Event marketing tools for corporate clients. Event marketing: types, tools and examples

The concept, purpose and objectives of event marketing

There are various ways to make a company successful and increase the sales of its products or services. One of the non-standard promotion methods is event marketing or event marketing. It belongs to the category of BTL events.

Definition 1

Event marketing is a way of drawing attention to a company, its products or brand in order to form close mutually beneficial relationships with consumers. This is a set of activities that are aimed at the attention of the target audience.

The main goal of event marketing is to promote the interests of the organization, manipulate the behavior, opinions and attitudes of consumers. Event marketing is based on establishing an emotional connection between the company (brand) and the target audience.

Remark 1

Emotions are the key tool in creating a “living” brand. They are responsible for consumer loyalty to specific brands.

The key task of event marketing is considered to be arousing consumer interest, getting to know the product, the possibility of testing it and creating a positive perception of the product, company or brand.

The main objectives of event marketing are:

1. creating a successful brand;
2. creating a positive image of the company;
3. formation of news for a PR-campaign;
4. bright and memorable launch of a new product on the market;
5. promotion of impulsive goods;
6. long-term sales promotion;
7. brand promotion;
8. brand positioning;
9. maintaining customer loyalty;
10. creation of a group of like-minded people among the company's personnel.

Event marketing involves creating an event marketing campaign that provides certain benefits:

• growth of the company's competitiveness and reputation in the eyes of consumers;
• effective demonstration and start of product sales;
• organizing and implementing an advertising campaign for a product and attracting the attention of the media;
• retaining loyal customers and attracting new ones;
• creating and maintaining demand for the product in the future;
• improving the quality of relationships between employees of the enterprise.

Features and types of event marketing

The main types of event marketing are:

• corporate event marketing (corporate events);
• events for dealers, partners and clients (trade events);
• special events.

The purpose of the first type of event marketing is considered to increase labor productivity and improve the company's reputation in the labor market. This is the organization of events such as various corporate events (anniversaries, field trips, parties, quests, etc.). Partners and regular customers should be invited to such events to enhance the image and create close mutually beneficial relationships.

As part of the second type of event marketing, conferences, seminars, round tables, presentations and other thematic events are organized according to the company's field of activity. Such events also enhance the company's image and emphasize its expertise in certain issues.

The third group of event marketing includes third-party events: advertising tours, organization of concerts, festivals and other entertainment events. Such events are not always organized by the company itself. This type of event marketing contributes to the growth of consumer outreach, favorably influences customer loyalty to a company or brand, and also helps to increase sales. Sponsorship is essential. The company finances a specific event within the framework of which the company and its products are advertised.

Remark 2

Event Marketing Tools

Event marketing is viewed as a set of methods and tools used to win over the target audience and build loyal customers through specific events. This is the holding of presentations, holidays, festivals, sports and other events carried out for the entertainment and favor of consumers.

Event marketing tools:

• corporate events;
• special events;
• shock promotion;
• game promotion.

The first tool allows you to manipulate employees on the emotional level and form a team of like-minded people. The second tool is the organization of trainings, seminars, conferences necessary for the exchange of knowledge and experience in order to further develop and expand the company's activities. Special events are organized to advertise products in order to reveal the essence and value of the brand. As part of such events, the company usually acts as a sponsor, which allows it to create a favorable impression of itself, remind about its products and get new consumers. Shock promotion is a challenge of curiosity and interest among people for a certain scandalous event in order to draw attention to your product. the latest event marketing tool is luring consumers into some kind of game.

The tools differ in the method of conducting the event. The choice of this or that tool depends on the type of product and the target audience.

The main components of a successfully organized event are:

1. the correct choice of all parameters of the target audience (demographic characteristics, social status, etc.);
2. organizing communications between all participants and receiving feedback;
3. emotional involvement of consumers;
4. organizing gifts and surprises for participating in the event.

Remark 3

The key to effective application of event marketing is a creative approach to solving the assigned tasks. It is important to clearly know who the target audience is, what results the company wants to get after the event. This will allow you to choose the appropriate format and venue for the event, make it memorable and unique.

Today, the manufacturing and wholesale business in Russia is going through a rather interesting phase: companies are beginning to discover "Marketing of the new wave" - ​​the current state of affairs in marketing at the moment. Marketing in general is developing rapidly: new technologies and approaches are emerging that are applicable in all areas of business, in particular, for wholesale and manufacturing companies.

Most companies use a standard set. Most often, most of the company's sales are the result of personal connections and acquaintances of the head. Also, an Internet site, the key issue is how the site works and what efficiency it shows, participation in tenders, repeated sales to old customers and cold calls. And, of course, participation in exhibitions, which we will talk about.

All these tools, of course, work, give some result, but have you ever thought about the fact that the same tools are used by your competitors?
Therefore, today I want to talk about a customer acquisition channel that few people use - event marketing.

What is Event Marketing?

The whole point is revealed in the title. These are events (seminars, trainings, conferences), the main purpose of which is to sell your company's products.
The purpose of the activities is to make a sale. In this article, I'll show you exactly how to properly sell at events. Let's analyze 3 types:

• Exhibitions and conferences
• Own live trainings and seminars
• Online trainings and seminars

© Elina Nikolaevna Berdnikova, 2018

ISBN 978-5-4490-4975-9

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Introduction

The growth of the global advertising market has led to the introduction of a new concept into the practice of Russian activities - an integrated advertising market. The growing volume and quality of consumption of advertising information stimulates the development of marketing activities towards the globalization of the market based on unified advanced advertising technologies. All market participants, from corporations to small businesses, work to establish and maintain positive relationships with influential groups affecting the organization through effective communication. Corporate communications are the basis of the principles, models and mechanisms of corporate governance. Intracorporate public relations can be applied in any organization, regardless of the number of its employees, structure, type of activity and localization.

