One of the fundamental steps in creating a successful brand experience is understanding the essence of your brand. Strata works closely with your brand, taking the time to truly understand its values, personality, and unique selling proposition. By delving deep into your brand’s DNA, Strata can help create a cohesive and authentic brand experience that resonates with your target audience. This thorough understanding ensures that every touch point reflects your brand’s core identity, creating a consistent and compelling experience.
Strata specialises in creating immersive experiences that captivate and engage audiences. Through careful design, innovative technology, and attention to detail, they transform ordinary spaces into extraordinary brand destinations. From pop-up activations and interactive installations to experiential events and retail environments, Strata leverages creativity and expertise to craft immersive experiences that leave a lasting impression on consumers. By engaging multiple senses and creating a sense of wonder, Strata helps your brand make a memorable impact.
In today’s digital age, successful brands must seamlessly integrate their online and offline presence. Strata understands the importance of this convergence and leverages technology to create immersive experiences that bridge the gap between the digital and physical worlds. Whether it’s incorporating interactive digital elements, leveraging augmented reality, or creating social media-worthy moments, Strata ensures that your brand experience is cohesive across all channels. This integration not only enhances customer engagement but also drives brand awareness and advocacy.
Brand experiences have the power to evoke emotions and create lasting connections with consumers. Strata focuses on designing experiences that tap into the emotional aspects of your brand, forging deep and meaningful connections with your target audience. By creating experiences that resonate with consumers on an emotional level, Strata helps build brand loyalty, advocacy, and long-term relationships. These emotional connections go beyond transactional interactions, transforming customers into brand ambassadors.
Strata believes in the power of data-driven insights to measure the success of brand experiences and drive continuous improvement. Through robust analytics and measurement tools, we gather valuable data on consumer engagement, behaviour, and sentiment. This data allows us to refine and optimise brand experiences, ensuring that each activation delivers maximum impact. Strata’s commitment to ongoing evaluation and improvement ensures that your brand stays relevant and continues to evolve in a rapidly changing marketplace.
In today’s competitive landscape, harnessing the power of brand experience is essential for brands looking to make a lasting impact on consumers. Strata, with its expertise in understanding brand essence, crafting immersive experiences, integrating digital and physical realms, driving emotional connections, and measuring success, is poised to take your brand to new heights. By partnering with Strata, you can unlock the full potential of brand experience and create meaningful connections that drive brand loyalty, advocacy, and growth. It’s time to elevate your brand with Strata and unleash the power of brand experience.
The beauty of pop-up experiences lies in their ability to create immersive and memorable interactions with consumers. Unlike traditional brick-and-mortar stores, pop-ups offer an opportunity to break free from the mundane and design unique spaces that reflect the brand’s personality. From interactive installations and augmented reality experiences to sensory-driven environments, pop-ups allow brands to engage with customers on a deeper level, forging emotional connections that leave a lasting impression.
Pop-ups have a sense of exclusivity and urgency that drives consumer curiosity and excitement. These temporary activation’s create a sense of urgency, prompting consumers to act quickly or risk missing out. By leveraging scarcity and limited-time offerings, brands can generate a buzz around their products or services, creating a Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO) among their target audience. This heightened sense of urgency can lead to increased foot traffic, social media mentions, and word-of-mouth marketing.
Pop-ups provide a low-risk environment for brands to test new markets or launch experimental products. By setting up a temporary physical presence, businesses can gauge consumer interest, collect feedback, and fine-tune their offerings. The real-time interactions and direct customer feedback obtained during pop-up experiences offer valuable insights that can shape future business strategies. Additionally, pop-ups can serve as a launchpad for e-commerce brands looking to establish a physical presence without the long-term commitment of a permanent store.
In an era where consumers crave authenticity, pop-ups offer a platform for brands to showcase their unique values and tell compelling stories. By carefully curating the experience, brands can align their pop-up spaces with their core messaging and values, creating a genuine connection with their target audience. A well-executed pop-up can evoke emotions, spark conversations, and build trust, fostering brand loyalty among consumers who resonate with the brand’s authentic expression.
