Back to student life, event management and experiential marketing

I'm in a bit of a strange position at the moment, I finished my placement year at IBM and my summer internship at Vet's Kitchen back in August and since then I've come back to university to finish my degree. I'm in a weird place as I really miss the real marketing world of work and I find that studying now at university isn't really challenging or testing me so I can't wait to graduate!

However whilst I'm studying I am working part-time Freelance with a number of marketing agencies and experiential agencies representing so many different brands! This has given me the chance to really get experience in executing marketing campaigns and it's so interesting to see the strategy and planning behind them (the area I want to get in to)!

Here are a few of my favourite campaigns I've worked on recently:

Diet Coke:

 

Cheeky sampling day in Swindon & Chippenham pic.twitter.com/utGwHHWOSI
— Steph Clark (@stefclarkx) October 2, 2014

I worked with Diet Coke on their 'hunk' campaign which you might remember from a few years ago.... The background of the hunk campaign can be found here

They released a new TV ad with the strapline "Diet Coke Break" and featuring a lovely hunk! They then executed a Diet Coke sampling campaign and we set up in Swindon town centre with our hunk in-tow! He had photos with members of the target audience aka 17-30 year old females which were shared on social media and they were free to enjoy their Diet Coke break!

I really liked the campaign as it really translated from TV advertising to the brand experience, an important concept when bringing brands to life and translating the brand image across channels.


Kraken Rum:

I love my job 😆 pic.twitter.com/IzdRohCOO4
— Steph Clark (@stefclarkx) September 20, 2014

We were given the exciting chance to work with Kraken rum, a brand which has recently launched in the UK on working on their nightclub tours.

The Kraken is a mythological creature resembling a giant squid which lives 3000 feet beneath the sea. By playing on this brand 'story' we were able to engage nightclub goers with the brand and it's heritage. We also had our deep sea diver character which allowed a photo opportunity which could then be shared on social media, in addition we gave samples of the rum and provided discount codes for an 'Ink Bomb' at the bar. Then the 'Ink Dolls' provided a fire breathing performance assisted by a celebrity DJ and our very own deep sea diver!

I thought the way that the brand told a story was very impressive and allowed a talking point around delivering the shots and ultimately allowed the target audience to remember the brand. The brand is already huge in the US and they are fastly becoming one of the leading rum brands in the UK. Their website is absolutely brilliant and paints a perfect picture of the brand here.


Macmillan Cancer Care:

Come and run the marathon for @macmillancancer outside the arndale 😊 pic.twitter.com/EN7mWUHRHi
— Steph Clark (@stefclarkx) September 13, 2014

Macmillan set up a marathon track along Manchester's Market Street and encouraged members of the public to run a small percentage of the race which would all ad up to the 26 miles in a marathon. To run they were to donate £3 by text and their photos were shared on the Twitter page.

The event was an absolute success and we raised hundreds of pounds for the charity, engaging lots of people and creating a buzz around the city! I think it was a great way to encourage donations and create awareness of the brand without having pestering fundraisers or simple collection bins. It was a really creative idea which I thought was really effective!

Vanarama:

#vanarettes at Bristol rovers today!!! pic.twitter.com/bzIKXzaCJG
— Steph Clark (@stefclarkx) August 9, 2014

Vanarama are the new sponsors of the Conference league and for the first match of the season we wanted to create a huge buzz around the brand as it was appearing on BT sport so it was a great opportunity for the brand to gain some coverage!

We positioned ourselves as cheerleaders spelling out the letters in Vanarama and engaged with fans, cheered for the cameras and gave out merchandise.

The brand also offered a deal that with every purchase of a Vanarama van, £100 would go back into their club so it was great to speak to fans about the offer. The campaign had a lot of reach and highlighted the brand in a great light for the start of their sponsorship!


As you can see, experiential marketing is an amazing industry to work in and can be so varied from sampling to brand awareness to sponsorship! It has given me exposure to the marketing world and how these campaigns are executed and the thoughts behind them! I can't wait to continue working in the industry!

Stephanie