"PR is a management function that is designed to establish and maintain mutually beneficial relations between an organization and the public, on which its success depends, or vice versa, failure" - this is the definition of the masters of American PR S. M. Cutlip, A. H. Center, G. M. Broome was given in his book. According to the Frenchman Louis Salleron's definition: public relations are a set of methods used by enterprises to create a climate of trust in a team, as well as in the environment with which they have to interact, and usually in society as such, in order to provide support for their activities and contribute to their development. Ultimately, they must create a harmonious complex of social ties generated by economic activity in conditions of loyalty and truthful information.

The main conditions for such a creation are: the allocation of information as a key source of competitive advantages of companies; revision of the attitude to the process of creating the company's HR value in the labor market; coordination with other elements of the communication complex: direct marketing, events for employees, advertising and public relations, event marketing; implementation of the company's web-representation with a corporate component; formation of HR-brand and reputation of the first person.

Internal PR tools are no different from those traditionally used in the field of public relations. The only difference is their audience-dictated specificity. There are many reasons why organizations should pay significant attention to internal communications, first of all, there is a law according to which any organization must interact with its employees. Human Resources (HR) is everything that is connected with personnel, that is, with "human resources" and internal communications. A company that makes an effort to interact with existing and potential employees becomes an attractive place to work. Intra-corporate PR directly affects the activities of the organization, affecting its reputation and performance. In the book Effective Internal Communications, English corporate communications consultants Pamela Maunter and Lyn Smith argue: "... if you treat your employees with respect, your organization's reputation will only grow."

All this leads to the merger of the concepts of HR branding and intracorporate PR. This work examines all the points of contact of these concepts, and special attention is paid to unlocking the potential of corporate governance, the formation and positioning of the personal brand of the first person of the company.

The tutorial is divided into three parts. The first one is devoted to intracorporate PR and event marketing within the company and the possibilities of managing intracorporate communications. The second examines the technologies of forming an HR brand, analyzes the factors influencing the modeling of corporate religion, corporate rituals and holidays. The third part reveals the concept of a business image of a leader, the essence of the formation of a first person's reputation and positioning the image of a corporate leader. The textbook systematizes knowledge in the field of intracorporate relations, contains tests and cases for self-examination.

The book is intended for teachers, graduate students, undergraduates, senior students, applied specialists in the field of advertising and public relations, HR, event marketing, as well as anyone interested in the development trends of intracorporate communications.

Chapter 1. Intracorporate PR

1.1. Levels and elements of the culture of the organization

Culture is a processed, adapted for human habitation environment, transformed with the help of specific human methods of activity - technologies and results of this activity, allowing to satisfy the various needs of a person, organized in groups, directing human behavior towards survival and development. It contains normative formations, symbolic elements, technologies that embody the experience of the community. Organizational culture is a set of common approaches, values, traditions, symbols, the outlook of the organization's employees who have stood the test of time. A kind of expression of the individuality of the company, the manifestation of differences from others. By evaluating any organization, you can create a complete picture of the organization's culture that informs all campaigners. The employees themselves are the bearers of the organizational culture.

There are usually three levels of culture: artifacts, shared values, and core beliefs. However, each subsequent level is the least obvious.

The upper level is artifact level, including all those phenomena that can be detected when entering a new group with an unfamiliar culture. When a thing loses its semantic certainty, it becomes an artifact (artificial fact) that fulfills the assigned task and has a certain value for the target audience or society. The main problem with the interpretation of artifacts is associated with the ambiguity of symbols. At the same time, the level of artifacts is largely amenable to managerial influence and can be largely formed within the framework of corporate culture. Artifacts reflect the core values ​​of the company. Accordingly, the level of artifacts can be influenced primarily by internal PR methods.

The founder of the scientific direction "Organizational Psychology" Edgar Shane declares that "the knowledge of organizational culture begins with the first," superficial "or" symbolic "level, which includes artifacts - visible external organizational structures and processes. Architecture, language, technology and products of activity, works of art and style embodied in clothing, manner of communication, emotional atmosphere, myths and stories related to the organization, description of accepted values, external rituals and ceremonies language, technologies and products of activity, works of art and style, manner of communication, emotional atmosphere, myths and stories associated with the organization, description of accepted values, external rituals, rituals and ceremonies - everything that can be felt and perceived through the senses. "

Richard Daft, an American management and consulting specialist, identifies similar categories in artifacts and assigns rituals and ceremonies, stories, symbols and language to them. Richard Daft's textbook is one of the most recognized management papers in the world.

Rituals and ceremonies Are rehearsed and planned activities that showcase the values ​​of the company in artistic form and are often intended for the audience. Such events form a common outlook on the life of the organization, unite people. This set of measures has a psychological effect on the members of the organization in order to build loyalty. For example, the arrival of a new employee or the advancement of an employee up the career ladder. Rituals help to increase the loyalty of company personnel, and sometimes improve the company's image when communicating with partners and customers.

Stories- these are documented or unconfirmed stories that describe certain values, "valuable" behavior, etc. Many companies have stories about the birth and development of the company, about the values ​​of its founders, which are often repeated by employees of the organization, including they are presented by new employees. Some stories keep the core values ​​of the organization alive and facilitate mutual understanding. Others are more like myths that are consistent with the values ​​of the organization, but are not supported by facts.