Pop-ups provide an excellent opportunity for brands to engage directly with their customers and build a sense of community. Whether through workshops, live demonstrations, or interactive experiences, pop-ups create a space for dialogue, allowing brands to connect on a personal level. By fostering these relationships, brands can gain valuable insights into their customers’ preferences and needs, creating a feedback loop that informs future product development and marketing strategies.
The power of the pop-up cannot be underestimated in today’s competitive business landscape. As a temporary and experiential marketing tool, pop-ups have the ability to captivate audiences, generate buzz, and foster authentic connections with consumers. By embracing the dynamic nature of pop-up experiences, brands can unlock new possibilities for innovation, growth, and customer engagement. So, if you’re looking to elevate your brand experience to new heights, consider harnessing the power of the pop-up.
Uncover the core objectives that define your brand. Our team at Strata will work closely with you to craft a purpose-driven narrative that aligns seamlessly with your event goals. Clear brand objectives lay the foundation for memorable experiences.
Gain valuable insights into your target demographic. We conduct in-depth research to tailor our strategies for both in-person and virtual attendees. By connecting with your audience on a deeper level, we forge an authentic connection.
Craft captivating narratives that bring your brand’s message to life. Our storytellers and content creators design thought-provoking keynotes, interactive workshops, and immersive activities. Engage both in-person and virtual audiences in meaningful conversations.
Push the boundaries of innovation to design immersive experiences. Leverage technologies like AR, VR, and cutting-edge audiovisual setups. Create multisensory environments that captivate attendees and evoke powerful emotions.
Ensure both in-person and virtual attendees have equal access to the event. Leverage robust hybrid event platforms for real-time engagement. Bridge the gap between physical and virtual spaces, creating a unified and inclusive event experience.
Empower virtual attendees to actively participate. Incorporate interactive features such as live chat, virtual networking, and dedicated hosts. Curate exclusive virtual experiences that embody the event’s spirit and forge genuine connections.
Maintain a consistent brand identity across all touchpoints. Strata ensures cohesive branding through event materials, signage, and virtual platforms. Reinforce brand recognition and recall to create a memorable experience.
Amplify your brand moments using social media and digital marketing strategies. Create event-specific hashtags and encourage attendees to share their experiences. Leverage influencers and partnerships to expand your event’s reach.
Establish KPIs to measure the success of your brand moments. Monitor attendee feedback, social media engagement, and relevant metrics. Use insights to refine your approach for future hybrid events.
Extend the brand experience beyond the event. Share event highlights, exclusive content, and personalised messages. Maintain a connection and reinforce the brand moments experienced during the event.
In conclusion, delivering brand moments through hybrid events requires a holistic approach. Define your brand objectives, understand your audience, create compelling content, design immersive experiences, seamlessly integrate in-person and virtual experiences, engage the virtual audience, maintain consistent branding, leverage social media, measure and analyse, and follow up post-event. Embrace the power of hybrid events to leave a lasting impression on attendees, regardless of their physical location.
In today’s marketing landscape, the demand for tech, data science, and behavioural science skills is paramount. Marketers must adapt event strategies to cultivate a culture of belonging, while recognising that we are all engaged in the powerful business of distinction, setting ourselves apart in the market.
What do King Charles III and Ozzy Osborne have in common? You would think not a lot, but they do share several traits. They are both aged 74, and they are both married with children. Their estimated personal wealth is more than £100 million, and you could say that they both have an interest in dogs, wine, and cars. But if you were marketing your brand to them, would you promote your product to Ozzy Osborne in the same way that you’d market it to King Charles? And would you expect Ozzy and King Charles to react to your brand’s messaging in the same way too?
These exact same questions were put to an invited audience at The Hoxton, Holborn, earlier this month, when event and marcomms specialists gathered for an exclusive insights event hosted by Strata.
Titled “Reimagining Global Event Programmes”, the event – comprised of a keynote and panel discussion – examined how brands can creatively reinvent event experiences that not only resonate with diverse audiences but also transcend global markets and create moments that matter.
We invited Behave, the human insights agency, to deliver a presentation called “When global EX meets CX: Revamping the value of connection through meaningful moments”. The presentation was given by Dr. Alexandra Dobra-Kiel, Behave’s innovation and strategy director, and Lea Karam, consulting director. The presentation analysed micro and macro behavioural changes in marketing and communications.
