Experts’ Perspective on the Development of Experiential Marketing Strategy: Implementation Steps, Benefits, and Challenges

Ana-Maria Urdea,Cristinel Petrișor Constantin

doi:10.3390/jrfm14100502

Ana-Maria Urdea, Cristinel Petrișor Constantin

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/jrfm14100502

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Abstract

Consumer needs change over time as a result of the fast-paced advancement in technology and the induction of the Internet, expansion that leads to a difficulty for brands to adapt their marketing promotion strategy and trying to remain innovative and effective at meeting their consumers’ expectations. This research investigates what effect experiential marketing campaigns have on both customers’ perception and business outcomes, aiming to develop a deeper understanding of experiential marketing, its challenges, and benefits, to understand customers’ reactions to experiential touchpoints, to explore what type of technology increases experiential perceived value, and to envisage the evolution of experiential marketing strategy. To capture all the important facets of the research objectives, an exploratory survey based on the voices of 31 marketing experts from all around the world was applied. By identifying the key drivers of experiential marketing campaigns in a hybrid setting, the present study highlighted the important role that experiential marketing has as a communication strategy, offering additional insights to marketing specialists on the experiential marketing implementation steps. A theoretical framework of the steps needed to put into practice an experiential marketing strategy was proposed.

Highlights

In today’s competitive market, marketing specialists develop new strategies and tactics to ensure customer loyalty and customer retention, concepts that integrate a brand’s ability to gain repeat purchases
The concept of experiential marketing has been globally embraced as a guide to designing memorable experiences that succeed in satisfying target consumers (Chang 2020)
The purpose of the study is to identify the opinion of the worldwide marketing experts concerning the experiential marketing strategy, underlying the keys to a successful event built around the needs, preferences, and values of consumers

Summary

Introduction

In today’s competitive market, marketing specialists develop new strategies and tactics to ensure customer loyalty and customer retention, concepts that integrate a brand’s ability to gain repeat purchases. Customers’ behavior designates differentiation in consuming diverse products and creates positive or negative experiences, the reason why businesses create several experiences for their consumers as a way to encourage interaction with the products, developing various positive reactions or perceptions (Ihtiyar et al 2019). Consumers have changed their needs, being more focused on experiences that are stimulating their sensations and emotions when they interact with a brand (Carù and Cova 2008). A new promotion strategy is required, one that enables consumers to experience marketing touchpoints around the landscape of consumption through personalized interaction design using new technology (Rather 2020), especially in times when information and digital technologies advance (Kuzior and Lobanova 2020)

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