How Luxury Experiential Marketing Creates Unforgettable Events

Rolling Out the Red Carpet

In the last few years, “luxury” as a concept has experienced a transformation. Where once it referred simply to high-end, expensive products, now its definition for many consumers is intangible: luxury is about experience. “Consumers’ appetites have shifted,” says a recent Forbes article. “They now hunger not for opulence that can be touched, but for one that can be felt — a human experience that resonates long after the transaction.”

On the one hand, this focus on experience is great news for brands. With the emergence of trends like “quiet luxury,” experiences, stories, and authenticity matter more than labels — and these qualities are within the reach of even brands that haven’t traditionally fit the luxury mold.

On the other hand, this fundamental shift creates a challenge: how can a brand, high-end or not, create indelible, even transformative experiences for customers? Experiential marketing is one answer. By creating a meaningful, memorable encounter between brand and customer, the brand can differentiate itself among consumers hungry for luxury with meaning.

How Experiential Turns Luxurious

To some degree, all successful experiential marketing has an air of luxury about it. Giving attendees a high-quality, carefully crafted, unique experience is what experiential marketing is about, and such experiences inherently feel special and luxurious. So how can your brand kick it up a few notches to create a luxury experience that truly stands out? Several characteristics distinguish true luxury experiential:

Storytelling

“Customers today are seeking authenticity and narrative—in effect, they are investing in stories that become a cherished part of their identity, ” says Forbes. Brands that infuse their marketing with elements of storytelling create an emotional narrative that resonates with consumers. “Luxury brands exist in a world where consumers don’t merely seek possessions; they aspire to own a piece of a grander story,” says a post on thomaswieringa.com. That same desire for narrative exists at every price point; it’s one of the strengths of experiential marketing.

Immersive Elements

Experiential marketing events are uniquely positioned to provide an immersive, all-encompassing, multisensory experience to consumers. For example, a brand activation can incorporate scent, ambient music, on-brand color, and even virtual or augmented reality to invite customers into the brand’s universe as they move through the event. A pop-up shop can immerse visitors in the colors, aromas, and textures of the brand as they shop the space and sample products. These events create a fully engaging environment that transports consumers into the brand’s world.

Personalization and Customization

Personalization has become a central feature of much experiential marketing. Before the event, data collection can be used to “anticipate needs and tailor experiences that feel one-of-a-kind, creating a bond between the consumer and the brand that far outweighs the initial impulse to buy,” according to Forbes. At the event, product demonstrations, sampling, and one-on-one consultations with experts give customers a firsthand experience with the brand, forging a deeper bond.

Exclusivity

Limited access to events and experiences creates a sense of privilege and desirability. “Exclusive events, like curated gatherings for loyal customers or members of special tier, foster a sense of community and exclusivity,” says luxurymarketinghouse.com. By hosting special VIP “sneak peeks” or inviting influencers and content creators to a reception, then sharing photos and video via social media, a brand can increase the value of each experience. More, smaller, more intimate events can have a bigger impact than larger, less personal ones.

Sustainability

“Sustainability is no longer an afterthought for luxury consumers,” says an article on luxurymarketinghouse.com. “It’s a defining element of their purchasing decisions.” Brands that use recycled materials, ingredients grown and harvested sustainably, fair trade products, and make other socially conscious choices appeal not only to consumers who are environmentally conscious, but also to those for whom sustainability justifies a higher price.

How Luxury Brands Do Experiential

In the last few years, luxury fashion and beauty brands have begun creating experiential events “more akin to museum exhibitions than the average marketing activation,” says xp.land. Sometimes incorporating elements of performance art and storytelling, these events create a fantasy world designed around the brand’s image and consumers’ aspirations. Some recent examples of upscaled experiential by luxury and non-luxury brands:

• Apple upgraded its in-store experience with “Today at Apple” sessions, educational classes led by experts
• Luxury brand Loewe collaborated with Studio Ghibli to re-create the film “Howl’s Moving Castle” as a walk-through experience complete with an Instagram-ready “cloud room” where visitors snapped selfies with a cloud of water vapor
• Nike created its House of Innovation stores, where shoppers experience customization studios and one-on-one sessions with athletes
• French design house Hermes produced an eight-day immersive event that featured live performances on seven stages to tell the brand’s story, “turning what could have been just another promotional event into a genuine artistic experience, engaging guests without the looming air of a marketing stunt.”

Promobile Marketing is a dynamic experiential marketing agency based in New York City. For over a decade, Promobile Marketing has collaborated with a range of brands—from budding startups to major CPG brands—on immersive marketing campaigns. Get in touch to discuss your next project.