HOW TO CRAFT AN UNRIVALED SOCIALLY DISTANT STUNT STRATEGY
Zoom fatigue just doesn’t apply to Zoom these days. Consumers are growing increasingly tired of digital ads and engaging with brands entirely online. Additionally, as more safe, in-person events begin to pick up momentum, Wizard Studios is keeping its pulse on the future of our industry. Our team of experts feels more and more certain that socially distant stunt strategies are going to be a tool that offers our industry an important step forward, but here’s the catch: the most successful ones will strike a balance between in-person and digital engagement. Here are our top tips to make sure your socially distant stunt is unrivaled, digital, and safe for all.
Plan with the End in Mind
Needless to say, you can’t launch a risky stunt out of nowhere. Study your own numbers and what’s trending now to see how you can navigate into territory that’s uncharted but promising. This may seem obvious - but you’d be surprised at how often stunts are carried away by buzz and no real takeaways - but make sure your stunt relates to the product or service you’re aiming to promote! An idea might get shared millions of times online, but if there’s no way clients can link the stunt to your service or brand, it may not have been worth the time or the money.
So, if you’re thinking with the end in mind, you’re always thinking about results. Naturally, that’s how you’re going to know if your stunt was effective. Think about what reaction you want from consumers. Would you like their response to come in the form of sales, enquiries, or just an increase in awareness? Additionally, think about how you might value different responses: even if you aimed for an increase in inquiries and sales, how could you utilize a share of voice? Think with the end in mind but be prepared for all types of results.
Visuals are Key
There’s an aesthetic force to a highly visual stunt. Not only does it lend itself to a more social media-friendly shareability, but something that captures our focus and keeps it there has an amazing ability to stir something emotional in us and get us talking. On top of this, COVID has made many consumers cautious of how they physically engage with a product or place, so visuals are going to be key to engagement. And lastly, since word of mouth is really the aim of any successful stunt, getting people talking is the name of the game.
If you’ve created an original and mind-bending concept, don’t be afraid to invest in a custom fabrication to bring the whole idea together. Immersive spaces are ideal for interaction, but in a post-COVID world, peoples’ sensitivities to small or enclosed spaces might feel or be unsafe. A buzz-worthy but irresponsible stunt could be disastrous to your brand. Create a space that allows convenience and freedom to move, such as a drive-through or socially distant bubble, so that consumers can enjoy the visual qualities of your brand while keeping their peace of mind in a post-COVID world.
Go Hybrid in a New Way
Feeling bold? Fabrication capabilities coupled with digital components could offer a more outside-of-the-box approach than the traditional perspective of hybrid events, all while adapting to the needs of a world reeling from the blowback of a global pandemic.
To begin, brainstorm all the ways in which your ideas could be combined into a single stunt that offers engagement from any angle (and potentially any location!). For example, you could allow consumers to engage with your brand by combining an augmented reality program and a larger social media contest. By don’t stop there! Add a custom fabrication that would allow attendees to stop by, at a safe social distance or in their car, to engage with your brand in the real world as well. That way, consumers have the choice to engage with your brand in the way that feels most comfortable for them, and that very well may be all of them! Either way, adding a digital component helps get the word out and gets everyone involved, regardless of where they are.
In summary, you don’t have to be up close and personal to offer a memorable and engaging brand experience, but there are ways to offer engagement options to consumers at every level. If you think you’ve got ideas to offer your audience an unrivaled, socially distant stunt strategy but need help getting started, contact the custom fabrications and digital experts at Wizard Studios today.