As a brand, it is important to understand the importance of brand activation campaigns. In a competitive market, it plays a vital role in physically placing your business or brand within its audience.
What is brand activation?
Brand activation is a marketing discipline that deals with driving consumer action through shared interactions and experiences. It forms part of an overall marketing approach, or what is so-called marketing mix.
According to brandactivation.com, brand activation is the seamless integration of all available communication means in a creative platform, in order to activate consumers.
A marketing mix consists of factors controlled by a brand to influence consumer purchasing decisions. In modern marketing terms, these factors are identified as the 7Ps, not elaborated on here so as to keep our focus on brand activation.
The marketing mix comprises of product, people, place, promotion, process, price and physical environment. These are decisive pillars in accordance with consumer engagement with the brand.
The purpose of brand activations is to build or initiate consumer relationships by seeking to establish opportunities to educate them about your brand, therefore, expressing values that will allow effective market competitiveness.
Although campaigns can achieve outstanding results, it is mandatory for the brand to align with a well-developed strategy which stems from a well-defined data-led analysis.
The influence of brand activation
For me, brand activation is an integral part of brand involvement with its prospective market. This is through physical and experiential activities aimed at encouraging positive brand participation. Therefore, bringing a brand or product to life, be it in-store or across multiple touchpoints. For example, these could include an integration of aspects of marketing, PR and advertising.
Each constituent involved in the process acts on its own or as part of an integrated strategic-led campaign. In addition, the aim for brand activation at any given point is to involve deliverables to help produce measurable results. Also, further enhancing brand reputation and ultimately achieving its set objectives.
Developing a brand activation
Although campaigns can achieve outstanding results, it is mandatory for the brand to align with a well-developed strategy which stems from a well-defined data-led analysis. In addition, for brand activation to work effectively, it must be part of a larger marketing strategy with efficient planning.
With regards to having a budget and time factor involved, a good strategist ought to reason around where unsurpassed commercial returns are and what/how activations can contribute best towards brand equity?
A strategy is critical to a brand activation campaign success. If the concept is not aspirational and captive, not endorsed or not given enough time in the market, the activation campaign may not meet the desired results.
A successfully composed campaign carries a combination of elements that stem from great insights, creative concepts, good promotional support, sufficient budget and time well spent in the market.