Reaching the GLBT Market Through Experiential Marketing

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Reaching the GLBT Market Through Experiential
Marketing

• Presented By
• New Avenue Marketing

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Topics to Discuss

• Experiential Marketing Basics
• Reaching the GLBT Market Specifically
• Case Study Nike Run Hit Wonder

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Experiential Marketing Basics
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Experiential Marketing

• Providing an opportunity for your consumers to
  make a connection with your brand/product in a
  meaningful face-to-face manner

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Connection vs. Presence

• Connection is
• Engaging
• Meaningful
• Emotional
• Has Purpose
• Requires Participation

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Connection vs. Presence

• Presence is
• Static
• One dimensional
• Easy to disregard
• Deals with awareness on one level only

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Connection vs. Presence

• Hanging a banner DOES NOT constitute Experiential
  Marketing!

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Experiential Marketing

• Can be
• Pie in the sky or feet on the street
• Fairs/Festivals/Community Events
• Private Events - invitation only
• Galas/Parties/Productions
• Sales Meetings/Internal Events
• Consumer Intercept/Street Marketing
• Sponsorships

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Start With The Questions

• What is the business purpose?
• Who is the audience (for this effort
  specifically)?
• What is the desired take-away (not talking gift
  bags here)?
• How does this fit within the marketing mix?

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Craft the Experience

• Map out the experience from the consumers eye
• What happens
• Timing
• Details
• Interface points
• Buzz points
• Create the Wizard to make this all happen

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Pitfalls to Avoid

• Viewed as a social function
• great partywho paid for it?
• Not focused on the BUSINESS PURPOSE of the event
• Product launch/highlight
• Corporate image
• Message support

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Pitfalls to Avoid

• Picnic vs. Production
• Picnics are based on good food
• Experiences are based on great production
• Left Field Approach
• Message needs to be consistent
• Cater the message, dont crash it
• Failure to ACTIVATE

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Benefits of Experiential Marketing

• Supports and works in conjunction with other
  aspects of the marketing mix
• CREATES BUZZ!
• Can touch a specific target audience
• Effective in reaching the influencers

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Reaching the GLBT Consumer
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Reaching the GLBT Consumer

• PRIDE FESTIVALS
• 115 in the US
• Majority are in June
• Parades, festivals, street teams, stages,
  entertainment
• In Southern California alone
• CSW
• Long Beach
• Valley Pride
• San Diego
• Palm Springs
• LA Black Pride Weekend
• LA Latino Pride

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Reaching the GLBT Consumer

• FILM FESTIVALS
• OUTFest
• The largest film festival (GLBT or otherwise) in
  Southern California
• Nearly 45,000 participants with approximately 42
  with an income over 75,000
• GLBT Festivals in nearly every major market
• Queer Lounge is one of the most popular
  destinations during the Sundance Film Festival

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Reaching the GLBT Consumer

• Non-Profit Event Sponsorship
• Nearly every sector of the community represented
  
• Align with an event or organization that best
  fits with the brand
• Opportunity to participate in various events
  reaching different audiences, or the same at
  several points

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Reaching the GLBT Consumer

• Non-Profit Event Examples
• Cracked X-Mas 8 for the Trevor Project
• AIDS Lifecycle for APLA
• Palm Springs Golf Classic for multi
• New Years Eve Events

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Reaching the GLBT Consumer

• CONSUMER TRADE SHOWS
• Gay Travel Expos
• Gay Life Expo
• Gay Erotic Expo
• Out and Equal Workplace Summit
• GLBT Business Conference
• Community Segment Conferences

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Reaching the GLBT Consumer

• GAY SPORTING EVENTS
• Gay Games
• Gay Games VII in Chicago July, 2006
• Out Games
• First ever, Montreal, August, 2006
• Gay Rodeo
• Local Clubs

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Key Elements

• Dont market to the gays
• Very diverse audience
• Gay is an overlay identifier
• Find threads, recognize uniqueness
• GLBT consumers support brands that support them
• Non-profit tie-in
• Internal practices and policies
• Image in the market

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Key Elements

• Use the appropriate tactic
• Reach the target consumer within the confines of
  the specific experiential opportunity
• Dont overlook the gay sensibility and subtlety
• Acknowledge dual audience opportunities

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CASE STUDY NIKE
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CASE STUDY NIKE

• One of the greatest brands in the world.reaching
  GLBT consumers in the LA market
• Nike Run Hit Wonder
• Major music focused fun run with 20,000 runners
• GLBT focus began in 2004

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CASE STUDY NIKE

• West Hollywood was earmarked as a location for a
  community training program
• Initially, with all of the best intentions, the
  program was not reaching the target consumers
• Time to gay it up a bit!
• Secured a local icon as the emcee

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CASE STUDY NIKE

• Created the Spirit Sisters the official
  ambassadors of the Run Hit Wonder
• Fully branded drag troupe
• Voiced in Nike product and event specifics
• Multi-level peer-to-peer effort was launched
• Online
• Email blasts
• Street Teams/Street Swarms
• Local clubs/organizations

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CASE STUDY NIKE

• 2004 Results
• Increased overall participation in training runs
  by 30 in two weeks
• Increased target audience participation to 75 of
  total
• Big buzz!
• Local and national press coverage

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CASE STUDY NIKE

• 2005 Program
• Changed venues to better reach the target and
  give credibility to the program
• Aligned with BikeOut and GL Center Youth Programs
  to stay consistent with brand initiatives
• Added a charity component with a fashion show and
  silent auction

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CASE STUDY NIKE

• 2005 Results
• Increased overall participation by 50
• Much stronger presence of the target consumers
• Huge Buzzits the Abbey after all!
• Local press coverage
• National TV coverage of Spirit Sisters

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Final Thoughts

• Its an experiencenot just a banner
• Reaching GLBT consumers and general audiences are
  not mutually exclusive
• The GLBT consumers have shown to be one of the
  most brand loyalan incredible opportunity for
  your brand!

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THANK YOU!