Posted in Custom Branded Games, Data Capture, Events, Experiential, kiosks, Lead Generation, mobile marketing tours, Technology, Tradeshow Technology Bookmark the permalink. What do you think?

Which Experiential Technology is Right for You?

September 23, 2015 at 12:02

by Chris Rogne

There are many options when looking to add an interactive experiential technology to your event. Where should you start? How do you choose? Start with your objectives. Ask yourself, “What am trying to accomplish? What are my campaign goals?”

Looking for leads? Sure, that’s top of everyone’s list. How can you accomplish this? Add a technology that people love to do such as a photo or video activation. Choose from animated gifs, slow motion video or simple branded photo solutions. People love getting their picture taken and this is a proven lead generation solution.

Teach something? Have a new product, new enhancements or simply want people to learn about your company? Infotainment solutions might be for you. We offer trivia, surveys, interactive product screens and puzzles to name a few. We can create something exciting that will teach the information you want your audience to learn.

Get people engaged? You want people excited at your event. Custom games generate engagement and create an emotional connection to your brand. People love to compete which elevates the fun and makes it more memorable.

Brand recognition? You want people to know your brand and remember it. Sharing on social media gets your brand attention well beyond the event. All of our solutions are social media ready. Just ask. Many people choose to offer prizes branded with their company logo to help extend the brand after the event. Our spin wheel solution with built-in inventory management helps manage the give-away process.

Another key to experiential success is seamless integration. Our gamification, photo & video, data capture, infotainment, prize management and more are all integrated for our clients. This makes it easier for them to manage only one experiential company and the overall customer experience is much improved. The participant can move from one activation to another with zero effort. Reporting is integrated as well, which makes developing an ROI for your event, even easier.

Elation Digital develops high impact, crowd generating interactive brand experiences and event technologies to draw crowds for tradeshows, events and mobile marketing tours. These solutions include: photo & video activations, custom branded games, infotainment, data capture, tracking and reporting that can easily be shared socially for maximum impact of your brand. Their solutions are perfect for all budget levels from simple activations to complete integrated campaigns.

Posted in Advergames, Custom Branded Games, Experiential, Interactive Brand Experiences, Interactive Museums, kiosks, Multi-Touch, Uncategorized Bookmark the permalink. What do you think?

Gamification for Honda Entertains and Teaches Recycling

September 4, 2015 at 12:18

by Chris Rogne

I’ve written about how our interactive infotainment solutions can help teach participants information companies want to convey, as well as many other ways these activation can help attain goals. When we meet with prospective clients, we assess their goals, budget, allocated space at the event and then we determine which of our activation will meet their campaign objectives.

Honda reached out to Elation Digital to create an educational game for the 2015 International Car Show. There was a dedicated area to keep children occupied and they wanted something that would be engaging and different. We developed a custom game to teach children about recycling. Multiple gaming kiosks, at varying heights, were set up for children to play.

The game had different recycle bins at the bottom of the screen and the colors represent what types of recyclables are allowed to go in each bin. Different objects fly on the screen at varying speeds and the child uses her finger to drag the object to the correct bin.

The children were engaged and educated at the same time. Parents were pleased and so was Honda!

Check out the video of the experience:

Learn how Elation Digital Can Help you Reach your Gamification goals!

Elation Digital develops a wide variety of interactive brand experiences and event technologies to draw crowds for tradeshows, events and mobile marketing tours including photo & video activations, custom branded games, infotainment, social media, data capture, tracking and reporting. Their solutions are perfect for all budget levels from simple solutions to complete integrated campaigns.

Posted in Custom Branded Games, Data Capture, Experiential, Interactive Brand Experiences, Uncategorized Bookmark the permalink. What do you think?

Interactive Gamification & Branded Photo App Elevate Pop-Up Shop Engagement

August 25, 2015 at 14:44

by Chris Rogne

SheaMoisture contacted us to find out how our branded interactive solutions could help them. We met with them to determine their campaign goals. We learned they wanted to: educate the visitors that their products had natural ingredients, introduce a new product line and generate excitement at their planned pop-up shows in New Orleans and Chicago.