Symbol- This is a conventional sign that represents an idea (or concept) that is significant for the organization. In a sense, ceremonies, stories and rituals are symbols of deeper values. Another type of symbol is a physical object, a physical artifact of an organization. And the third is directly the symbolism - thanks to this, the values ​​of the company are transmitted to the wide masses of people. This includes the corporate identity, logo, trademark, slogan (slogan), color scheme in advertising.

Second level - values ​​and beliefs- expressed in the words and actions of employees, shared by members of the organization. Often, in uncertain conditions, values ​​serve as a model of behavior for members of the organization. But if these values ​​are not accepted and formulated on the basis of collective experience, then they remain proclaimed categories, i.e. they are fairly accurate in determining what people will say in different situations, but this does not guarantee that they will do so. The value system forms the inner core of the organizational culture. The stronger the values, the more deeply they are rooted in the culture of the organization, the more they influence the behavior of employees.

At this level, the role of the personal brand and reputation of the leader of the company, the creator or transformer of this culture, since the values ​​shared and declared by the founders and the most authoritative members of the organization become a key link in the unity of employees, the formation of unity of views and actions of the organization.

The third level of organizational culture basic views- these are the main hypotheses and beliefs that are so deeply embedded in the corporate culture that employees simply stop noticing them. IV Groshev, an adherent of a systematic approach to the study of organizational culture, believes that the content of the elements of organizational culture is found in the legal, political, economic and socio-psychological spheres of organizations. At the same time, “the economic culture includes: the culture of production (organization of labor, conditions, means), the culture of distribution, the culture of consumption, the culture of exchange ... Socio-psychological includes: the culture of managers, employees; ethical and aesthetic culture; culture of behavior, motivation; culture of communication; culture of conflict resolution ”.

Basic beliefs do not raise any objections or doubts among group members and seem so obvious to them that behavior based on other ideas will be perceived by group members as incomprehensible.

Culture can be presented as a rather complex system with the following structures: value-normative, organizational structure, communication structure, structure of socio-psychological relations, game (mythological) structure, structure of external identification (corporate identity).

Organizational culture can be analyzed as an integral and effective tool for managing a company only if there is a formed and unchanging structure of dominant value orientations in the presence of a certain hierarchy of organizational values ​​of the working team, which will be the essence of the organization's culture.

1.2. Internal PR as a method of managing the culture of an organization

The essence of the methodology for managing the culture of an organization by means of internal PR is to systematize the elements of this culture and methods of internal PR itself. There are many designations for those activities, the main purpose of which is to establish and maintain positive relationships with influencing groups (influence groups) through effective communication. In addition to this goal, they also distinguish forecasting of changes and events in the external and internal environment of the organization, management of the response to these processes. The second group of goals can be called rather PR tasks, since they are not valuable in themselves, but as a means of supporting corporate communications with influence groups.

Awareness of employees about the changes taking place in the organization and understanding of the essence of these changes is ensured by internal communications. Internal PR allows you to increase the commitment of employees to the cause and values ​​of the organization, gives them reasons to be proud of their company, makes them feel part of a single process and receive both additional motivation and satisfaction from this.

Before influencing the corporate spirit by means of internal PR, it is recommended to determine what the value system that exists in the team is. You can rely on it when developing PR events. To identify the value system, it is necessary to have information about the number of employees, their average age, education. The team should be conditionally divided into small groups, since people with similar professional values ​​work in the same subdivision / department. In addition, it is recommended to investigate the existing and most developed communication channels between employees (practice and ethics of communication by e-mail, corporate publications and other ways of exchanging information).

The content of these methods allows you to systematically build up key competencies, analyze the results of completed projects and draw appropriate conclusions. Internal PR has a rich set of tools for building employee commitment. These are not only means that increase involvement in a common cause, but also an emotional impact (for example, corporate holidays - the company's birthday, New Years, the end of the year (summing up) and gaming (for example, any employee can propose his colleague as an “employee months ", and the best of the best are selected on a competitive basis.) Of course, each tool has its own advantages and disadvantages. It is important that their use is not an end in itself. An unprincipled corporate holiday is more likely to irritate employees than increase their commitment. But more on that in the next chapter.

Corporate communications as an open system.

The organization acts among clients, investors, employees and partners, competitors (and all those whom it can influence directly), as well as social, government institutions (which most organizations can influence, if only indirectly). The influence exerted by the organization cannot guarantee that there will be changes in the target groups. At the same time, the changes taking place in the groups of influence affect the organization and force it to adapt, i.e. behave like an open system. At the same time, “only companies that can carry out internal changes through communications are able to quickly respond to external changes and emerging opportunities.”

The process of communication (including as a form of interaction) is understood as one of the foundations of human life and society. At the same time, researchers are talking about both communication processes and its results. It is also customary to understand communication as the processes of converting information from verbal to non-verbal and vice versa: "... for communication, the transition from speaking of one to the actions of another is essential."

Corporate communications is a system for managing internal and external information flows aimed at creating a positive image and a favorable opinion of oneself among key partners, on which the fate of the company, competitors, company employees and candidates depends; they are messages from the corporation, its management, its employees, the media, partners and the general public. Corporate communications aimed at influence groups allow both to produce a response impact on the changes that have already taken place, and to anticipate upcoming events.

Such communications will become effective if they reflect the integrity of the corporate culture, clearly fit into it. The goals of corporate communications should be consistent with the mission, goals and objectives of the organization, its values. They must take into account the preferences and perceptions of the target audience with whom the dialogue is being conducted, therefore information about the organization's environment is of great importance. Corporate communications encompass all aspects of how an organization communicates with influence groups and how communications are built within the company.

