Strata has appointed Phil Staines as Chief of Staff, a newly created role that will see Staines assist the agency with strategy development, organisational structure and process, and continued expansion plans.
Staines, who has vast live events and agency experience, will assist the agency’s board, helping it to shape, prioritise and execute strategic business initiatives, including acquisitions and proposition development.
The former Chief of Staff at brand experience agency FIRST, Staines joins Strata following roles at BCD Meetings and Events and Grass Roots also.
He will report directly to Simon Hambley, CEO of Strata, who explained that Staines’ understanding of the sector is a huge win for the agency.
Hambley said: “Phil joins Strata at an incredibly exciting time. He will be working on a variety of tasks, helping us to achieve our ambitious business goals and ensuring slick communication and collaboration across the Strata portfolio and all departments.
“Phil is no stranger to the live events industry so I am certain that his knowledge and comprehension of our exciting sector means he can hit the ground running and help us to achieve amazing things.”
Hambley continued: “Phil’s skill set complements the wider Strata team. I am looking forward to seeing how he can work with the board and push us on our journey, ensuring optimal performance at all times by supporting colleagues, applying critical thinking and inspiring effective decision-making.”
Staines said of his appointment: “I am thrilled to be joining Strata at this exciting juncture, in what promises to be a real time of change and innovation for the Events industry.
One of the things I admired most about Strata is the exceptional reputation it has, which is driven by a truly passionate team. You don’t often get a chance to work with great people, who want to do some great things, so I am excited to get going.
Strata is well placed to help its clients navigate this changing landscape, and I am looking forward to helping the Strata board bring to life some of the ideas and propositions we have in the pipeline!”
Peugeot’s latest brand activation has adopted a “more modern” approach to marketing that is more customer-centric and less metric-driven.
Kris Cholmondeley, Marketing Director at Peugeot, said that the “time-limited nature of physical-only events” led the car marque to purposefully expand its most recent multi-channel brand campaign into the digital space, extending the live element of the activation’s value and broadening its reach.
Peugeot enlisted the expertise of brand experience agency Strata to design and deliver its Inception at Outernet experience at London’s latest immersive entertainment district Outernet, as part of an ongoing two-year experiential campaign running in the UK.
“Only 40% of people in the UK are car enthusiasts and only 6% of the population is in the market for a car at any one time,” explained Cholmondeley. “We wanted to find a hook that appealed to 80-90% of that market.”
He continued: “We all get bombarded by too much intrusive marketing, so it was important that we devised an activation that enriched the lives of our audience and did not intrude.”
Cholmondeley added: “From our research, we found that the average person in the UK takes 2,000 photos on their phone every year, but few know how to do this well. Taking photographs of things we see is such an intrinsic part of our life. We identified a clear opportunity to create a campaign that spoke to our audience through photography and by delivering free photography masterclasses. It was the perfect medium to highlight Peugeot’s stunning design and the quality of our products, and it allowed our audience to discover the brand in a more organic, and less intrusive, way.”
Peugeot’s knowledge of the marketplace informed its communication strategy. It knew that photography was key to the campaign’s success and that consistent communication was vital if it wished to create an authentic and relevant brand-first, product-second activation.
Strata’s experienced team – headed up by Giles Cattle, Director of Creative and Strategy at Strata Creative Communications – developed, designed, and delivered the creative concept, content, and activation.
Cattle said: “The Peugeot experience featured multiple touchpoints that worked for multiple audiences, maximised ROI and generated valuable user-generated content (UGC). Consumers, press and content creators all had enriching and engaging moments through a packed week-long activation at Outernet.”
Visitors were able to explore a dynamic and interactive environment that housed Peugeot’s Inception concept vehicle. They could also step inside The Cube, an immersive environment comprised of innovative LED and state-of-the-art mirror technology. Inside the Cube, users could take part in a phone photography masterclass delivered by a Peugeot photography content creators, learn new skills, and share their photography across social channels using the #PeugeotPresents hashtag. The Cube is currently touring various urban event and festival locations and in 2024, will continue to visit aligned lifestyle events too.
Cholmondeley continued: “Photography lives across everything we do so we used it as a hook for increased engagement. This dynamic approach to UGC is completely different to our historical approach to events, which has been somewhat traditional.”
According to Cholmondeley, there is “too much beige in the world”, which is why Peugeot wanted the content-rich campaign to be bold and more innovative, creating desire and intrigue.
“We originally thought of using Outernet as an OOH campaign but then we quickly realised there was more scope,” he added. “We had a great, dynamic event agency in Strata that grew our brief, met our objectives, repeatedly communicated our four pillars – Stunning Design, High-End Quality, an Exciting Drive and Electric Leadership – and integrated the important photography aspect to the campaign.”
