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5 Big Things Affecting the Experiential Marketing Industry Today

For a recent white paper, creative agency BMF asked top marketing leaders to share their biggest trends and predictions for 2021. Their answers give some insight into what consumers care about now.

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Photo: Blue Planet Studio/Shutterstock

If 2020 taught us anything, it’s that predicting the future is impossible. But still, there’s value in evaluating ongoing trends and estimating what’s to come—particularly in the world of events and marketing, which has seen astronomical impacts from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

With that in mind, creative marketing agency BMF—which has offices in New York, Los Angeles, Miami and London and has worked on experiential campaigns for the likes of Gucci, MTV, Dell and Marriott International—recently released a white paper forecast for 2021. It’s the agency’s second foray into the white paper world; the company released its first forecast in spring 2020.

“The forecast that we compiled at the beginning of the pandemic was born of uncertainty, for our clients and their businesses but also for ourselves,” explains Josh Tierney, BMF’s vice president of strategy. “It was a way—as marketers, but more importantly, as humans—of processing all the changes, and channeling that uncertainty into actionable insights that would create value for and inspire our clients. It was a tool for our clients to be able to empathically connect with consumers in the moment—to know what they’d be thinking about, how they’d be living and how their products, services and communications strategies might fit in with shifting attitudes, lifestyles and behaviors.”

He continues, “The most effective creative is built on understanding where people’s heads are at, what they’re feeling, what they’re dreaming about.” Despite the uncertainty, Tierney adds, most of the company’s predictions for 2020 came true. “The crystal ball was perhaps a bit blurry on few points, but that’s the thing about culture and consumer behavior—it’s amorphous, and today, it changes faster than ever.”

For the 2021 edition of the white paper, BMF asked 21 top marketing execs for their insights. Some common themes that emerged surrounded issues of diversity and inclusion as well as sustainability, along with an increased focus on consumers’ mental health and the value of virtual events.

You can read the whole report at this link, or see some highlights below. 

  1. Diversity, inclusion and intersectionality have to be a priority. 
    “2021 is the year of accountability for the role corporate America and brands play in racial equity, social justice, and diversity, equity and inclusion,” says Kai D. Wright, an author, strategy advisor and lecturer at Columbia University. “With a global audience stuck at home, communicating with each other non-stop through emerging tech from TikTok to Clubhouse, and voting with their dollar in a battle for all-time high eCommerce, brands with strong communities defending them will survive, thrive and grow.”

    Katie Soo, head of growth marketing for HBO Max, made a similar prediction in the forecast. “We’ve started to realize the social impact of our individual actions and the need to act as one collective conscious in favor of moving culture, diversity and sustainability efforts forward," she says. "In the years ahead, humanity will strive to achieve harmony in work, life and the world around us—holding each other accountable for the next chapter of our global story.”

  2. Consumers will have different levels of comfort with in-person events—and need a strong reason to attend.
    “Millions of people will flock to bars, offices and concerts as soon as they reopen. But millions more will need to re-acclimate more slowly in order to feel comfortable in the world that we used to know,” points out Brad Spies, director of special projects for SXSW. “The different speeds and flavors of reentry might allow for some creative and empathic dip-your-toe-back-in events or workshops that give people permission to connect on whatever level they are comfortable.”

    BizBash’s own chairman and founder David Adler, meanwhile, notes that consumers are going to need strong motivation to get out of the house and attend an in-person event. “Attendees will need to learn something, meet someone or find something that improves their quality of life," he says. "It will not be good enough just to get people in the room and have something cool.”

  3. But also, virtual events aren’t going anywhere.
    “Going virtual opened events up to an entirely new audience generating higher attendance and more participation,” says Brielle Caruso, CMO of Selvarey Rum, in the forecast. “Lower-cost events for more people equals higher ROI. In 2021 and beyond, virtual events will be a popular route to engage with a broader set."

  4. There will be a renewed focus on empathy, mental health and mindfulness.
    Jimmy Tjärnlund, personal development and business coach for Raw Clarity, predicts that meditation will become a top tool for personal development, while Niamh McCarthy, founder and CEO of Mune, says isolation has caused a level of forced reflection for consumers, along with renewed energy to bring positive change to the world.

    Isabel Quinteros, senior manager of music partnerships and artist relations for TikTok, adds “Mental health has been an area of focus for the past few decades, but it really came to the forefront when the world shut down due to the global pandemic. In order to stay balanced and find success in all areas of life including work, mental health will need to become a priority.”

  5. As well as a return to nature and a focus on sustainability.
    “Sustainability continues to dominate the conversation regarding the future of design; not just in terms of material and fabrication, but also in the relationship between an individual and objects,” say Maha Kutay and Woody Yao, directors of Zaha Hadid Design. “There is a shift towards investing into the longevity of a design, especially with objects that have the flexibility to be used in multiple ways, as consumers look to purchase fewer items and to live with these objects for longer periods of time."

    And Craig Hutchison, founder and CEO of Ceder’s and other beverage brands, thinks that the future of cocktails is botanical. “Rediscovering the lost lore of the many benefits and remedies from botanicals provides a balance with our ever switched-on, technology-permeated lives,” he notes.

As for BMF’s own 2021 predictions? Tierney notes that while the rollout of the vaccine will surely have a massive impact on live gatherings, “The impact and reach of virtual events will nevertheless alter experiential marketing moving forward. Marketers are now comfortable with a new tool in their toolbelt, which delivers strong ROI.”

But ultimately, the need to celebrate IRL isn’t going anywhere. “Celebrating is an important part of mourning, too. That means gathering again, with lights, music, theatricality, immersion, haute cuisine," he says. "There’ll be a whole lot of people who’ll be in search of lost time. Brands who help them find it will be the ones who win.”

Click here to read BMF's full 2021 forecast.

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