Communication strategy of the organization. Internal PR.

The communication strategy of any organization has both an external and an internal direction. The external communication strategy consists in defining the general goal of the company and methods of achieving it, and a competently built internal communication system will help convey the corporate mission to all employees of the organization. A well-designed communication strategy is able to identify the strengths and weaknesses of each intra-corporate communication channel and use them correctly to ensure the functioning of all types of intra-corporate communications: horizontal, vertical downward and vertical upward.

The following goals of internal communications can be distinguished:

- the unity of employees, commitment to the company;

- increase in productivity and quality of work;

- use of new technologies in work.

In this list, the first goal (a strong corporate culture) is directly related to PR. Achieving this goal contributes to improved performance and innovation, which are goals of the entire organization, not just PR.

Ekaterina Mityasova, Master of Management, University of Manchester, described the main methods of internal PR as follows:

- Introductory "package". Any employee must be accepted by the organization as a full-fledged member from the first day of work in it. The more carefully the introductory "package" is designed, the sooner the new employee will become loyal to the organization. In the "package", in addition to explanations of the immediate supervisor and mentoring of more experienced colleagues, physical media (booklet or disc) may also be offered, which contains recommendations to familiarize yourself with certain literature, study some aspects of the company's work, and discuss issues with the manager.

- Oral presentations. A number of companies annually hold a road-show - a presentation of the results of work, during which top management can not only directly contact the staff, but also receive feedback. Introductory programs for newcomers may include workshops (lasting up to several days), during which presentations are given by company managers, including senior representatives.

- Communication between employees is an effective and meaningful means of communication. It is required to manage this type of communication in order to avoid rumors and other negative phenomena.

- Social and sports clubs. It is a means of communication not with employees, but between employees. The effect of informal, albeit rare, communication is very noticeable, especially in crisis situations.

- Newspaper for staff. This is one of the few internal PR tools that provides easy access to the staff of large organizations. It is also one of the most versatile and flexible media out there as it allows multiple messages to be broadcast to all levels of the organization. An effective way to distribute a newspaper is to send it to employees' home addresses, which helps to build a sense of belonging in their families.

- Bulletin board. Regularly updated content containing important messages (especially from line managers) will undoubtedly grab the attention of employees. It should be a mandatory practice to post all published press releases on the bulletin board, even if the press release concerns the work of another division of the company.

- Directory about the company. This publication contains information on all procedures in the organization. All employees must familiarize themselves with it without fail. The content of the guide is a trade secret and is individual for each company.

- Other publications. These can be quality control materials, news pages. The publications initiated by the HR department are also extremely important. They relate to pensions, training, personnel development, medical care, wages. This also includes most of the materials (brochures, leaflets, magazines and even advertisements) that are intended primarily for existing and potential customers. Each employee is, in fact, a “sales manager of the company,” and the more he can tell about it, the more powerful the information flow created by the company. When employees see that the organization is well represented in quality printed material, they feel proud.

Corporate publications motivate readers to ask management questions. In addition, through such publications, in-house research can be initiated and invited to participate in surveys. This could be, for example, research to determine the extent to which employees share brand values, or looking for possible ways to optimize the production process. The results of such research allow management to generate new ideas. It is very important to inform employees of the organization about the results of these studies.

The goal of competent internal corporate communications is to create and strengthen a corporate culture that is attractive to employees in order to increase their loyalty and motivation to work. It is also a way to convey to each employee the internal corporate values ​​and rules. David Kirk, a PR consultant, after conducting research in the largest corporations in America, made an interesting conclusion that 91% of the indicators that determine employee loyalty and 99.5% of the reasons that affect their job satisfaction are directly related to effective communication, and this is internal PR.

Differences between corporate and organizational cultures.

In the literature of recent years that studies corporate culture, the concept of "corporate culture" is identified with the term "organizational culture". For the first time, enterprise culture was purposefully studied in American large firms, and then it sounded like corporate culture. But, for large corporations, culture is not unique, the term "organizational culture" appeared. Many researchers never make a distinction between these two types, simply calling the corporate culture in a corporation, and organizational culture in small organizations (because it is difficult to call them corporations, but there is culture). It is necessary to consider and define the concepts of "organization" and "corporation".

A corporation is an organization that is similar and yet different from other human organizations. The peculiarity of the corporation is that it gathers people on a professional basis, but also includes other connections that allow a person to feel the stability and identity of his social group. In economic theory, the corporation is considered as a widespread form of organization of entrepreneurial activity in developed countries, which provides for business property, legal status and concentration of management functions in the hands of the upper echelon of professional managers (managers) who work for hire.

Thus, when analyzing the definitions of a corporation, certain common features are revealed, such as: the form of organization, the presence of structure and the presence of common interests, managerial functions and the possession of legal rights. At the same time, the corporation acts as an element of the social structure, that is, a separate, isolated, self-sufficient group, a subject of activity with legal rights, property, as a system of interactions and connections.

These considerations lead to an interesting definition by K. Scholz: "Organizational culture is the implicit, invisible and informal consciousness of the organization, which controls the consciousness of people and, in turn, is itself formed under the influence of their behavior."

Conclusion: organizational culture is inherent in any organization, defined as a group of people united by common goals. It arises in the course of the interaction of these people, as a result of their conscious and unconscious actions. Culture in this sense is the energy component of the organization. Corporate culture is always a product of conscious purposeful activity. The corporate culture is formed in accordance with the strategic goals of the organization's development.

Further, speaking about the culture of the organization, we mean, first of all, the area of ​​intersection of organizational and corporate cultures and areas of "inconsistency", which can be directed to management impact.