We brainstormed several ideas and came up with an integrated experiential solution. We created a custom interactive touch game where images floated on the screen and players touched the ingredients that they knew were natural ingredients to earn points versus distractors that should not be in SheaMoisture’s ingredients.

The game also had a built in Prize Management system where users could win free prizes if they reached a certain score. This created excitement and competition among the players. This fun game reinforces the natural ingredients used in SheaMoisture product lines as well as brand awareness.

We also created a branded photo activation so the pop-up customers could have their photo taken and share via social media. This was extremely popular and over 60% of participants shared their photo on Facebook or Twitter using the hashtag #abetterwaytobeautiful. Social engagement amplifies SheaMoisture’s brand exposure well beyond the visitors who attended the pop-up shops.

Another part of our integrated solution was an attraction loop. It is a streaming video displayed on large LED screens that displays the photos taken in an animated way that generates attention. We also created “commercial-like” advertisement screens and rotated those in to highlight SheaMoisture’s top products, especially their new line: Fruit Fusion Coconut Water Collection.

All in all, the pop-up shops were a huge success for SheaMoisture. We were thrilled to help them reach their campaign goals and look forward to a long rewarding relationship with them.

Learn how Elation Digital can help you reach your campaign goals.

Posted in Experiential, Interactive Brand Experiences, Lead Generation, Uncategorized Bookmark the permalink. What do you think?

Great Example of Experiential Marketing

August 12, 2015 at 13:52

by Chris Rogne

One of the key areas of my job is to create or find and share good content. I search for topics that relate to our business and keep an eye out for great examples of experiential marketing as well as what the competition may be up to.

I came across this video of an interactive experiential marketing campaign and loved, loved—simply loved it.

It’s a tad long, but it’s worth it. Please take a look.

It has all the elements of what makes experiential marketing great:

Engagement

Interactive

Personal

Humor

Emotion

A compelling offer

Memorable

Sharable

BRANDED

This particular campaign has integrated technology as well. It’s not a requirement for experiential marketing but since that’s what we do, it was even more compelling to me. After watching this, what I know is, I want to go there! (That’s effective marketing)

Learn how Elation Digital can create great experiential solutions for your brand!

Posted in Events, Experiential, Interactive Brand Experiences, mobile marketing tours, Uncategorized Bookmark the permalink. What do you think?

Why You Need Personalization for your Marketing Events

July 28, 2015 at 12:32

by Chris Rogne

Here’s an example of what Coca-Cola did to use personalization to help create a buzz for their brand. Visitors had the opportunity to take a picture with a giant coke can. Using Elation Digital’s customized photo activation software, their name was placed on the can. They walked away with a physical photo and the opportunity to share the picture socially which extended the brand. There were also other giant cans adorning the name of famous soccer players. Cool, right?

Here’s what adding personalization can do for you:

1) Increase Engagement—When people feel they are treated as unique and welcomed by name, they are more likely to want to engage with your product or service. They are more willing to learn what you have to share. If you know even more about them, even better. By doing this, you create a connection. You’ve appealed to their ego—and whether people like to look at it that way or not, it’s true. If you’ve touched upon an emotional nerve, people are more likely to buy. That’s where the connection becomes internal.

2) Improve lead nurturing—So at this point you’ve chatted with them and you know something—what do they want? This allows you to tailor your follow-up campaigns to show them you have what they want and you understand their needs.

3) Customer retention—You’ve made that connection and you have a customer. You will have a higher retention rate and they will be more responsive to you if you keep the personalization going in your on-going marketing. Even simple personalization tools like addressing customers by first name in email, when they visit your site or by acknowledging and remembering their preferences can make a difference in their loyalty to your brand.

It’s important to incorporate personalization into your event. How do you do that?

• Send out a pre-event survey and ask questions that can help you develop a marketing message that will resonate with them once they visit your booth.
• Have an RFID scanner to recognize their name and have it displayed on an LED screen. Who doesn’t want to see their name in lights?
• Create a survey to have on hand using a tablet, like we did for Capgemini, and capture relevant information right there on the spot and enter them to win a prize just for playing.

It seems important to at least mention, the Internet of Things (IoT) in this blog. Companies are looking to connect devices, products and services via the Internet and even with products not online. And, what is at the center of IoT? Personalization. Why do I say that? Because it’s personal to each user accessing their devices, their choice of communication and owner is in control and recognized by the company. Connecting devices is connecting companies to individuals on an individual and personal level.

