From a very early age, I’ve been aware that I’m a “winter.” This isn’t just some Color Me Beautiful finding. It’s accurate. I love the snow and the cold. I enjoy when the skies are gray. And I especially love “falling back” – when it gets dark around 4 p.m. What can I say? I love the nightlife. I like to boogie.
So this past weekend, when we sprang forward and Daylight Saving Time yet again reared its sunny, hour-stealing head, I was understandably miffed. And I’m not the only one. John Oliver asks why it’s still a thing. Hello Giggles has captured every expression I’ve made over the subject. I won’t get into the whole history of the matter, but it has nothing to do with farmers. At all. In fact, they aren’t even fans. And neither are those marketers who rely on TV to share their brand messages. It shouldn’t be a shock; unsurprisingly, when presented with more daylight, people stay out longer. So ratings drop, reach and frequency drops and fewer people see your TV spots.
Haters gonna hate, right?
Setting my personal feelings aside (must I? I must.), let’s revisit that bit about TV ratings going down because people are going out and about, and staying out longer. That’s a perfect platform for creating one-on-one engagement, an ideal platform for … wait for it … experiential.
Now that consumers have left hibernation and are starting to wander bleary eyed into the saved light of day, it’s time to not only reset our clocks, but also our marketing plans and engagement strategies.
Experiential marketing moves brands into the “live” space – a space without limitations, where brands can make a meaningful connection with consumers about their product or service. Why is this important? These connections result in purchase decisions. The one-on-one interaction – during which a consumer has the ability to touch, smell or sample a product, or even see a demonstration – can alter the course within a brand’s purchase funnel, sometimes resulting in a more immediate jump from awareness to consideration set to purchase.
But experiential is about so much more than just getting a sample in hands or a demonstration in front of eyes. The experience surrounding that exchange can be what takes your brand from one-on-one to one-on-many. Word-of-mouth communication – especially social – brings your event experience to the masses. If the experience is noteworthy and your call to action includes social outreach, your audience can grow exponentially.
We at Switch have been busily preparing for this high time, getting ready to engage with hundreds of thousands of consumers via sporting events, music festivals and community days all over North America. Can losing one hour of sleep influence the trajectory of your marketing plan, give you more meaningful connections with consumers, open you to a whole new audience and create an entirely new channel for your brand? Yes, with the right partner.
Take back that hour, make it your time and use it to fuel your brand’s experiential revolution for spring/summer/fall 2015. And this November, as you and your clock fall back, rest assured with that extra shut-eye that you moved the needle.
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