Corporate culture as a brand resource.

The corporate brand of the company is one of the important system-forming elements of the organizational culture, including as the brand of the employing company. Thus, the researchers note that, in comparison with product branding, the creation and promotion of a successful brand at the manufacturing company level has more potential resources for differentiation, and the corporate brand itself can become a source of sustainable competitive advantage. Back in 1991, S. King argued that the choice of the consumer is determined not only by the assessment of the functional advantages of the product, but also by the holistic perception of the company - goods and related services, corporate design and style, corporate communication, skills, attitudes and behavior of employees, the entire culture of the company generally.

Similarly to the concept of "brand", the term "corporate brand" does not have a uniform interpretation widely recognized by experts. The lack of scientific consensus in the interpretation of the brand of the company, as in the case of the interpretation of the brand of the product / service, is associated with the multidimensional and evolving essence of the phenomenon. Thus, J. Ballmer and E. Gray identify five approaches to understanding a corporate brand, depending on its life cycle.

1. Corporate brand as an identifier of the manufacturing company. This approach interprets a corporate brand in the narrow sense of the word, as a name, logo or trademark that allows you to identify a manufacturing company. In other words, the corporate brand is interpreted from the point of view of the organization.

2. Corporate brand as a tool for building a corporate image. The corporate brand is considered as one of the elements of the corporate image system formed using marketing communications. This understanding of the corporate brand formed the theoretical basis for corporate branding.

3. Corporate brand as a symbol of the corporate identity of the company. This approach reflects the modern understanding of the brand as a set of additional intangible values ​​provided to the consumer. In this interpretation, a corporate brand is understood as a brand identity that includes core values ​​inherent in an organization or associated with it. It is the core values ​​that allow the corporate brand to form a clear and attractive brand contract (the promise of the corporate brand), become a guarantor of quality and reliability, as well as build trusting relationships with all interested groups.

4. Corporate brand as a way of building the social identity of stakeholders. This interpretation reflects an alternative understanding of the corporate brand, understanding from the perspective of stakeholders. According to this direction, modern consumers build their own identity through the consumption of certain brands - a brand helps consumers broadcast who they are or want to be. In the case of corporate branding, the corporate brand helps to build the identity of not only consumers, but also employees, partners, suppliers, distributors, etc.

5. Corporate branding as the basis for experience marketing. The approach focuses on the interpretation of the corporate brand from a stakeholder perspective. Within this understanding, the goal of corporate branding is to create a positive consumer experience for a particular corporate brand.

Below is a diagram (Fig. 1) clearly showing the relationship between the brand and corporate culture. The formation takes place taking into account the interests of all target groups. For the brand of the company, these are: customers (buyers and consumers); suppliers; owners (investors, shareholders, government); competitors; professional community; Mass media, civil society, authorities. For the brand of the company as an employer, these are: employees of the company; future employees (specific target groups); the younger generation and its leaders (those who will subsequently make decisions and shape public opinion); civil society as a target group for the implementation of the social role of the organization; state. It is clear that the philosophy, management style, and strategy of an organization shape the brand.

Rice. 1. Organizational culture and its components

The diagram shows that the external sphere of organizational culture is oriented from the outside and is carried out through the lens of the brand. And target groups can be called “stakeholders” or “Stakeholders”. A feature of the corporate brand is special positioning, taking into account the needs of target groups: future employees (target universities, specialists in certain fields, etc.). Working with the external environment for the transmission of brand values ​​and company philosophy belongs to the field of PR and is aimed at creating an adequate image of the company and its reputation. Working with the internal space of a company is an internal PR, which should relate to personnel management as the closest thing to the concept of a constituent element of organizational culture 19. Starov S.A., Landgraf P.A., Corporate branding as a marketing concept // Bulletin of St. Petersburg University. Series 8. Management. 2013. No. 4. - P. 74

Brand-integrated management: each employee is responsible for the brand / Tulchinsky G.L., Terentyeva V.I. - Moscow: Vershina, 2006. - P. 112.

To reach a potential consumer and grab their attention, marketers are forced to develop new advertising strategies. One of them is event marketing.

The essence of this direction is to conduct events for the target audience in order to form a positive attitude towards a brand or product. Eventual is always aimed at improving company awareness or increasing consumer loyalty.

Events, as a tool of an advertising campaign, help to form the effect of participation of each of those present, make the buyer associate his product with positive emotions.
Thanks to personal experience of participating in a particular event related to the brand, a person quickly remembers the brand and experiences a certain feeling of gratitude, friendliness to the manufacturers who gave him emotions. In addition, advertising within the framework of a well-planned event does not look intrusive, therefore it does not cause hostility among the target audience.

This method of promotion appeared in our country recently: for the first time they started talking about it at the beginning of the 21st century. But in the USA and Europe, such advertising is one of the most widespread. Giant companies devote more than 50% of their annual advertising budget to event marketing.

Coca-Cola, McDonalds, Redbull are famous for the largest events. According to marketers, it is event advertising that can multiply brand loyalty.

The meaning of event marketing can be expressed by the slogan: "Feel it!". It is for maximum involvement that all promotional activities are designed.

Examples of Successful Event Marketing Campaigns

Almost all major brands can boast of successful examples of event marketing.

For example, the Coca-cola company in the nineties launched an advertisement with New Year's trucks delivering a drink to cities. The slogan of the video is "The holiday is coming to us!" has become an integral part of the New Year for residents of many countries. And in 2016, for the first time, caravans of branded trucks decorated with bright bulbs really drove through the cities of Russia.

Thousands of people came to see the symbol of the holiday. This event introduced potential buyers to the fabulous atmosphere of the commercial and made them associate the New Year with the company's products even more.

