential events can do wonders for an athlete’s public image.
Understanding Experiential Events
Experiential
events are precisely what they sound like—they’re specifically
curated events aimed at allowing consumers
or fans the opportunity to interact with their
favorite brands. Massive brands like Budweiser, Gatorade, and Red
Bull has bought into this trend.
One shining
example of an experiential event was Redbull’s ploy to gain
exposure by sending a professional skydiver all the way into the
stratosphere, before following him with a live video as he parachuted
back down to Earth.
Often,
experiential events do revolve around some sort of awe-inspiring
physical feat, which is why brands that closely associate with
athletes (like Red Bull and Gatorade) are so frequently the ones that
take part in these events.
Why Athletes Should Take Part
You’ve probably
heard that there’s no such thing as bad publicity; this isn’t
strictly true, but the basis of the saying is: any time an athlete
can position themselves in front of the public eye in a positive way,
it can only make their stock go up.
In fact, there
are some important
things that participating in an experiential event can
do for an athlete: it might build the public’s trust, allow fans a
look into the athlete’s true personality, and make their following
explode, if the event goes well.
Of course, there
are a couple of options when it comes to how exactly an athlete might
get involved with an experiential event—they can either host one
themselves purely for the purpose of gaining exposure, or reach out
to brands with which they’re aligned and pitch such an event.
What An Experiential Event Might Look Like
Logically, any
brand putting on an experiential event wants to make
it creative without veering outside of their niche;
the same applies to athletes. In turn, athletes must lean into their
strengths to take part in a truly impactful experiential event.
For example, a
professional football player might show up at a weekly park league
and participate with the recreational players as a surprise, filming
the entire thing for their social media platforms. A tennis player
could drop in as an instructor at a summer camp.
So long as the
athlete stays within their wheelhouse and is bringing joy to those
involved, there’s no wrong way to host an experiential event, and
it can pay off with major benefits.
The possibilities
for experiential events are practically endless, so any athlete
willing to employ a bit of creativity could receive a major bump in
public opinion by taking part in one.
Contact us for your next Experiential Event
info@theteslagroup.com