These same principles can work for your site too, it doesn’t have to be an event. Do what you can to be relevant to all visitors at all levels you can.

Learn how Elation Digital can help you achieve personalization success!

Posted in Custom Branded Games, Data Capture, Events, Experiential, Interactive Brand Experiences, Lead Generation, mobile marketing tours, Multi-Touch, Video Activation Bookmark the permalink. What do you think?

Interactive Video Experience Generates Excitement for Monterey Bay Aquarium

July 10, 2015 at 10:52

by Chris Rogne

Elation Digital recently completed an exciting customized video activation for a mobile marketing tour for the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The crowds at the Summerthings Event in Golden Gate Park enjoyed this unique “First in Kind” multitouch sensory interactive experience giving participants the opportunity to interact with thousands of sardines in a Baitball simulation.

Visitors to this special activation had to opportunity to create a video with the ability to select a shape and choose music to make theirs unique. They could choose a shape of heart, star, fish or funnel and their music choices included Hip Hop, Rock, Classical or Country.

We used our data capture software to create a personalized experience for the visitor by adding their name at the beginning of their video. Once the video was created, users had the option share via social media and to post their individual creation to YouTube to share with friends.

Elation Digital worked closely with experiential agency Digital Media Etc to bring this activation to life for one of the world’s best known aquariums.

Learn how Elation Digital can create custom experiences for your next event!

Posted in Data Capture, Events, Experiential, Interactive Brand Experiences, Lead Generation, Uncategorized Bookmark the permalink. What do you think?

3 More Ways Data Capture Solutions Help Achieve Event Marketing Success

June 30, 2015 at 12:17

by Chris Rogne

Awhile back I wrote a blog on capturing attendee information and how data capture helps lead to event success. Here are three more ways to successfully maximize data intelligence:

Prize management—Giving away prizes can be a very successful way to entice attendees to share their information with you. By scanning badges or capturing their information before entering to win something, you can follow up with them after the event. If you choose to have them be required to check back in to see if they’ve won something, you have another opportunity to grab their attention to teach them about your company and products.

Qualifying leads—Once the attendee has given you their information, you need to find out if they are a true lead. Adding a short survey after the initial data capture can help qualify each visitor. This will help you target your messaging when you create your follow-up campaigns. By knowing where they are in your pipeline, you will know whether you need to nurture that lead or attempt to convert them.

Personalization— It’s critical for your booth ambassadors to connect and engage with attendees. To meet them at a more personal level you need to find out what their preferences and needs are. By doing so, you can tailor the information you provide to create an experience that will be relevant to them which will develop a deeper relationship.

Marketers typically have two goals at events and tradeshows: lead generation and product education. Utilizing the data capture process to create the best lead follow-up campaigns, allows for you to capitalize your show success and event ROI.

Learn how Elation Digital can help you achieve data capture success!

Posted in Advergames, Custom Branded Games, Events, Experiential, Interactive Brand Experiences, Interactive Museums, Multi-Touch, Uncategorized Bookmark the permalink. What do you think?

It’s All About Connection – Gen C

June 26, 2015 at 11:00

by Chris Rogne

Connecting to your customers is key. To do that, it’s crucial to know your audience. Who are you targeting? There’s so much information about Millennials, how to reach them and why they require a different marketing approach than other groups. Now comes Gen C also referred to as Generation C. The C stands for connected.

Is this a different group of people? Gen C is not defined by the year you were born but by your digital actions. When writing about millennials, I found myself thinking I had many of the attributes that described them (well not the age part-I’m older) but then I read all the articles about Gen C, these descriptors are a much closer description of how I work and surf. What are these characteristics?