One of the most massive events of event marketing, which is held annually in Russia, is Red Bull Flugtag. Red Bull is a non-alcoholic energy drink manufacturer, so its target audience is young people striving for freedom, new experiences and emotions. This is exactly what the participants and spectators of the championship get.

The essence of the event is a competition of home-made flying machines. The spectacularity of the show is ensured by the fact that each team of participants tries to create the most unusual, funny and grotesque apparatus. In 2016, such a festival in Krylatskoye gathered 39 participants and several thousand spectators, who received positive emotions and experiences. Thus, the brand increases customer loyalty, makes them associate their product with laughter, lightness and energy of freedom.

A striking example of the successful use of event marketing can be considered an incredibly beautiful campaign from Sony as part of an advertisement for a new camera that conveys all the nuances of color.

Sony teamed up with residents of a small town in Costa Rica to collect more than 3.5 tons of flower petals in a variety of shades and sprinkle them on the city. The spectacle was announced and attracted tourists, and photographs of the event, captured with an advertised camera, were circulated around the world.

For example, Sony introduced a new product to its lineup and made consumers associate their camera with a real explosion of color. Following this advertising campaign, the demand for Sony cameras among travelers has increased markedly.

How events are conducted within the framework of event marketing

The effectiveness of event marketing as a way to promote a product or service depends on how accurately the purpose of the event is defined and how carefully it is prepared.

In addition, the selected event should be consistent with the characteristics of the company, highlight its strengths and uniqueness. Events for the promotion of expensive cars, watches or luxury goods are usually designed to draw attention to the elitism, exclusivity, status of the target audience.

On the other hand, brands that position themselves as democratic try to conduct as open, public events as possible.

For example, the women's magazine Cosmopolitan holds a heel race every year for everyone. The competitions are designed to give positive emotions and emphasize that the publication is issued for feminine, but strong and successful girls. When buying a magazine in the future, female spectators or runners feel that way.

After the company is determined with the target audience, the format of the event and its features, they begin to write the script and choose the venue for the event.

At this stage, it is important to remember two important nuances:

• The richer the event program, the more the potential buyer is involved in it, the more chances to increase his brand loyalty
• Product name, company logo, prototypes, testers - all of these should be in abundance at the event. Don't limit yourself to visual advertising only. A participant can feel real attention to his person if during the event there will be specialists who are ready to advise, tell, give a try.
  Personal attention greatly enhances the experience of an event. Several years ago, the MTS company placed electronic libraries on the streets of large cities. They were tubes that distribute wi-fi, made in the form of bookshelves. Anyone could download the selected book for free using the QR code placed on it. For convenience and efficiency, promoters in MTS uniforms worked next to the tubes, helping to understand the use of the library.

When should you resort to event marketing?

Experts recommend including the activities carried out within the framework of an advertising campaign in any marketing plan. They will help maintain, increase or create brand loyalty among consumers. Only the tools of event marketing will differ, depending on what effect is to be achieved with the help of a particular event.

1. For those who want to acquaint clients with their company or a new product, an event in the format opening or presentation. Such promotions are carried out quite often and do not differ much from each other.

Most often, the opening includes a small concert, a drawing of gifts and prizes among the first customers, and a story about a new store or brand.

Presentations are also held according to a fixed scenario. Usually, most of the time, a company specialist talks about the benefits of a new product, trying to interest and impress the audience. The most famous presentations of today are held by the Apple brand in connection with the release of new devices.

A specific presentation format includes Exhibitions They are usually held for company representatives in order to get acquainted with new products and attract new customers. At such an event, products of several brands can be collected at once.

2.Holidays are considered the largest event within the event campaigns. They are usually conducted for a wide target audience. Mass celebrations involving media people, entertainment for the public can create an emotional connection between the consumer and the company.

Such events create an effect of ownership that multiplies brand loyalty. Among the large-scale holidays in Russia are the Vkontakte festival, picnics of the Afisha publication.

A separate type of holidays - sporting events... They are chosen by companies whose target audience is active young people seeking new experiences. At such events, the public is invited to participate in competitions or cheer for their favorite athletes.

This event marketing tool has been successfully used by Mars, which has held a special street sports competition Snickers Urbania for several years in a row in Russia.

Conclusion

Event marketing in Russia is just beginning to gain popularity; such events do not yet seem to consumers as intrusive advertising. Event marketing, judging by the trends of the last decade, promises to become one of the main ways to promote companies and products on the market. In addition, it is the emotional component of such advertising that can provide an increase in customer loyalty for many years.

Event marketing allows you to attract the attention of your target audience by establishing an emotional connection with consumers. You will learn more about the goals of event marketing, its tools and trends by reading this article.

You will learn:

• What goals will event marketing help you achieve?
• What are the event marketing tools.
• What trends are typical for modern event marketing.
• What stages does the organization of events include?

In the context of the growing growth of information and communication influence on consumers, traditional promotion has ceased to give competitive advantages... Companies in the same industries and areas of business use the same tools, making it increasingly difficult to surprise consumers. Growing advertising budgets are no longer a guarantee of increased sales, and conventional approaches are losing their effectiveness. Businesses are actively looking for new ways engaging consumers in communications, event marketing comes to the rescue.

What is event marketing

Event marketing (event marketing from the English event, "event") is one of the areas of marketing, in particular marketing communications, the goals of which are:

• to form or strengthen the image of the company, its products, services and brands;
• to convey to the target audience the business philosophy and values ​​of the company;
• inform consumers about the appearance of a new product or service;
• attract the attention of consumers, The media, partners and the general public to a significant event for the company;
• increase the level of awareness of the company and its brands;
• stand out from competitors;
• enhance and strengthen customer loyalty ;
• build an emotional connection between the company and the target audience;
• remind consumers of the company, its products, services and brands.

