WHAT ROLE DO EVENTS PLAY IN BUILDING THE DESIRED BRAND?
Our talented intern Enni reflects on events as branding tools.
The brand speaks and for good reason!
Wikipedia summarises a brand as follows: ‘A brandis a product or brand name, company, person or similar that has been created or, for example, through marketing, has created a broad, usually positive, recognition. The value of a brand consists of the recognition of the name or logo, the brand loyalty of customers, the sense of quality that the brand brings, and the images associated with the brand’.
As competition grows, it’s really important to be able to differentiate yourself from other players in the same sector and clearly communicate the core message you want to convey. The way to do this is to be more innovative, different, bold! At the same time, consumers value authenticity and genuineness, people are looking for someone they can identify with. So it can be challenging to find a balance between the two.
An event is a powerful way to communicate your brand message and the images you want to convey. It can be used to develop, clarify and reinforce the desired idea of the actor and its way of doing things. It is important to remember and to take into account when planning an event that the event always reflects the company’s brand, whether this is the objective or not. So the details matter a lot!
At the moment we are in a constant barrage of stimuli. In this jungle of stimulation, capturing the interest and attention of the target audience can be challenging. An event needs to be visually and visually interesting and appealing in advance in order to grab people’s attention.
The potential visitor needs to make sure that the event would provide value for their time.
A brand image is built from the very first contact. It all starts with an invitation. The invitation builds expectations for the upcoming event, so the communication needs to be interesting and consistent. It must match the objectives of the event and the organiser’s brand, both visually and overall. An invitation to an office party accompanied by fireworks is not quite balanced (or depends on the meeting and the office). Expectations should always be exceeded rather than undercut. However, the invitation may be the first contact with the brand, so it’s not worth underperforming.
Everything counts when planning an event! So think about and plan the visual encounter with your brand in every aspect of your event from the start. Think about the dramatic arc of the event. At its best, an event is a carefully planned, memorable whole.
The event must have a goal or objectives. Here, less is more to keep the whole coherent and clear to the visitor. When the brand is clear, recognisable and even identifiable, it is easier to remember. It is important to plan both the customer journey, all contact points and to measure the decisions the customer makes at the event. This will create a successful overall experience and the desired impact.
An event is a powerful way to engage visitors with your brand. At its best, an event offers its visitors an impressive experience together with the brand.
But branding for events does not end when computer screens close at a virtual event, or doors slam shut on a live stage. The image created by the event is really important to redeem in the future. The event needs to fit in with all the other branding work!
The text was written by To Do’s super researcher Enni, who is studying experience and service design at the Lahti Institute of Design.
