Start Planning For Your 2022 Experiential Marketing Campaigns NOW!
Planning ahead is vital in experiential marketing. You’re probably rolling your eyes and thinking "thanks Captain Obvious" as you drown in boatloads of work. I've been there! Thanks to the 15 plus years I spent on the client/brand side of things, I have an insider’s view and I know what you’re going through: new product launches, super tight timelines, lack of internal resources (or a creative team that’s beyond capacity), competitive brands lurking around every corner… so I want to share a helpful point. You don’t have to do everything yourself.
Those pop-up events, PR stunts, sampling tours, and festival activations for your brand don’t plan themselves, as much as you really really want them to. You might avoid thinking about adding an event to your marketing campaign schedule because you feel like you have no idea where to start, but you don’t have to know where to start if you engage outside support.
Bringing on some outside thinking and experiential horsepower (like the experts at Hitch, wink wink nod nod) can help you get the ball rolling when it comes to thinking up great campaign ideas. The right partner will act as a seamless extension of your team from the brainstorming stage all the way to the curation of ideas for your decision-makers to respond to. And voila. Just like that, an easy starting point is created and you can breathe a sigh of relief!
No need to thank me for my common sense advice… in fact, I’ll be happy to give you more! Time refuses to slow down. If you are like me, you may be still wearing your sweatpants to keep the chill away during Zoom calls, but beautiful warm weather is just around the corner, so are a ton of amazing summer events. Take a look below at some of the notable festivals and events that are right around the corner. These events are happening people, and much sooner than you think.
Upcoming events and festivals that belong on your calendar
Here are some music festivals and other events a little further out that you won’t regret planning for sooner rather than later:
Coachella in April
Bonnaroo in June
Lollapalooza and Comic-Con in late July
Summer Holiday kick-offs!
Summer sampling events (think cold drinks or sweet treats in the hot sun)
Promotional tours or pop-ups
Back-to-school pushes in August
How long in advance do I need to start planning for my events?
And for you calendar wizards out there that live and die by your Gantt charts, here is a sample experiential project timeline as a reality check.
You'll usually need 16 - 20 weeks in general:
2 weeks for agency briefing and ideation
2 weeks for idea review and final selection of idea/agency
2 weeks for concept refinement, final budgeting, scope of work and MSA
8-12 weeks for production and planning (fingers crossed on the supply chain)
2 weeks for shipping (the more time the better - shipping is not very reliable right now)
Of course, this timeline will shift and change depending on the type of activation you are planning. But it gives you an idea of how far out you need to be planning.
Okay, now that I shared my wake-up call, you might be wondering, where do I begin? I’m glad you asked! It all just starts with a simple phone call or a quick email to the right people, and we just might know a few.