Today, brands are not satisfied with just being seen; they want to be felt, experienced and
unforgettable. What is now as effective as an advertising campaign is a special moment that the consumer experiences one-on-one with that
brand. That’s why “experiential events” are not only the subject of the event
department; it is a creative process in itself. So how are these brand-specific
experiential events designed?
No Event Without Insight
Everything starts with a question: What place do we touch in the lives of the target audience? A good
experience follows an insight. Sometimes that insight is simple but powerful. For example:
“People don’t connect to a brand, they connect to the moment that makes them feel good.” Then the
experience we design should give this feeling. This is where the creative idea is born. Insight = direction. And
without this direction, even the most spectacular production is wasted.
Start by Feeling the Brand Identity
Before moving on to event design, you need to know the brand by its skin, not its slogan. Is that
brand bold, nostalgic or fun? Each brand carries a different emotion. For example, while an experiential event with Adidas
turns a running track into a real challenge, Chanel may want to turn the story of a fragrance into a timeless experience.
The creative idea should speak with the brand’s voice and match its DNA.
Trigger Idea, Create a Memory
Design a scene, a sentence, a feeling that will remain in the participant’s mind at the end of the activity. Because
experience works not only when it is lived, but also when it is remembered. This is where the creative idea comes in:
“What would people want to record on their cell phones at the event?” “What would others want to participate
if it was shared?” “What would happen if we asked you to describe this experience in one sentence?” The answer to these questions is the creative essence of that
work.
Appeal to All Senses
A brand should not only be “seen”; it should be heard, smelled, touched and felt.
If there is a sound design in the event, that sound should match the brand. Lighting, decor, clothing, communication
language… Every detail should support that big emotion. For example, in the
experience of a sustainability-themed brand, even a plastic cup can undermine the whole feeling. This is why detail is the invisible but most powerful part of the creative.
Interaction Fiction “Don’t Just Watch, Participate”
The biggest difference in experiential events is that the consumer is an active participant, not a passive spectator.
If you don’t draw them in, you’re just putting them on a stage. A good idea should answer
the question: “What will the participant do?”
Will he write?
Is he going to run?
Is he going to build something?
Will he/she make a choice?
This action makes the experience unforgettable.
Social Memory, Not Social Media
When designing an event, it is no longer enough to think “it will look good on Instagram”. The real target is people’s desire to tell that
moment. That’s why you should create a moment worth sharing, not a selfie space.
Because an experience should be designed for social memory, not for social media.
As a result
Designing an experiential event is not an organization, it is writing a story.
Every event is like a theater where the brand takes the stage. And if you have a target audience that is not an audience but an actor
… Then that experience spreads from heart to heart.
So to summarize:
Find the insight,
Feel the brand,
Create an emotion,
Involve people.
This is the creative experience.
Ertan ŞENYUVA
Creative Director/Senior Copywriter