How to measure the success of your brand activation

Brand activations are becoming more and more popular as a means to strengthen engagement, promote awareness and captivate an audience. One of the best ways to showcase products and services with your people, brand activations demand attention and provide consumers with an opportunity to connect with and humanize your brand in a way that other marketing efforts fail to do. But how do you measure the success of something as intangible as trust and brand awareness? Let’s dive in and learn more about how you can implement an activation that will drive results and leave a lasting impression on your customers.

What is a brand activation?

At its core, brand activations are experiences between consumers and your brand meant to increase awareness and engagement. An activation can be a campaign, event or experience that allows you to directly connect, on a human level, with your target audience. Focused more on connecting rather than selling, brand activations invite consumers in to learn more about or even participate in your brand and culture. Marketing companies and brands design activations to spark emotional connections with consumers. Of course, your product meets a need or serves a vital utility for your customers, but how do they feel when they think about your brand? Do they think about you at all? Activations serve as the basis for long-lasting positive impressions of your brand. For some, your activation might be the first experience they have with your product or service. An activation can accelerate the development of trust in your consumers, which in turn will result in sales down the road.

How to use brand activation as a strategy

There are four main types of brand activations: experiential marketing, sampling campaigns, on-site experiences, and digital experiences.

Experiential marketing

Experiential marketing, sometimes called live marketing, participation marketing or on-ground marketing, is an interactive experience that invites consumers to participate and connect with a brand. The driving force behind experiential marketing is creating an opportunity for consumers to associate your brand with the amazing experience you provide them, leaving them with that lasting warm and fuzzy feeling. Learn more about experiential marketing with Reef.

Sampling campaigns

Product sampling campaigns are not new to marketing. We’ve all rubbed our wrist against a magazine page to get our free sample of perfume. Now, sampling methods have evolved to include trade shows, in-store give-aways and gifted influencer assets to give consumers a taste of your brand.

On-site experiences

In-store promotions and events provide customers with the opportunity to interact with your brand on-site. Instead of reaching new audiences, you’re wowing the ones already that likely already love you.

Digital Experiences

Brands may choose to provide a digital experience rather than a physical one. Live streaming or providing a virtual tour are two examples of transitioning your activation to online audiences.

How do you know if your brand activation was successful

Typically, the goal of your brand activation is brand awareness, which can be a tricky thing to measure. One thing you can track on-site at your activation is attendance. How many people did you connect with? Following your activation, look online. Were there branded hashtags displayed? How many times was it used? Did you receive increased web traffic, search volume, social engagement or followers? These are all good indicators of an activation’s success. Short-term measurements of success help you evaluate and improve your activations over time. One strategy to ensure the longevity of your activation’s impact is to gather contact information during your activation to follow up with participants, generate leads and increase sales. Your ask should match what you provide.

Do you need help planning your next brand activation?

Let Reef introduce you to your future consumers. Start the conversation by following the link below.