The goal of event marketing is to turn any event into an event that participants will remember for a long time. The main difference between event marketing and others marketing tools Is the immersion of the target audience in the atmosphere of the company or brand and the formation of a customer experience, supported by positive emotions. Thanks to this, the set goals should be achieved and the image of the company, its products, services and brands should be strengthened.

The basis for event marketing is marketing and communication strategies, positioning and the philosophy of the company or brand, as well as the values, motivations and behaviors of the target audience. If there is a mismatch between the event and the specified factors, its effectiveness will be extremely low. In this regard, activities should be implemented with specific goals that are subordinate to the corporate goal of the company.

Types of events within the framework of event marketing

The Russian market for event marketing services is growing and structured. Today it is attended not only by major players, but also new event agencies appear every year. You can already see the distribution of players by geography of work, industry specialization or event formats. For example, agencies can specialize in the automotive business, FMCG markets, fashion industry, corporate events, organizing music festivals, etc.

Event marketing includes 2 blocks of work:

• Formation of interest in the event.
• Promotion of the company, its products, services and brands through this event.

Event marketing is carried out with the help of outsourced agencies (contractors) or by the forces of marketing or advertising departments. With the development of this area of ​​marketing, event managers are increasingly found in large companies.

The event can be organized as a point - for a specific brand, product or occasion, or become a large-scale and costly project aimed at promoting the company as a whole.

From the point of view of the audience to which the impact is directed, there are 2 types of events:

• External events for consumers, clients, media, partners, the general public, etc.
• Events implemented for the internal purposes of the company, in which employees participate, but outside participants may be invited. For instance:

1. "Festival of food trucks" for bank employees - a unique team building that combines design, creativity, cooking and working out business processes;

2. Ferrero Family Day for company employees and their families;

3. intellectual teambuilding #wassermania for VTB24 - a mix of 10 intellectual, creative and sports stages, where each participant decides for himself what to stake on: strength or intelligence.

In terms of budgets and the scale of the event, there are 2 types of event marketing.

• A point event organized for a specific product, service, brand, or a single event in the life of a company. For example, a multimedia show for Samsung Galaxy Note8 Unpacked.
• Large-scale events with millions of budgets promoting the company as a whole or several brands at once, including with the support of partners and sponsors. For example, the VK FEST festival or the AMOCONF business forum from the AmoCRM company. As part of the promotion on the global tourism market, the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia was just such an event.

Depending on the goals, the company can choose one of 3 types of events:

• Activities claiming free time target audience... For example, shows, concerts, festivals, sporting events, theatrical performances, holidays, etc. The goal is to form an emotional connection with consumers. Examples:

1. Gastronomic performance "In the Library" by the manufacturer of home appliances for partners and journalists;

2. a social event in the format of a party from the Martini company in honor of the launch of the premium sparkling wine Asti Vintage;

3. Nissan X-Tour - test drive in 6 cities of Russia, complemented by a unique snowboard and FMX show.

• Events that convey information about the company, its products, services and brands in an entertaining way. Examples:

1. Bus tour of the Mary Kay company "Travel of Beauty", during which everyone could get professional advice on personal care from the consultants of the company;

2.Porsche Panamera G2 private show "Be different!" for regular and potential customers of the brand;

3.the grand opening of the second plant Puratos Group, combined with the annual "Taste of Tomorrow" event, which introduces new products and the results of global market research on consumer preferences.

• Events where business information is exchanged. Examples:

Event Marketing Tools

Event marketing tools are the events themselves, the classification of which is presented below. Each tool is aimed at working either with a mass target audience, or with each individual participant in the event.

• Occasional special events are the most common tool. As a rule, they are the most interesting for the target audience and have the best effect on the company's image. In addition, they traditionally attract media attention. For example, sporting events, shows, concerts, events for the press, etc. According to the above classification, these are leisure activities or events for the transfer of information.
• Trading (selling) events are held for a limited number of participants. These can be investors, partners, suppliers and even competitors. Examples of such events are round tables, forums, exhibitions, presentations, training events, participation in partner events, etc. The tasks in this case are either transmission or exchange of information, depending on the goals.
• Corporate or HR events are internal and are aimed at team building and staff motivation, as well as maintaining a favorable climate in the team. It can be sports competitions, corporate New Year, joint field trips, etc.
• Gaming activities are aimed at attracting the attention of consumers and stimulating demand for goods, services and brands. As a rule, they are supported by advertising, including at points of sale. These can be lotteries, drawings of valuable prizes, creative contests, etc. These tools are not purely event marketing and can be classified as promotional tools.
• Provocative activities have become more and more popular in recent years, as they often have a viral effect and trigger rumors and discussion. These can be unusual performances, flash mobs, mobile installations, etc. All of them are focused on creating a wow effect and can be implemented on the verge of a foul, i.e. have the character of scandalous advertising.

Event marketing is sometimes equated with BTL events aimed at increasing sales of a product or service in the short term (for example, retail promotions, sales nights, or customer days in the service industry). Unlike BTL, event marketing is aimed at realizing the strategic goals of a business, promoting a company or brands, building or strengthening an image (reputation) and increasing capitalization.

