Summer will soon be upon us bringing with it longer days and warmer nights. And with the change in the weather comes a change in consumer attitudes – it’s time to explore Cool Summer Events.
Because summer ushers in a spirit of celebration and give savvy business owners and brand managers the chance to get your brand out and in front of consumers in quirky and summery ways.
Of course, there isn’t ever a bad time to host an event, but the summer gives you even more chances.
The longer days and warmer temperatures get people thinking about relaxing, spending their leisure time out and about and potentially flitting off on a holiday.
Of course, your brand might not have a natural affinity for the summer. People might not splurge on your products due to the thermometer hitting new heights, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t use the season as inspiration.
The summer months present plenty of chances for you to engage in face-to-face marketing at fairs, concerts and festivals, as well as opportunities to take your brand into new arenas and markets.
The question is where and how will you use the summer to raise brand awareness?
To help you figure it out we’ve put together some create events that will help inspire you to take your summer marketing strategy to the next level.
It’s getting hot in here.
Yes, we may all long for the summer heat, but there are still times when it gets too much. And we complain about it. This is also true of Latin America where the conversation often turns to how hot it is in the summer.
So to tap into the conversation and use it to raise brand awareness, 7Up came up with an algorithm to track real-time heat-related mentions on social media.
And those mentions then fuelled a “social thermometer” displayed on an interactive billboard attached to a container filled with 7Up. Every time the needle reached the red zone, the container opened, delivering an ice-cold 7Up to everyone!
Summer’s favourite treat
Does anything shout summer more than an ice cream? Leading brand Unilever certainly knew that the popular treat could be further leveraged for better brand engagement.
They created a brand activation using technology similar to our photo booth technology that was housed in a giant vending machine. The quirky twist was that the machine dispensed ice cream based on smiles.
Consumers interacted with the machined and were encouraged to smile big. The bigger the smile, the machine would take a picture, post it to Facebook and the smiler would receive a free ice cream.
Celebrate the great outdoors
Getting out and about and back to nature is one of the best parts of the summer season. And there really is nothing better than going camping. But when you want to connect your brand with nature and do something different an ordinary tent and sleeping bag isn’t enough.
GMC launched their new truck in style with a two-day glamping trip for journalists. Chauffered in style in the new vehicles, journalists were treated to luxurious relaxation in hammocks, sumptuous lounge furniture and a stay in a decadent Airstream. The Airstreams were attached to the new trucks and journalists were served dinner and drinks from a custom-built bar in the back of one of the trucks.
Be real
All of us have to deal with tightening budgets. And if you don’t want to blow all your marketing spend on one event, then get creative with sponsorships and align your brand with events and activities that reflect your brand ethos.
An example of being smart with your spend and highlighting a cause you believe in is that of drinks brand Fever Tree. The tonic producer took part in a boutique festival in Wales, UK. Chiming with the festival and Fever Tree’s sustainable ethos the brand organised a cup deposit trade-in scheme at their Gin and Tonic Bar where every cup returned to the bar saw the individual get £1 back. The Fever tree cup was the must-have accessory of the festival and gave maximum brand exposure to an audience much wider than traditional gin and tonic lovers.
Make the most of the summer and the opportunities it presents. Consumers buying patterns and behaviours change with the weather and you should use the sunny outlook as an opportunity to get creative and drive brand awareness with innovative and engaging brand activations.
Need some inspiration for your summer event? Contact our creative team today!