What is Brand Experience Marketing?

These days, there is no idea too outside the box when it comes to elevating your brand. After all, the internet created a crowded space where the need to differentiate from others is essential. One way companies are accomplishing this is through brand experience marketing. Here is a lowdown on what it is, some unique examples companies have implemented, and how it can benefit your business.

How Does Brand Experience Marketing Work?

Brand experience marketing deals with cultivating an immersive, positive experience with customers. At its core, it’s about establishing and strengthening the bonds between a company and its customers. There are many avenues to enhance this value, too.

Think of the environment in which your customer engages with your brand. If you own a retail store, you want to create an atmosphere best representative of your brand. On this front, every small choice impacts this. It can include the type of music you play, the ambiance created in design and furniture, the engagement your customers receive from staff, and even the scent.

With this in mind, brand experience works best when you have a firm grasp of what your company represents and how your customers interact with it. If you run an e-commerce shop, you’ll want to design your services around your customers’ needs. This might include in-person pickup options, multiple payment options, and even a live chat feature, where a staff member can engage with the customer during their journey. These small touches can yield impactful results.

Furthermore, brand experience marketing is catching on at a rapid pace. It is why top companies are using it in creative ways.

Examples of Brand Experience Marketing

Dunkin’ Donuts created a multi-sensory experience for commuters in Seoul. It involved them hearing a jingle from the company while riding the bus. After the commercial, a coffee-scented spray emitted into the bus. And when the bus reached its stop, departing commuters saw ads for the nearest Dunkin’ Donuts. This experience engaged customers through hearing, scent, and sight.

Another way to inspire and connect with your customers came from Vans. The House of Vans offers skateparks, art installations, and concert stages to allow people with shared interests to form a community. Currently, Vans has these venues in Chicago and Waterloo.

How Does It Benefit Businesses?

Using brand experience marketing helps your business in the following manners:

• Customers develop associations and build awareness about your brand

• Your client understands your identity (what makes you unique and your values)

• This approach can increase your brand awareness

• A great brand experience can increase customer loyalty

• It helps you elevate and differentiate your brand from competitors

Design a Memorable Experience

If you’re looking to implement experiential marketing campaigns, MadeFirst can help. Trust our experts to help you create an authentic and unique experience for your customers. In turn, you can gain more exposure, generate customer loyalty, and elevate your brand above the rest of the pack. Learn more about how we help businesses by contacting us.

Creating Buzz With Pop-Up Shops

Whether you’re an established retailer or a trailblazing entrepreneur, you’ve probably tried to come up with creative ways to promote your business. In today’s market, one approach has gained incredible traction in a short amount of time. Pop-up shops are a way for business owners to create ephemeral, one-of-a-kind experiences for shoppers. If you pull off a great pop-up, you may just find yourself with a group of loyal return customers. Here’s how to use pop-up shops to create buzz.

What is a Pop-Up Shop?

Let’s start with the basics. Pop-up shops are storefronts that seem to appear overnight. They may be outdoors, in malls, or at conventions. They’ve recently become more common at festivals, too. These temporary stores only stay open for a limited time. Some business owners will run their pop-ups for one day only, while others choose to occupy a mall location for a few months. It’s up to you!

Why You Should Try It

If you’re willing to put the time and effort into creating a memorable experience for your customers, it’ll pay off. Pop-up shops present entrepreneurs with a host of unique marketing opportunities, including:

• Building relationships with customers

• Gauging the popularity of new products

• Learning more about your demographic

• Testing out-of-the-box brand design or marketing tactics

• Making waves on social media

These pop-up stores are perfect for those seeking to grow their businesses during the pandemic. There’s no pressure to formally open new locations, sign a decade-long lease, or allocate a large portion of your revenue to paying rent. Instead, you can participate in local markets, events, and conventions to get your name out there. 

How to Make an Amazing, Profitable Pop-Up Shop

Pop-up shops are a great way to build brand awareness, reach new customers, and deepen relationships with your existing clientele. However, before you start building, there are a few things to consider.

First, invest in your shop. While many people show up to trade shows with a folding table, tablecloth, and a few products, quality is the key to an effective pop-up shop. Spending the time and money on an interesting, engaging display can make all the difference in foot traffic.

Next, remember to showcase your product. This is especially important if you’re at an event with a bunch of other vendors. Feature your wares with custom-built shelves, cabinets, and expertly installed lighting. With just a little creativity, you can keep your product at the forefront. 

Finally, make it memorable. Resist the urge to rely on a simple, tired approach to pop-up shopping. When you execute a great design or interesting premise, more people are drawn to your retail environment. They’re also more likely to share it on their social media profiles, exposing new fans to your offerings. All in all, memorable pop-up shops can be a great way to market your business.  