Karam said: “We feel that some brand marketers are currently falling short in creating meaningful moments.
“It’s all about deploying the understanding and capabilities that shed light on the real drivers of consumer-brand connection.”
According to Behave, the marketing landscape now requires a blend of capabilities to truly understand people’s behaviour and how it can be influenced to achieve superior business performance. Technology, data science, and behavioural science are just some of the tools at the disposal of event professionals and savvy marketers.
“Consistency is key and so is creative messaging,” added Karam. “Words flow through employees and customers. It’s important to create better moments and better engagement but to do that teams need better data. The good thing is that there are billions of data points out there but it’s about using them in the right way to really understand the customer experience.”
Simon Hambley, CEO of Strata, said: “The pandemic has meant consumers, and employees, experience an overwhelming amount of information, which can lead to a reduced attention span. Therefore, brand marketers need to adapt their strategies to foster a culture of belonging and meet a range of cultural and individual needs.”
Hambley added: “The global event space has been transformed over the past few years. The disruption of the pandemic has shifted how audiences are interacting with brands and organisations and there are growing expectations to shift seamlessly across formats. Combine these changing expectations with a global recession, and brands need to reimagine what a high-performing event programme looks like.
“Brands can’t achieve true engagement without experiences that connect and captivate. Within these experiences, every brand moment is an opportunity for positive reinforcement, a chance for your brand message to have clarity and relevance.”
Giles Cattle, director of creative, strategy and business development added: “We’re all in the business of distinction. Distinction is what differentiates us. Being seen to be different is powerful because distinction requires you to continuously challenge and elevate your service and by elevating, you become better for your customers.”
Clare Merton, executive director, global head of enterprise events at S&P Global, Ali Phillips, group head of internal communications at BAT, and Liz Meade, head of EMEA at Global Event Marketing, also took part in the event and joined a Strata panel discussion that debated global event frameworks, brand loyalty, and growth opportunities.
Hambley concluded: “Our first Reimagining Global Event Programmes session allowed our audience to hear the most inspirational views from some of the most brilliant minds in our industry. I am certain that they appreciated this exclusive opportunity to listen, network, and debate the ideas that were raised by Lea, Alexandra, Clare, Ali, and Liz, and I am certain that future sessions will provide our guests with even more opportunities to discover new ideas and the latest insight.”
For more information or to discuss your event requirements, contact [email protected]
Strata has ambitious goals to be the most respected brand experience agency in Europe. To achieve significant growth and our ambitions, we need amazing people. So we’re delighted to welcome Julie Phillips to our growing team. Julie joins us at an exciting time. As Finance Director, Julie will be responsible for ensuring our multi-layered approach to creative digital and face-to-face solutions deliver value as well as results.
Strata CEO, Simon Hambley said: “I feel incredibly lucky to have someone like Julie joining Strata. She has a huge amount of experience and knowledge in our sector and will be a great addition to our team to help us achieve our ambition in the years ahead.”
Julie commented on her appointment: “I’m delighted to be joining the exceptional team at Strata. It is very exciting to be in a role where I can use my years of industry experience and knowledge to best advantage and contribute to Strata’s future growth.”
We’d like to congratulate Julie on her new position. We’re certain that her input will play a key role in making Every Moment Matter here at Strata.
Back in November, members of Strata attended the Field Marketing and Brand Experience (FMBE) awards at Ascot racecourse and collected not one, but THREE awards. To help sell Polestar 2, Strata created a long-term brand experience test drive base in Milton Keynes called ‘The Hub’. We were awarded Gold for the Most Immersive Event (controlled audience), Silver for Campaign of the Year, and Bronze for the Most Immersive Event (mass consumer).
Strata were instructed by Polestar to find a space and location that would showcase the Polesar brand and allow the customer to be in complete control of their experience. With sustainability at the forefront of the brief, Strata put together a concept that took these elements and made the experience one that was tailored to the individual, allowing them the room and space to try the product completely unaccompanied.
