For years event marketing and experiential media has been driving traffic and impressions for brands. From segways to scooter media, these methods of reaching consumers have always been effective because they are real world interactions.
Versus a static billboard that doesn’t engage with you, using brand ambassadors and guerrilla marketing teams creates a memory; a time when you turned around and smiled as a team of BA’s scoots by waving and have fun. And maybe that’s what this is all about – being able to enjoy marketing and real life interactions.
We all have different methods of connecting, but the human connection is truly the only type that resonates with consumers. This is exactly why you activate your brand - to create excitement and a memorable experience.
Experiential Scooters - Making A Buzz
The benefit of having scooter squads or mobile billboards, is that in their nature they are mobile. They can hit multiple neighborhoods, go where cars and trucks aren't allowed, and also split into different corners of streets, then to come back together to create the 'choo choo train' type of attraction that everyone loves to take photos of - see below examples of activations in Miami, Florida.
Whether you are activating in the daytime and using QR Codes or SMS as a call to action, or simply messaging for top of mind awareness, the ability to adapt the scooter squad to your locale is huge.
We have even seen brands like AT&T create mobile showrooms for their telecommunications brand, taking mobility to the next level by deploying full mobile showrooms into secondary markets where they can engage with users in large parking lots, promote on the radio for prizes/games and create a ton of buzz for the brand on social media.
People love something unique to look at, engage with, and share - which his exactly what this fun and 'smile-friendly' activation does - it makes people pay attention out of curiosity and just because it looks cool.
Now from a brand-standpoint, the other layer that makes marketing dollars extend further is the natural virility of these programs - they are easy to share, they are easy to capture, and they are simply fun! And at the end of the day, marketing is supposed to be something with an impact, and be fun to do - and that's what you get no matter where you activate scooter squads.
Even from a staffing perspective... whenever we are hiring for scooter squads, we see a huge amount of ambassadors apply (even though the driver's need to be certified as motorcycle driver's with an activate license and status), and yet still we see a huge amount of applicants that want to be on our scooter teams. And that makes the agency's job easier - and more fun!
Getting Started with Scooter Squads
The process of getting your brand products or services advertised through a scooter activation begins by determining the geographic areas that are of most importance, as well as the timing and the scale of the activation.
For example, if you are a local business advertising within your community, you may want to create a circle of around 5 miles from your destination, having the scooters message to the local community that something is available close (proximity marketing).
Attribution Tracking - SMS or QR Codes
Now if you're looking to drive awareness at a broader scale - think Macy's advertising their summer collections... then you are looking at both reaching users locally to remind them to stop into Macy's, but then you are also able to leverage the digital world - connecting online sales through SMS or other offers where users can sign-up to something special, exclusive, or limited time.
The reason we recommend this type of attribution tracking, is because marketers will need to quantify the success of the program based on some KPI's and those are much easier to track when there is an offer that has a mobile, SMS or other component to track engagement, clicks, and purchases.
If you need a consultant or would like to speak to one of our experiential marketing experts, just give us a shout. We'd be happy to help you plan, design, and activate your brand!