The Inception at Outernet experience attracted more than 76,000 visitors and the campaign had an online reach of more than 126 million. Furthermore, Inception at Outernet reached more than 11.4 million social users. That figure continues to grow as more UGC is released.
“We created an environment that would drive phone usage and extend the reach of the brand, beyond the physical event, and beyond what we could measure,” said Cholmondeley.
He continued: “When you look at event KPIs, people always look at how many leads you have and the data you’ve got but sometimes this information is looked at too early in the process. Plus, it’s data that is designed to please an internal metric. It’s not customer-centric. One of our big KPIs is Instagram followers – we find it’s a much softer, natural way to pique people’s interest in the brand. We look to see how many new Instagram followers we have. It’s not just about the car, it’s about photography and lifestyle, and so we must speak to our customers in a language that they want to be spoken to in.”
Whilst thousands of people experienced Inception at Outernet, millions more saw the photos. During the week-long event, Peugeot UK increased its Instagram following by more than 2,000. This growth emphasised the significance of Peugeot’s content and engagement strategies with its target audience and demonstrated that it successfully extended the experience “beyond the room” and into the digital space.
“This was an incredibly important aspect of the campaign,” Cholmondeley commented. “We want the Peugeot brand to be front of mind so when customers are in the market for a car, we don’t need to pester them with data and emails that they don’t want to receive.”
This “softer” and more customer-centric approach to promoting the Peugeot brand was central to the activation as was the “collaborative” and “cross-functional” nature of the campaign’s creation and delivery.
Cholmondeley explained further: “It’s been fantastic to work with Strata to design and deliver a campaign that has had an impact across everything. We collaborated throughout the project and created a cross-functional team, identifying a champion in each agency and department to share thinking and ideas. It was an efficient use of everyone’s time and Strata drove that cooperative approach, delivering against our goals, vision, and the culture we wanted to create.”
Cholmondeley concluded: “We want our marketing to enrich people’s lives, not intrude. We also want to be very single-minded and consistent in our messaging to achieve a more consistent identity and give people a clearer understanding of the Peugeot brand. Turning an experiential event into a multi-channel approach such as this was a logical and clear strategy to achieve this in addition to offering significant ROI benefits.”
Recently, I met a mate down the pub who had just returned from Glastonbury. We had both watched Elton John perform in front of an enormous crowd on the festival’s hallowed Pyramid stage. He watched Elton in the flesh, and I savoured his set from the comfort of my sofa. Whilst both of us loved his performance, I know I’m not going to be down the pub in 20 years’ time telling my friends about Elton’s farewell gig. I wasn’t there.
However, I did have a fantastic night in front of the TV. My evening cemented a firm opinion that I have held for some time; Live events are AMAZING. But the events industry should adopt a broadcast approach to live experiences, as well as virtual and hybrid events. Think about teasing audiences with trailers, developing gripping storylines, and creating suspense. Don’t forget to deliver that moment to catch a breath before gifting audiences a plot twist. Because who doesn’t love an ending that makes people talk the next day?
During the pandemic, our sector was guilty of pointing a camera at a stage and “beaming” live footage from an event. This “virtual” experience supposedly engaged a broader audience, but all it did was give people an opportunity to develop low-level expectations of what to expect from the virtual and digital space.
When you do nothing but passively watch something unfold from afar, there’s no level of participation. There’s no rich experience, or shared connection. I believe that we must earn the attention of our audiences rather than demand it. We should deliver on the metrics of engagement, not just attendance.
Any event and communication agency will tell you the level of attention to detail needed to treat two audiences differently. But in a way that does not give either audience a richer or poorer experience.
Premiumisation is key. But what do I mean by that? When you’re in a room with other guests, you feel more than when trying to watch something through a screen. But we also know that attending an event in real life requires more time, money, and effort.
I find that event organisers at live events feel they need to “reward” guests for “being in the room” by giving them different content and more of it. However, the pandemic has taught the world that people want to connect. Watching endless hours of content, whether in person or whilst sitting at a computer screen is not an option. The world is tired of binge-watching content on Netflix, Apple+, Amazon Prime etc (unless it’s Ted Lasso). But it does love an honest documentary or reality show that lasts about an hour (42 minutes with ad breaks). This is where I think the industry can learn and premiumise the events model (hybrid, virtual, AND live).
People want to live in the moment. Event professionals should programme moments in their event agenda enabling audiences to witness something happening right before their eyes and only programme the content that is the most valuable. Imagine yourself as a TV producer who needs to deliver a highlights package. Now is the time to “bundle up” your content and promote it like an hour-long TV programme. Create the hype, deliver the goods, and then give people a platform to interact and share their thoughts.
