Experiential Contact: Events,

Sponsorships, & Customer Service

A Perspective

Ways
Ways to
to Increase
Increase
Consumer
Consumer
Involvement
Involvement

Customer
Customer
Events
Events Sponsorships
Sponsorships Service
Service
Event Marketing

Event marketing: A promotional

occasion designed to attract and
involve a brand’s target audience
Engages
Engages Consumers
Consumers
With
With aa Hands-on
Hands-on Experience
Experience
AA Way
Way To
To Reach
Reach
Event
Event Hard-to-reach
Hard-to-reach Target
Target Audiences
Audiences
Marketing
Marketing
Usage Increases
Increases Brand
Brand Awareness
Awareness
Usage
Provides
Provides aa Platform
Platform for
for Brand
Brand Publicity
Publicity
Tupperware Pioneered The Use of an Event
As a Selling Tool, The In-Home Party
Event Marketing

33 Types
Types

Created
Created Participation
Participation Sponsorship
Sponsorship
Baskin-Robbins Created an Event Around
the World’s Largest Ice Cream Cake
Tales From the Real World

Some organizations hesitate to stage special

events because they mistakenly believe that
stakeholders and the press won’t think they are
“important enough” to warrant attention.

In the real world, however, some of the most

successful—and publicized—events are those
that are completely created by the brand,
including events like grand openings and the
creation of a “world’s largest _________”
The COMDEX Trade Show Attracts 200,000 People
Sponsored Events

Sponsorship:
The financial support of an
organization, person, or activity in
exchange for brand publicity and
association
Sports Sponsorships

2/3rds
2/3rds of
of All
All
Event
Event Sponsorships
Sponsorships

Single
Single Largest
Largest
Sports
Sports Sporting
Sporting Event:
Event: Olympics
Olympics

3.7
3.7 Billion
Billion People
People Watched
Watched
at
at Least
Least One
One Event
Event in
in 2003
2003
Cause And Mission Marketing

Cause and mission marketing:

When a brand promises to donate
money or other types of support to an
organization or social activity when a
customer buys or uses the brand
Insight: Special Events For Loyal Customers

Sears has found a large differential

between the cost of sales to new
customers and the cost of sales to loyal
customers—the former cost some 20 times
more. In an effort to capitalize on this,
some department stores send their credit-
card holders invitations to “private” sales
and other special events. By maximizing
the interactivity with customers, the stores
are able to remain top of mind with
customers and increase their buying.
What Are The Strengths And Limitations
Of Events And Sponsorships?

Strengths
Strengths Limitations
Limitations

•• Enhances
Enhances brand
brand •• Many
Many events
events involve
involve
image
image through
through positive
positive only
only aa small
small portion
portion ofof
association
association the
the brand’s
brand’s total
total target
target
•• Involve
Involve and
and build
build Vs. audience
audience
relationships
relationships with
with •• Lack
Lack ofof control
control over
over
stakeholders
stakeholders some
some aspects
aspects ofof an
an
•• The
The effectiveness
effectiveness ofof event
event
some
some events
events can
can be
be
measured
measured
Think About It

• How much control should a brand have

over the content of an event they
sponsor?
Customer Service

Customer service: The process of

managing customers’ interactive
experiences with a brand
• Includes: everything a company does
to take care of customer needs when
they buy and use a brand
Customer-Focused Organizations

Customer-Focused
Umbrella

Helpful
Helpful Employee
Employee Performance
Performance

Dedicated
Dedicated Customer
Customer Service
Service Department
Department

Good
Good Technical
Technical Support
Support

Convenient
Convenient Facilities,
Facilities, Operations,
Operations, and
and Arrangements
Arrangements
5 Reasons To Focus On Customer Service

ItIt Creates
Creates Customers
Customers
Competitive
Competitive Demand
Demand ItIt
Advantage
Advantage

Reasons
Reasons
Complex,
Complex, High
High To
To Customers
Customers AreAre
Tech
Tech Products
Products Focus
Focus Conditioned
Conditioned to to
Require
Require ItIt Expect
Expect ItIt

ItIt Helps
Helps Retain
Retain
Current
Current
Customers
Customers
Think About It

• What is your worst

customer service
horror story?
• How could it have
been prevented?
5 Customer Service Strategies

Product
Product
Accessibility
Accessibility Knowledge
Knowledge

Strategies
Strategies
Feedback
Feedback Attitude
Attitude

Responsiveness
Responsiveness
Why Is Customer Service So Important
In Building Brand Relationships?

Strengths
Strengths Limitations
Limitations

•• Superior
Superior ability
ability to
to •• Rarely
Rarely integrated
integrated into
into
help
help maintain
maintain long-
long- an
an IMC
IMC program
program
term
term customer
customer Vs. •• Seen
Seen byby many
many firms
firms
relationships
relationships as
as too
too expensive
expensive
•• One-to-one
One-to-one nature
nature isis
more
more persuasive
persuasive
than
than mass
mass media
media
Final Note:

Combining interactive event experiences

with positive customer service experiences
leads to a positive, highly involving, and
memorable link to the brand

Interactive
Interactive Customer
Customer
Events Powerful
Powerful Link
Link
Events To Service
Service
To the
the
Consumer
Consumer