The Hub at Milton Keynes has had more than 4000 customers experience the test-drive, with the conversion rates proving that the experience and no-pressure concept has carved its own space in the future of automotive retailing.
Strata Account Director for Polestar, Paul Banham said:
“This is extremely well-deserved recognition for the fantastic work produced by the team in delivering this now, award winning project. It’s continued success over an extraordinary period of time, is testament to the strength of the original concept and commitment to deliver a truly exceptional customer experience. I am incredibly proud of the team and the recognition awarded”.
https://fieldmarketing.com/24608-2/
The brand marketing and experience sector looks to be set for a challenging time in 2023. With the cost of living crisis taking its toll and the industry still feeling the economic effects of prolonged lockdowns, there is no wonder companies are looking to work alongside a brand experience agency to enhance their chances of success.
Since the polycrisis, customers have been looking for more from brand experiences. Although we live in a digital age, customers seek more face-to-face interaction today. Real human interaction could overtake the once fantasised about metaverse and digital events. It might seem a huge challenge to overhaul your brand experience strategy. Yet, that doesn’t mean a positive brand experience is impossible.
What is a brand experience? Continue reading to learn what brand experiences might look like and how they will enhance your business in 2023.
Understanding what a customer desires is the key to enhancing a brand experience. Those that want to make a mark in 2023 and stand out among the crowd need to acknowledge the connection between brand and customer experience and pursue efficient brand experience research. Getting to know your customers will ensure you can fulfil their needs.
So, how do you get your brand experience strategy right?
Many assume the common sense answer is to align with the expanding digital-forward nation. Yet, more and more customers are seeking human interaction with the shock and loneliness of the pandemic. Hence, instead of assuming brand experiences should be futuristic and digital-focused, it could benefit your brand experience strategy to revert to physical events. They worked back then, so that means they can work now.
More digital integration may not be the answer for 2023. Instead, it could be all about pop-ups, exhibitions, and roadshows. Human interaction and face-to-face communication will feed the growing appetite of those who desire real-life experiences.
Virtual experience innovations are inevitable, but they will never manage to fully replace real-world interactions, particularly now that the economy is struggling.
Making a mark in 2023 with brand experiences does not mean scrapping digital and immersive brand experiences altogether. Some audiences will enjoy the metaverse and prefer to have the option of staying at home while enjoying a brand experience.
Hence, your next batch of branded customer experiences could utilise hybridity. Offering both digital and human experiences could be how you approach your events going forward.
Hybrid physical-digital interactions could boost customer engagement. Experiential marketing that combines virtual and real-world activities could result in great success.
Furthermore, smaller firms should take advantage of boutique experiences in 2023. These can offer more customised and individualised services to build customer relationships and attain dedicated engagement.
To make a mark in 2023, keeping it real is the way forward. It might feel uncomfortable for businesses that want to deliver perfect results. Yet, it is true to say that nobody is perfect. Keeping it real will show your customers who you truly are and what they should expect from your future brand experiences.
Keeping it real goes without saying that you should continue to be genuine and ensure to fulfil a positive impression. For example, promoting your business at an exhibition should involve genuine communication about what the customer should expect from you. Keep it real and avoid making promises. The more you do so, the more trusting your customer will be.
Businesses in 2023 should acknowledge that building customer trust will enable them to produce better, more valuable brand experiences. This requires wearing their beliefs on their sleeves and, most importantly, sticking to them. It also requires giving open, truthful responses to any important questions customers might have during their experience.
We at Strata are optimistic that your brand experiences will be well-received in 2023 and beyond. To get in touch and discuss how Strata can help your business deliver unforgettable brand experiences: [email protected]
With lockdowns, numerous limitations, and the approaching prospect of a financial catastrophe, the events industry has faced many difficulties and significant changes in recent years. Making the appropriate decisions can help you implement a successful event marketing plan.
What will the event industry look like in 2023 and beyond, and should you consider these new opportunities or threats? When it comes to improving event marketing strategy, there are several factors to consider, like adopting better practices to follow modern trends, using new technology, and delegating well-being.
Here are five predictions we have made for event marketing in 2023.
