3 Brands Who Adapted Experiential to Today's World
The last year and half left events and experiential on the back burner. As people stayed indoors and spent more time online, brands and marketers turned their attention to the digital world. Now, the world is shifting again as people crave a sense of normalcy.
Brands are finding creative ways to bring experiences to the way consumers are living today. With screen fatigue and an itch to do more, there’s definitely an appetite for these moments. Here are three brands that adapted experiential to speak to today’s consumer in today’s world.
KFC
As many of us know, or may even have experienced ourselves, COVID-19 severely impacted travel. According to a study conducted by Booking.com, there’s an increased demand for close and quick trips, with 53% of travelers wanting to take shorter trips in 2021 than they did in 2019. Brands, especially travel brands like hotels, are challenged to make their in-person experiences not only safe, but also experiential enough for consumers to feel as if they are away from home. Here’s how KFC did this in a really unexpected way.
KFC brought a staycation experiential activation to UK consumers who were unable to travel abroad. From August 18-29, KFC hosted a themed hotel in London called the House of Harland that could only be booked via Hotels.com. Guests were transported in a “Colonel-mobile” to the hotel, where they could “chick-in” to their stay. Their themed rooms included botanical infused self-care products, “chick-flicks” to watch, a KFC arcade machine and a button that activated a chicken concierge service. All proceeds from this themed staycation will be donated to the KFC foundation.
Amex
Travel isn’t the only industry that has been severely impacted. The food and beverage industry, specifically restaurants, has been hit hard too. According to a study done by CPG sales and marketing firm Acosta, 30% of people surveyed expressed hesitation about dining at a restaurant again and 92% of families plan to continue eating at home at least as often as (or even more often than) they do now. Additionally, OpenTable found that 82% of diners want restaurants to increase outdoor seating options in 2021. So how do brands adapt?
As consumers were eating out at restaurants less and spending more time outdoors, Amex partnered with Resy to bring a Picnic in the Park experience this past June. Available in New York, Boston, Los Angeles and San Francisco, consumers could purchase a picnic ready feast including a three-part lunch prepared by local chefs, dessert by an award-winning bakery and additional picnic goodies. Reservations were available only on Resy and Amex Gold card holders received a number of added benefits.
Stella Artois
The live music industry is another one that was put on pause due to health and safety concerns during the pandemic. It’s no secret that people miss live music (just look at pictures from Lalapalooza 2021 ).
Creating experiences has always been important to Stella Artois, who pivoted their events strategy multiple times in the last year and a half. Most recently, Stella embraced what experiential looks like today. Taking insights gained throughout the pandemic, Stella partnered with pop-up music company, Sofar Sounds, to create their Solstice in the City concert series featuring free Stella Artois Solstice Lager. The series of intimate, daytime events were held throughout Los Angeles, Brooklyn and Miami at secret outdoor venues with a cap on attendance. Content from the series will debut on Sofar Sounds’ YouTube channel following each performance so more people can be a part of the event from home.
As the world continues to shift, there’s a lot of opportunities for brands to pay attention and connect into the way consumers are living. Consumers aren’t who they were two years ago and it’s up to brands to ideate outside of the older models that used to work. Where is your consumer today, and how can you meet them where they are in an unexpected way?
If you want help dreaming up something big, give us a shout!
