“Surprise” and “delight” – two words that have been at the heart of experiential marketing since its inception. They’re also two unexpected emotions that are now becoming an expected part of great brand marketing.
Little surprises fuel passionate relationships. A little “good morning” text or a spontaneous gift for loved ones can work wonders for keeping the spark alive. It’s the same when it comes to building brand love. After a while, consumers expect something fresh from brands they support. They will quickly get bored if it all gets a bit formulaic.
Recently, my job title at BEcause changed to director of the unexpected from managing partner due to this growing trend. We’ve long had a whole team of people who make sure we are the gold standard at doing the expected part of live brand experience – the delivery, logistics, staffing, locations and so on. But nowadays, it’s the unexpected elements – the surprises and the mystery – that brands and consumers really want.
One reason for this is that we are living in an increasingly digital world in which we are very rarely caught out. Google Maps provides directions and information on road closures and diversions; Cortana reminds us to pick up some flowers for our significant other when we’re next near a florist; and we can check out potential employees, friends and partners on various social media platforms prior to meeting them.
While no one likes to be unprepared, the human race is programmed to crave the unexpected. Scientists at US colleges Emory and Baylor demonstrated this by using MRIs to measure changes in human brain activity in response to a sequence of pleasurable stimuli, using squirts of water and juice. The patterns of squirts were either predictable or unpredictable, and it was the unpredictable sequences that the reward pathways in the brain responded most strongly to.
The business models of companies such as Graze Box, Birch Box and Secret Escapes embrace this thinking. They are built around the element of surprise for which we we yearn. It’s the feeling that you never know what you’re going to get – much like Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates.
In late 2013, Beyoncé nearly broke the internet by releasing her latest album without prior warning on iTunes. In doing so, she is likely to have garnered more interest than if it was released in the conventional way.
Of course, this same principle works for secret events and unexpected stunts. Anyone who has ever witnessed a flash-mob, attended a secret event or stumbled upon a spontaneous live stunt in an incongruous location is likely to have later bragged to their friends about their special, unique and unexpected experience. It’s all about feeding people’s desire for social kudos: that “I was there” feeling. It’s about exclusivity, feeling special – important, even. In turn, this chatter breeds Fomo (fear of missing out) in those unable to attend, prompting them to seek out more news from brands so as not to miss out next time.
With everyone’s lives documented so much - occasionally too much - on social media, people are increasingly craving experiences they haven’t already experienced vicariously through someone else. They are constantly searching for something new and they want to be one of the first to experience it. You need only look at the queues outside your nearest Apple store when the latest iPhone model is released for evidence.
In today’s world, where fresh new experiences are demanded every day by consumers, marketers must add a little more than expected. Keeping on top of the growth in creative live technologies is absolutely essential in my new role. I have to constantly ask questions such as: how can we use new and emerging event technologies to surprise our consumers, and grant them an experience they would never have expected?
It’s all well and good applying creative rigour to problem-solving, but now marketers really need to be seen to be stretching the boundaries, exploring “the art of the possible” and identifying a bright new approach they would not have ordinarily considered.
Joss Davidge is director of the unexpected at BEcause Brand Experience
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