Now more than ever, it’s critical to embrace better event marketing practices. The necessity to focus on sustainability components of events has grown significantly due to the client crisis and ongoing sustainability concerns.
For event marketing examples in 2023, you may anticipate that venues will start serving plant-based meals and more environmentally friendly choices. Additionally, event-based marketing examples can include stands promising to sell eco-friendly goods and customers requesting that agencies set precise, quantifiable goals for the sustainability aspects of their events.
There is much that can be done to safeguard the environment, and there are several tiny actions that each of us can take to lessen the potential effects of occurrences.
Event marketing and event promotion will probably be more avant-garde and experimental in 2023. Events held in person are expected to increase due to the lockdown restrictions.
Since guests’ need for authentic and memorable experiences is growing, immersive, experiential events, pop-ups, and brand activations will be at the forefront of all event marketing companies. The best experiences that provide clients with reachable and tangible ROI and lead-generation opportunities will be the focus of event planners’ work.
The development of event technology and the rising demand for it are trends we saw emerge in 2022. Event planners may now provide customers with more options, thanks to recent advancements in advanced AI, AR, and VR. So, anticipate seeing it more during brand marketing in 2023.
Demand and the market for new technologies are only expected to expand. Since most event ticketing is now done online, brands can design their own registration websites with unique domains and complete user experiences before, during, and after events.
This year, there has been a significant shift in well-being, with jam-packed event programming becoming obsolete.
Instead, customers want more events that emphasise rest and leisure. Consequently, the event marketing process will probably place emphasis on nutritious meals to fuel participants during events, as well as recreational activities that encourage mindfulness and provide delegates with a chance to take a break from their busy schedules and recharge.
The cost of the living problem will have a significant impact on company budgets and how they choose to spend their money, even though the event industry is currently back up and running and expected to grow. The cost per attendee will increase. Therefore, when it comes to budgets, agencies need to be much more imaginative and clever when selling concepts to clients that are still fresh, interesting and aligned with business goals.
If there’s anything we’ve learned over the past few years, it’s that we can never entirely forecast what might happen, but what we can do is force both the agency and the client to adapt and change course, which will ultimately help you succeed and advance in the field of event marketing.
We at Strata are hopeful and looking forward to helping current and new clients achieve their goals in 2023 and beyond!
Get in touch to discuss your 2023 event requirements
At the end of 2022, leading London brand experiential agency, Strata, conducted a survey working with an external relationship audit agency to gain honest feedback from several key clients to understand how well Strata were delivering for them.
The questionnaire is scored on a scale of 1 to 7 with 7 the most positive choice. The KPIs being rated were Relationship, Attitude, Delivery, Added Value and Recommendation.
Strata were thrilled to receive an impressively positive set of results with an overall score of 6.2 out of 7, which is well above the full-service events industry agency average score of 5.1.
Strata also scored above average for all but three of the KPIs by at least 10% and most participants fell into the most positive category for commitment reaching an impressive 93%.
The most popular piece of advice given from clients surveyed was for Strata to ‘continue to carry on exactly as you are’; however, Strata are certainly not resting on their laurels. Striving to go above and beyond for their clients, 2023 will see continued focus on improvements around added value and continued driving of innovation for clients.
Their clients commented that they loved Strata’s professionalism and ability to deliver, proving they are a reliable, efficient, and a knowledgeable partner to work with.
One client commented saying
“It is the experience of the team that gives the comfort that everything will be done right is of the most value. Many companies can organise events but with Strata I have complete confidence it will go off without a hitch”
Of course, there is always rooms for improvement and that is clearly the focus for Strata over the next 12 months.
“We have been delighted with the outcome of our relationship audit; the detailed feedback has clearly shown that our clients are very happy working with Strata and that the investment to grow our client and deliver teams has been well worth it. The insights we gained, will allow us to laser focus on specific requirements and services for our ever-growing client base.”
Strata is one of London’s leading experiential event agencies, delivering brand moments for clients across the globe.
For more information or to discuss your event requirements, contact [email protected]
Every brand touchpoint is a moment that matters. A chance to strengthen your message with clarity and relevance. To make your audience feel like they're part of something extraordinary, get in touch.