Example

BTL: the company conducts a price action in federal chains - the brewer's beer is included in the catalog, tastings are held, the products are on the shelves with a “yellow” price tag. The growth in sales is carried out primarily due to the attractive prices compared to products without a promotion. In this case, not only regular customers, but also consumers focused on products of a lower price segment, have the opportunity to buy expensive beer at a low price. Thus, a promotional increase in sales volume is formed, but without keeping beer consumption at the same level after the end of the promotion.

Event marketing: a person participates in a music festival held annually by a beer brand. During the festival, he builds a close emotional connection with the brand through the event. When a person comes to the store after the event and chooses beer for making a purchase, he subconsciously will have an emotional positive association with the beer brand that organized the festival. This is far more likely to result in a purchase than traditional choices, by forming a long-term emotional bond between the brand and the consumer.

Carrying out an event within the framework of event marketing

The development and implementation of any event involves several stages:

• Goal setting. In pursuit of the desire to surprise visitors, it is important not to overdo it and not to forget: everything that is used during the event should serve the purpose of its holding. The event itself, in turn, is not held in order to master the budget, but within the framework of the company's communication strategy. This requires new approaches from event agencies to work, but at the same time opens up excellent opportunities for building long-term relationships with companies and brands.
• Determination of target audiences who will be invited to the event in order to achieve the goals. These can be consumers, partners, dealers, media, bank representatives, etc.
• Determination of the type of event and the choice of specific instruments, taking into account points 1 and 2.
• Development of the concept of the event. As with marketing in general, content comes to the fore. It is more and more difficult to surprise consumers, they are tired of the same events wandering from market to market. Therefore, only new formats and venues for events allow getting coverage and launching word of mouth through social networks.

One of the key trends in event marketing is the ever closer intertwining of offline and online. For example, online broadcasts and mobile applications for meeting and communicating event participants. At the same time, practically no event today is complete without the use of digital technologies. These are sites, interactive platforms, VR and AR reality, interactive stands, 3D-mapping (projection shows), virtual or robotic assistants (artificial intelligence), chat bots, badges with individual barcodes, etc. Changes are made in video formats. If earlier it was reportage shooting, photo zones and photo booths, today 360-degree panoramic shooting, drones and GoPro are increasingly used.

The second trend is the creation of a customer experience, with the help of which you can catch on to consumers who are bored of the monotony. For example, it can be created by filming interactive films during the event, allowing the participants themselves to determine the further development of the situation. This not only makes it possible to stir up the participants, but also to establish communication between them (effective networking).

Another novelty of the last couple of years is immersive shows that involve the participants in the process as much as possible and make them a participant in the production. An interesting option for shaping the customer experience is activities that change location. For example, pop-up objects or mobile platforms where you can get acquainted with a company, its products and services. An example that caused a public outcry was the placement of the Louis Vuittone pavilion in the form of a travel chest on Red Square (exhibition "The Soul of Travel").

It should be noted that today's development of the event-sphere allows holding events with different budget sizes, which makes them affordable even for small businesses.

• Determining the budget of the event... If the event is organized by contractors, a tender is held.

Events cease to be secondary marketing tools, coming to the fore. At the same time, the demands of the clients to the organizers are also growing. Previously, the primary proposal was to offer interesting "chips" that could hardly be integrated into the specifics of the brand. Today, it is almost impossible to develop a concept for a successful event without diving into the specifics of the business, brand philosophy and consumer behavior models. This requires event agencies to change their approach to concept development.

Another trend is that most market participants are gradually expanding the range of services offered through digital marketing, video broadcasts, VR and AR capabilities, PR support and other options. The need for this is determined by two factors. First, it is more convenient for clients to work with one agency, receiving a turnkey event and not having to dock a large number of contractors. The second is changes in customer requirements for the events themselves.

Due to the fact that it is more and more difficult to surprise modern consumers, clients of event agencies are gradually moving away from classical tenders to creative tenders. In this case, the competition between agencies is at a qualitative level within the budgetary "fork". Bidders must propose concepts that will not only fit into the customer's marketing strategy and match the characteristics and values ​​of the target audience, but will also be able to attract additional attention by launching word of mouth.

The event should evoke a desire to take part in it, and not the feeling that "all this has already been somewhere." The more the organizers manage to surprise the participants, the more feedback it will receive on social networks and in the media. Interesting event-related features are sweeping across the country in waves, starting from Moscow. Then they come to St. Petersburg and, with a significant lag, to cities with a population of over one million. The fashion for event tools and concepts can change several times during one year.

• Carrying out the event.
• Evaluation of the results of the event.

If before the start of the crisis, customers were ready to spend large budgets just to produce a wow effect, today the digitization of the desired result comes to the fore. Specific KPIs are established, which are indicated in the briefs for the event. The most successful today are those event agencies that can offer an original concept with a predictable effect. For example, depending on the goals, this can be the cost of a contact, the conversion of event participants to buyers (event sales funnel) or the number of posts and photos on social networks after the event.

Both traditional methods and digital technologies can be used to assess the effectiveness and engagement of visitors - online polls, voting panels during the event, e-mail polls, collecting feedback on social networks, etc.

In conclusion, it is important to note that the active development of the direction of event marketing has led to the emergence of a large number of training programs and specialized events. For example, TimePad, an Internet service for event organizers, regularly holds webinars; in October 2018, the eighth annual Event Show conference was held, and in January 2019, the Eurasian Event Forum will bring together the leaders of the Eurasian event community. In addition, the majority of marketing and PR awards now have nominations in the field of event marketing.

For the agencies themselves, the constant build-up of competencies and the expansion of the scope of expertise is becoming a prerequisite for survival in the competition. Modern customers are aware of many current trends, which means that agencies should always be one step ahead, showing that they are in trend and offering non-standard solutions.