Building Pop-Up Shops in Los Angeles and Beyond

MadeFirst specializes in the creation of unique, unforgettable experiences and environments for pop-up shop owners. We work with you to bring your vision to life. No project is too large – we’ve helped international brands to design beautiful, effective displays to wow customers from coast to coast. Interested in getting your own pop-up shop? Contact us today.

MadeFirst Named One of Event Marketer’s Fab 50

Event Marketer: MadeFirst Named to Fab 50 List

We are pleased to announce that Event Marketer has recognized MadeFirst in their yearly “Fab 50” report. This list serves as an “annual editorial guide to the industry’s top builders.” In their announcement, the 2021 Fab 50 also acknowledges the challenges overcome by makers during the pandemic: a reduced number of trade shows, supply shortages, and increased cost of materials. In spite of these obstacles, fabricators worked together to meet demand and create stunning experiential builds. The team at Event Marketer seeks to recognize excellence, attention to detail, and stellar design in the wake of global crisis.

“Again and again, the organizations that comprise this year’s Fab 50 proved they were up to the task,” wrote a representative from Event Marketer. “They reached beyond their core capabilities to develop new skill sets, expand their virtual and hybrid event services, enhance their tech stacks, [and] develop proprietary event solution[s].”

In their section about MadeFirst, Event Marketer highlighted our build for CMA Country Christmas. This project brought together everything we love: woodworking, set construction, and lighting design. After outlining our capabilities – specifically our Kuka Arm, CNC routers, lasers, and state-of-the-art printers – Event Marketer described us as “a local shop with international reach.” This neatly summarizes our activity in 2021 (and our ambition for 2022).

A Year of Growth

We are proud to be named one of Event Marketer’s Fab 50. To us, this recognition serves as a reminder of the high standards that we strive for each and every day. 2021 has been an exciting year in the shop – we’ve taken on ambitious projects, partnered with new clients, and expanded to the West Coast. Our new location in Los Angeles, supplemented by the capabilities of our Nashville workshop, will empower us to build bigger and better than ever before. We look forward to providing five-star service from coast to coast in 2022.  

More Than a Shop

Event Marketer concluded the Fab 50 announcement by writing, “These featured fabrication shops have demonstrated why they’re not simply vendors, but strategic partners and valued team members.” At MadeFirst, we work to seamlessly integrate into your organization. Every person in our facility – our builders, customer service representatives, project managers, and everyone in between – is fully dedicated to bringing your vision to life. To learn more about partnering with MadeFirst, contact us online. We’re ready to plan your project.

MadeFirst Expands to LA

MadeFirst, a Nashville-based experiential marketing firm, announced today that they have expanded to the west coast.

MadeFirst Expands

The expansion empowers MadeFirst to bring their trademark combination of fantastic exhibits and unparalleled customer service to the West Coast.  

Bigger Space, Bigger Projects

MadeFirst now has a fully functional second location for our Nashville-based experiential marketing team. This expansion has granted us a combined 75,000 square feet of space, where we can take on larger projects with more resources at our disposal. We’re equipped to tackle logistics and installations for projects of any size.

“We now have storage facilities in both locations, so our space is definitely a huge advantage for clients looking for large-scale builds,” stated Hammel.

Delivering Amazing Experiences in California and Beyond

Over the years, MadeFirst has worked on countless California-based projects. As demand grew, our strategy needed to grow as well. This flexibility, adaptation, and client-first attitude is the backbone of MadeFirst. Now we’re bringing that trademark Southern hospitality to the West Coast.

Our recent expansion, in tandem with our supplemental capabilities in Tennessee, allows us to serve the Los Angeles market better than ever before. With our central hub in Nashville, we are able to quickly produce displays for a trade show in San Francisco, a festival in Florida, and everything in between. No matter where your event is taking place, we’re here to deliver beautifully fabricated pieces and five-star service.

Minimal Stress Meets Memorable Service

Too often, tight deadlines and changing needs cause trouble in the fabricator-client relationship. We’ve decided to do things differently.

MadeFirst infuses the hospitality and charm of the South into each business dealing. With a focus on transparency and effective project management, our Nashville team members have helped high-powered clients to achieve amazing results (without unneeded stress along the way). Their reviews praise the work and the experience they had working with MadeFirst’s project managers.

“Great to work with; [they] took my idea and made it better. Any issue that came along, they've been quick to respond.”

– Art Director of a Local News Station

We’re excited to bring our way of doing business out west. To learn more about MadeFirst’s expansion, contact us today.