Are You On The Market?

I read this really great article on event marketing with the digital world and I highly suggest you read it too. Essentially, it describes the relationship between the two as not being a very good one. The computer is a great communication tool, but with event marketing who is going to be carrying a laptop around? A computer/ website is useful up to a point, before and after an event but then is just about completely useless at the very moment of a special event. As the article describes, marketing is lost since…“The time period missing is the event itself -- the time when consumer interest is naturally at it’s highest. This is prime time to advertise, update, publicize, and inform.”…

Here comes the cellphone to the rescue. The mobile phone offers various interactive methods and it is almost guaranteed that whoever walks through the doors to an event has one. Because of this, event organizers can engage with the audience and extend revenue opportunities. This interaction of the person with their cellphone brings up the world of Web 3.0, which is the personal web and mobile data. Here, event organizers can create mobile programs that provide schedules, branded updates, exclusive access, seat arrangements, registration, and may be even used as a pass for entry! “Event-based mobile media access keeps it personal, practical, and direct.“ as explained by the author. This mobile application should be combined with other campaign tactics such as kiosks to gain more PR opportunities.

exinary.com

This new century approach is able to catch an event’s audience much better than traditional methods of interaction. Those methods include prior promotions, kiosks, tents with laptops, and more. As I stated in my previous post, I am traditional therefore personal interactions would matter to me at these functions, which is something that was not brought up in this article at all. Word-of-mouth is still the top marketing strategy with high credibility and costs nothing. Even so, the combination of all these elements will greatly aid the special events industry.

Is It Real?

What is a live event? It is a function where one is able to feel the action and have a connection with others they may not know. It is an experience. Many of these events are set for certain times of your life, such as prom. The experience from that can affect you for your whole life. There is actually an Experience Industry that plays on points in our lives. But with world modernization there is a shift in how things are done. A lot of things within the entertainment industry are being substituted for a digital experience. But is it possible to do that with a live event?

ABC News has come with a new ipad application called the ‘New Live Event Experience’. It will take you inside the 2012 Political Convention for both parties. The elements included are multi-streaming, social media feed, and expert commentary ALL on one screen. The app originally did not have this update but since refreshing in June, the total user engagement has increased by 57%! The new combination of these elements provides an overall experience for the consumer. Being as there are no tabs to flip through, the goal is to cater to our senses at once.

Some may argue for this due to sold-out or even international events. I am traditional so this does not appeal to me even if I cannot attend the actual event. I think there is a future for this since it exists but for me it depends on the event. One where there isn’t much interaction or input such as the political convention can be viewed through new ipad applications such as this, but a concert where you are immersed in the production might be hard to accomplish. It does worry me though how it will impact the live event industry.

Sidenote: go out (double meaning) and register to vote!

Mag App

About a year ago, I used my frequent flyer miles to subscribe to five different popular magazines. I didn’t have enough to actually book a trip so I didn’t want to waste them when I had this option. So far, I have read 1 out of the 40 or so that are laying on my coffee table or in the magazine racks. They really are just for show now. The fact I haven’t read any has nothing to do with the magazines themselves since I chose which ones I wanted because they interested me. It might be because I’m too busy since only when I have real downtime will I pick one up. So far the only person who really reads my magazines is my cousin when she goes on a road trip, so they have a purpose. However I’m really glad I didn’t have to pay because boy would that have been a complete waste of money.

Somewhat unrelated but it is, I have Netflix. I can go a month without watching anything just because I’m not really a TV person but I know I will make up that month subscription fee maybe the next month by watching a couple. So how this relates is there is an application, which is like Netflix but for magazines called NEXT ISSUE. The way it works is that “[Android] tablet owners can essentially pay $10-$14 a month for all the magazines that they want to read”. There are also individual magazine (and issues) subscriptions too from $2-$10. The application hopes to add more social and personalization elements that are seen in many new digital products. NEXT ISSUE was recently made available on the iPad too, so now more consumers have access to all these wonderful magazines they may not have known about before.

I see this application reducing stagnant issues around the house. NEXT ISSUE is putting hundreds of magazines in your hand without the clutter. It will even include international titles when it expands. I see specialty magazines becoming a part of the collection, which would aid me since lately I've been doing a lot of research in possibly starting up a magazine dealing with the special events industry.