• Connected—well of course, that’s the premise of this blog. Many were born into this technologically driven connected entity and others have adopted it. They connect through technology: smart phones, iPads, tablets, and wearable devices. It’s how they create deeper relationships with their family, friends, interests and co-workers. They are online—all the time.
• Community centric—as a way to stay connected to things they are passionate about, they think community by joining and following online groups or starting them.
• Content driven—whether they create it or consume it, it’s important to them. It’s where they derive their information and that drives their actions. Videos have become a huge part of the content they enjoy and YouTube is a favorite destination for them.
• Communicators—they communicate digitally and often. It’s become an easier medium for them to reach out this way. Social platforms have certainly helped with this.
• Collaborators—they absorb the information they consume and share it. This allows them to collaborate with companies and brands. They provide reviews and look to others for their reactions and opinions

Do these describe you too? I’m sure some, if not all, these apply to many of you. If you are reading this–you are connected. Gen C overlaps with Millennials and other generations too. Since it’s based on behaviors, the age group can span from teens to retirees.

So what do we do now? Just as in reaching millennials, it is important to connect to the Gen C audience in the medium they prefer—digital. Meet them where they are, allow and encourage them to interact and communicate with you. They are already connected. You just need them to connect with you.

Learn more about how Elation Digital can help you connect to your audience!

Posted in Custom Branded Games, Events, Experiential, Interactive Brand Experiences, Tradeshow Technology, Tradeshows, Uncategorized Bookmark the permalink. What do you think?

Prize Management Drives Lead Generation

May 27, 2015 at 08:29

by Chris Rogne

Elation Digital recently finished up another successful event. For this trade show, we worked with Capgemini at Sapphire Now, the SAP conference in Orlando that took place earlier this month. Their goal was to generate leads and collect information from interested attendees in a fun and engaging way. We developed an integrated software solution that scanned the badges of attendees and offered the opportunity to play a spin wheel game for a chance to win a prize. We also incorporated a trivia game to educate visitors about Capgemini. This concept made learning about their company more interesting and gave the salespeople an opportunity to engage with the prospects.

Here’s how it worked:

ATTRACT: An attendee approaches the booth and is enticed to learn more about Capgemini (and possibly win a prize–this always a great booth attractor).

COLLECT: The brand ambassador scanned the badges to collect the lead.

QUALIFY: The addition of a quick survey captures additional important information about the lead.

EDUCATE: As the trivia game gets played, the attendee learns about Capgemini. The brand ambassador is also nearby to share any pertinent information tailored for the visitor based on information gathered during the survey.

ENTERTAIN: Spin to Win! Our prize management system allows booth personnel to add the prizes, quantity, and expected booth traffic times, so that the prizes are inventoried and evenly distributed throughout the show in real time.

WINNER: The attendee finds out what they won!

The Capgemini booth was well received by attendees. Lead generation and product education are two of the main goals most companies have for events and tradeshows. Some marketers fear that giving away prizes do not generate qualified leads. If the interaction between the brand ambassador and the lead is genuine and informative, as it was in this case, it works. We are pleased our integrated interactive solution met the needs of our client.

Posted in Advergames, Custom Branded Games, Data Capture, Events, Experiential, Interactive Brand Experiences, Lead Generation, mobile marketing tours, Multi-Touch, Strategy, Technology, Tradeshow Technology, Uncategorized Bookmark the permalink.

Why Experiential Marketing Works

April 30, 2015 at 12:44

by Chris Rogne

Experiential Marketing is on the rise and we’ve been busy, so it must be true. Marketers are dedicating larger budgets toward incorporating these initiatives into their marketing mix. According to Event Marketer’s Event Track 2014, it’s an increase of 5% and is expected to be higher throughout 2015. It also says that marketers saw an ROI of 5 to 1–that’s 7% higher than the previous year.

But what is it about experiential marketing that makes it so successful? According to Quartz, it’s “an alternative to hard-hitting selling tactics, experiential marketing is fuzzy and abstract—prioritizing delight, touch, wonder, play, and encounter.” This is a great description and these attributes touch upon emotions and emotions are what drive sales!

Experiential marketing can be incorporated into the marketing mix in many ways and with that comes flexibility to develop a successful program. With so many choices, marketers select the solution(s) that best fits their brand and (prospective) customer. As new technologies continue to emerge, the number of options grows: gamification, RFID, custom apps, beacons, wearable technology, infotainment, interactive and immersion experiences—the list goes on.

Marketers are learning that active participation between the customer and these programs is increasing. It’s driving engagement and it’s deepening the emotional connection to the brand through these new and innovative experiential solutions.

Want more information on adding experiential solutions to your next marketing event? Learn more!