Experiential Marketing Isn’t Going Away. It’s Getting Better.

If you haven’t noticed already, things are going to be a little different for a while.

What started out as short experiments in working from home and living life remotely have now become the norm. Or at least the norm-ish.

But of the many things this pandemic has taught us, one of the positives is that remote work and virtual interaction are far more viable than we may’ve once thought.

We’re all Zooming and emailing and Slacking our way through the workday, and it’s actually working just fine (for the most part).

But the necessity to be distanced right now is also taking a major toll on event planners and the brands who have traditionally relied on conferences and events to market themselves, tout new products to their employees, or garner more attention.

Because, you know, it’s hard to have a conference with thousands of attendees when you have to stay 6 feet away from everyone and can’t physically interact with anything.

That’s where experiential agencies that have been ramping up over the last few years, anticipating more of a need for virtual experiences, will have a distinct advantage. Agencies like FG|PG.

Our group has been around for nearly two decades, over which we’ve seen a lot of trends come and go. This experience has helped us anticipate what’s next and prepare accordingly. And we’re already dreaming up all the amazing, mind-bending, industry-altering things the transition to virtual can offer.

VIRTUAL WORLDS

Imagine a massive virtual world that is fully immersive, accessed via your laptop, mobile device, or VR headset. There, you take the form of an avatar along with hundreds or thousands (or millions, since it’s fully expandable/adaptable) of other people to attend a conference or event.

But unlike a traditional event, this one allows you to experience keynote presentations, interactive exhibits, and concerts in ways you could never pull off in real life. Shrink yourself down and dive into a product to see its inner workings up close. Get into an exclusive concert where the artist can float and move in ways real life would never allow.

The possibilities are limited only by our imagination.

XR VIRTUAL EXPERIENCES

Don’t need your own virtual world? XR virtual experiences are another medium that will minimize the gap caused by social distancing.

These offerings combine traditional green screens with high-tech LED walls and stages to create fully enveloping environments that are also intensely realistic. This technology can already be seen on some TV programming but it could be used for so much more.

By integrating an XR environment into a virtual meeting or conference, you would turn a standard, two-dimensional broadcast into something really worth watching. XR makes it possible for content to go from 2D to 3D, and allows the on-screen/on-stage talent to interact with the environment in ways that are far more natural and visually appealing than they would be in front of just a green screen.

GREEN SCREENS

Since video is king right now, green screen is another great way to get a message across. It’s also one of the most cost-effective ways to do so.

Now, sure, green screens have been around since, well, a long time ago. But the way they’re executed can run a wide gamut and while most still look like they were done way back when, there are ways to make them look and feel incredibly modern.

At FG|PG, we have the ability to ensure that happens thanks to a host of super-talented partners and creators, along with the fact that we own or have access to several spaces that can be used to build out green screens that are as small or massive as you need them to be.

But what matters most is the fact that we’re able to ensure the highest quality production values and a complete suite of assets created specifically for your brand.

Ultimately, the recent rise of remote work and virtual needs doesn’t have to sound a death knell for anyone used to traditional marketing means.

In fact, the world has been heading this direction for years now – the recent pandemic has only highlighted and expedited the need for proper solutions to be unearthed. And when the pandemic is over, virtual experiences in experiential marketing won’t go away. They’ll simply be woven into the arsenal of what can (and should) be used any time a conference or event is being planned.

Thus, now is the time to pivot, augment your thinking (and possibly reality itself), and partner with an agency that has the tools, experience, passion, and creativity to help you create totally new ways to market yourself, your brand and your products.