What amazes me is that no one has a line on the budget sheet for virtual and no one considers the true amount of money that should be given over to content creation. For example, if you demand that your audience sit for an hour and a half, you need film-quality content that combines storytelling and narrative and production values that match.
When you’re at a live event, audience members have the opportunity to move between spaces and modes of information. Virtual attendees don’t have the option to do that so think of your event as destination television – like Britain’s Got Talent or Traitors. Create moments and a narrative that the live audience doesn’t see and get people talking. Think about the “golden hour” and what time your event should take place, deliver meaningful bursts of information, and channel the convenience of an “ad” break. But most importantly, remember that broadcast quality requires investment in time, tech, and pounds.
Sadly, I still see agencies putting all their clients’ money into real-life experiences but failing to engage online crowds. Brands don’t want to pay an additional 25 to 40% on top of their live event budgets to produce quality virtual events. If you are required to engage with audiences remotely, you must put some of the production value into delivering the best quality content for those remote audiences. Gone are the days of having a camera at the back of the room. It’s not the theatre. Your virtual audience is not in the “cheap seats”.
Award ceremonies are great examples of where content is drawn out over dinner with copious drinks. Would you want to virtually “attend” an awards dinner, sit and watch people eat dinner, listen to an incredibly long “short-list”, and then find out hours later that you haven’t won? Plus, you’ve done all that at 2am because no one has thought about global reach and time differences.
One of the best virtual events I’ve ever experienced teased the audience but also told the audience what to expect. It also created stand-out moments. It was short, and it was clear that the organisers had recruited a team with TV experience. They knew that if they wanted people to stay their audience had to be entertained. It was evident that the content team had asked themselves: “Would I find this fun to watch?”. I enjoyed the entire experience, which ended on a high and with a bang. It gave ,me the same “just one more episode” feeling I get from watching Ted Lasso! I didn’t want the experience to end and that’s how every virtual event should be. This is where I think there are lessons to be learned.
The biggest challenges are persuading key leadership teams that you don’t need to “reward” guests who have travelled to your event with three hours of content that could be delivered in one-and-a-half hours. Are you guilty of overfilling your agenda because you think there’s a perception that longer equals more and more equals better?
I don’t think that this is the case and it’s a point that should be challenged. Shorter, higher-quality content gives people more time to connect, engage, and ask questions. That should be every agency’s priority. Both live and virtual audiences should come away feeling they’ve shared a moment. We can achieve that by spending less time saying better things.
Shorter event formats allow more time for connection and in today’s world, that’s paramount. But what’s interesting is that we have started to find that the satisfaction scores and engagement levels from virtual events are higher than those who attended real-life sessions.
We’re now talking to clients about creating live events with exceptional broadcast-quality virtual events. They must have the ability to send satisfaction levels through the roof. It helps that broadcast and television are in Strata’s DNA. I think that now is the time to marry all the best elements of the most amazing live event you can produce, with the gripping star appeal of an Emmy award-winning TV show.
Stay tuned!
This article first appeared in C&IT Magazine, October 2023. To read the full article, visit C&IT.
Strata, the award-winning brand experience agency, has acquired award winning On Event Production Co., a live, virtual, and hybrid event production company with offices in London and Derby.
The acquisition will strengthen Strata’s in-house AV production, fabrication, and production management capabilities, broadening its offer and increasing its team of talented event professionals, including skilled production managers, technicians, designers and fabricators. .
Simon Hambley, CEO of Strata, said: “We have worked alongside On Event Production Co. for several years and know the team well. When the opportunity to acquire the company came along it was an easy decision for us to make and offering us the chance to work together on a more strategic level. We know how each other thinks and works and share the same great work ethos and values. It was clear that our respective businesses aligned perfectly both culturally and professionally.”
On Event Production Co.has vast experience in corporate conferences, brand activation, and exhibition markets. All the company’s employees will continue to be employed by On with On Event Production Co.now a division of Strata Group.
Adam Dewhurst, managing director of On Event Production Co., said of the acquisition: “I have been a big fan of Strata’s work and projects for many years and have admired the work that Simon and his team have delivered for brands and clients.
“I will be working closely with Strata’s senior management team and look forward to watching On Event Production Co.grow and writing On’s next chapter with Simon.”
Strata’s acquisition of On is a continuation of its strategy to offer more of what a client needs through its one touchpoint helping clients make their budgets work harder and achieve greater return on engagement. It will increase the agency’s speed of response, capacity, and resources and accelerate the agency’s current growth trajectory, providing opportunities to expand its creative services and production facilities.
Hambley continued: “We respect approach to events and their approach to client management. On has a fantastic team that delivers solid results for amazing clients such as Toyota, Aldemore Bank & NHS England.
“This acquisition is a hugely positive step for Strata and for On, and we look forward to working with their team on an exciting journey ahead.”
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/
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.
