Bold and innovative or tried and tested? Off the shelf or out of this world? When it comes to events, creativity is the key to getting the emotions dancing, the mind whirring and the long-term memory making working overtime. Whether it’s a mind-blowing live performance or a gamified virtual conference, events must be unique if they are to stand out from the crowd. So, coming up with a super creative idea at the concept stage is vital. But ‘I’m not very creative’, we hear you say. Well fear not, because at Rebel & Soul we have more than enough ‘conquer the concept’ creativity to go around.
Strategy + creativity = memories
Event marketing is all about stirring the subconscious and forging long-term positive memories; memories driven by emotional connections between the brand and consumer that dictate loyalty, trust and positive purchase behaviour. However, our minds are not democracies: processing an estimated 60,000-80,000 stimuli per day, only the most emotional or exciting experiences are promoted to the long-term memory premier league.
That’s why strategy and creativity are so important at an event’s concept stage. Strategy identifies the event’s core message, which has been clearly chosen to resonate with a brand’s target audience. The creative idea is the vehicle for that message, shouting it loud from the rooftops.
For example, you want to position The Macallan whisky as the ‘ultimate spirit’ (strategy), so you create an immersive and sensorial neuroexperience that regales inspiring Macallan stories to your target audience in a memorable way (creativity). The result? The idea that Macallan is no ordinary spirit is deeply-entrenched in consumers’ minds.
Outsourcing creativity
Creative thinking is not everyone’s cup of tea, but luckily it’s the favourite brew of event marketing companies. Looking at your brand image, objective and budget, event professionals will come up with one or more top line event ideas and pitch them to you – highlighting the rationale and benefits behind each one – before you choose a creative direction in which to move forward.
Well, that’s what standard event planners do anyway. At Rebel & Soul, we dive further. All of our creative ideas are designed with the subconscious in mind. Crafted from the cauldrons of neuroscience, we apply our award-winning neuroscience-based INVOLVEⓇ methodology to every concept,not only ensuring it inspires, charms and captivates, but that it hits the emotional sweet spot to create positive lasting memories.
In the virtual space, that could be interactive events laden with special effects and a surprise appearance from a famous host speaker or band, which transport attendees from their kitchen table to another dimension. For live events, it could be exclusive access to jaw-dropping venues filled with world-first technologies, which have been specifically adapted to fit your message. Both enable a consumer to imagine a better life with the help of your brand’s product or service and it’s that desire, focused attention and emotion that sends their neurons into overdrive.
Achievable creativity
But, whisper it, there is a limit to creativity with events. As much as technology is a powerful creative tool that should be harnessed to arouse consumers’ senses, we still live in the world of the possible and budget-constrained. Therefore brands must be realistic about what can be achieved. For example, imagine an event agency promises jetpacks for every guest. Innovative? Yes. Memorable? Hell yes. Achievable? …Exactly.
Be wary of event agencies that promise the earth and don’t explain how their creative idea fits with your brand. While a herbarium workshop might work perfectly for Sephora’s Good Skincare range, it’s unlikely to be the plan of attack for a news agency like CNN, who’d be better suited by an event filled with interactive breaking news experiences.
So, if you want an events management company to get under the skin of your brand and devise a creative concept for your next memory-inducing neuroexperience, you know who to call.
