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Event branding
event has to stand on its own. Part of the budget will have to be set
aside to create the event, while the remaining budget can then be set
aside to create awareness for the brand. If not done properly, a
first-time branded may lack the credibility and ‘pull’ of established
events - and it can feel like try-hard advertising. Unless there is some
serious budget, and a strong concept behind the event, it might be hard
to convince people to participate in an event initiated by a shampoo
brand, a bank or any other brand - specially those not in the
‘lifestyle’ terrain. An alternative is to find an established event which the brand can
associate with. Find events with energy and relevance, and you have the
ingredients to claim an event for the brand. Existing events have
another advantage: they become a new opportunity to communicate with the
audience every year. The Brand-vs-Event mix needs to be very carefully crafted and used
sparingly. There are some things to watch-out for: - Events which do NOT welcome Brands. (International Pillow Fight,
Burning Man, Buy Nothing Day)
- Events which have no relevance to the product or its values, therefore
confusing the brand message and the audience.
- Events which are already claimed by other brands, or saturated with
marketing messages - Overkill of branding at the event, which can turn the audience off,
and the Brand will be perceived as ‘evil’. In summary: there needs to be a strong link between the brand and the
event. It needs to fit. The stronger the link, the bigger the effect. A good example of event branding is found with Coca Cola.
In the 1930´s the brand had a campaign running: “Thirst knows no
season”. By then (and contrary to urban legends) Santa Claus already had
a red suit and a jolly character, which suited Coca Cola nicely. It was
a short leap to draw Santa Claus with a Coca Cola, thereby claiming a
jolly symbol of Christmas for the Coca Cola brand. This was a lot easier
than to start a new character (or special date) from zero. In years to come, the campaign still run strong every Christmas, even
with different sign-offs. “The Pause That Refreshes”, “Stock up for the
Holidays” and a “Refreshing surprise” are a good example of how an event
was claimed successfully by a brand, year after year. Examples for unsuccessful branded events are hard to come by - because
nobody remembers them. More about Santa and Coca-Cola here:
http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/heritage/cokelore_santa.html Brands of indulging products (chocolate, candy) or dating services
(match.com) can benefit from associating with Valentine’s, while brands
which represent horror movies or TV channels can find a perfect match
during Halloween. And then there might also be a local event which is
just waiting to be picked up and adopted by a brand. Or not. As an advertiser, branded events are a dream come true. As a
free-thinking citizen, I believe there needs to be a balance not just in
the amount of branding on an event - but also as an alternative to the
consumerist approach to events. Non-branded events represent the free
spirit, proactive efforts of individuals, and as the World Pillow Fight
website says, (http://www.pillowfightday.com/about) “One of our goals is to make these unique happenings in public space
become a significant part of popular culture, partially replacing
passive, non-social, branded consumption experiences like watching
television, and consciously rejecting the blight on our cities caused by
the endless creep of advertising into public space. The result, we hope,
will be a global community of participants, not consumers, in a world
where people are constantly organizing and attending these happenings in
every major city in the world.” Amen to that!
On occassion, a branded event can be a good solution to launch a brand
awareness campaign or to create an emotional association with the brand.
It gives the brand a reason to communicate with the public.
event has to stand on its own. Part of the budget will have to be set
aside to create the event, while the remaining budget can then be set
aside to create awareness for the brand. If not done properly, a
first-time branded may lack the credibility and ‘pull’ of established
events - and it can feel like try-hard advertising. Unless there is some
serious budget, and a strong concept behind the event, it might be hard
to convince people to participate in an event initiated by a shampoo
brand, a bank or any other brand - specially those not in the
‘lifestyle’ terrain. An alternative is to find an established event which the brand can
associate with. Find events with energy and relevance, and you have the
ingredients to claim an event for the brand. Existing events have
another advantage: they become a new opportunity to communicate with the
audience every year. The Brand-vs-Event mix needs to be very carefully crafted and used
sparingly. There are some things to watch-out for: - Events which do NOT welcome Brands. (International Pillow Fight,
Burning Man, Buy Nothing Day)
- Events which have no relevance to the product or its values, therefore
confusing the brand message and the audience.
- Events which are already claimed by other brands, or saturated with
marketing messages - Overkill of branding at the event, which can turn the audience off,
and the Brand will be perceived as ‘evil’. In summary: there needs to be a strong link between the brand and the
event. It needs to fit. The stronger the link, the bigger the effect. A good example of event branding is found with Coca Cola.
In the 1930´s the brand had a campaign running: “Thirst knows no
season”. By then (and contrary to urban legends) Santa Claus already had
a red suit and a jolly character, which suited Coca Cola nicely. It was
a short leap to draw Santa Claus with a Coca Cola, thereby claiming a
jolly symbol of Christmas for the Coca Cola brand. This was a lot easier
than to start a new character (or special date) from zero. In years to come, the campaign still run strong every Christmas, even
with different sign-offs. “The Pause That Refreshes”, “Stock up for the
Holidays” and a “Refreshing surprise” are a good example of how an event
was claimed successfully by a brand, year after year. Examples for unsuccessful branded events are hard to come by - because
nobody remembers them. More about Santa and Coca-Cola here:
http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/heritage/cokelore_santa.html Brands of indulging products (chocolate, candy) or dating services
(match.com) can benefit from associating with Valentine’s, while brands
which represent horror movies or TV channels can find a perfect match
during Halloween. And then there might also be a local event which is
just waiting to be picked up and adopted by a brand. Or not. As an advertiser, branded events are a dream come true. As a
free-thinking citizen, I believe there needs to be a balance not just in
the amount of branding on an event - but also as an alternative to the
consumerist approach to events. Non-branded events represent the free
spirit, proactive efforts of individuals, and as the World Pillow Fight
website says, (http://www.pillowfightday.com/about) “One of our goals is to make these unique happenings in public space
become a significant part of popular culture, partially replacing
passive, non-social, branded consumption experiences like watching
television, and consciously rejecting the blight on our cities caused by
the endless creep of advertising into public space. The result, we hope,
will be a global community of participants, not consumers, in a world
where people are constantly organizing and attending these happenings in
every major city in the world.” Amen to that!
