Brand activations are a fun way for brands to interact with their consumers. They’re engaging, interactive, informative, and just plain exciting!
Instead of just seeing a traditional ad placement or an annoying pop up while scrolling on social media, consumers interact with a brand’s products or service. It’s an exciting way for people to be advertised to without feeling like they’re being advertised to. With brand activations or brand sponsorships, you can get your brand name in the minds of the consumer without them even realizing it.
More and more companies are executing brand activations to engage their audience. Not sure if you’ve seen one? We’re pretty sure you have. Here’s one we want you to know about.
Wendy’s Rick and Morty Drive-thru
This well researched partnership between Wendy’s and the TV show, Rick and Morty, was a strategic pairing. The partnership plays off of Wendys’ twitter ads and the humor appeal that Rick and Morty fans have. Ample research was conducted that indicated a strong correlation between Rick and Morty fans being Wendy’s/fast food customers.
At the “Mortys” drive thru’s, Rick and Morty fans were transported into one of the main characters’ crazy adventures, with a total take over at each of these locations, themed menu names and matching packaging. This activation proves that market research provides vital insights allowing marketers to create activations that leave a long lasting impact on consumers.
This activation generated half a billion impressions. While large activations like these are flashy and lots of fun, truthfully they can be very expensive. They can’t track or capture much else other than impressions, which is why they can be unreasonable for local companies to pull off.
Smaller scale, or local examples may include “remotes,” where a company will throw an event telling people to come down, or collaborate with a relevant business.
A cool example of this is from Burlington, Vermont. Every year Burlington Subaru runs their “Drive for Excellence” campaign that celebrates and incentivises students to get good grades in school. For every ‘A’ grade submitted, that student will receive two entries to win a brand new car or financial scholarships! Every year this even draws in a large crowd to the dealership and it promotes the community as well.
As consumer preferences evolve and advertisements are seen as more invasive, it is important for companies to find new and exciting ways to get their message across. In the digital age it is easy for consumers to feel bogged down by ads while scrolling on social media or watching their favorite show. Finding a more engaging way to add an enjoyable aspect to advertisements goes a long way.
Whether you are a large company, like Wendy’s, or a small business, there are plenty of opportunities to create memorable experiences rather than just another advertisement.
