In a sea of events, every marketer wants to create an experience that lasts in the memory of every attendee for years to come. If you’re seeking to bring unique experiences to life, you might not need a bigger budget or better venue. Sometimes, all it takes is a little bit of science.
To design an engaging and memorable experience, you’ll need to cater to the five senses, of course, but you’ll also need to incorporate neuroscience in your marketing and execution. After all, our brains are the primary place we process new information, a wide range of emotions, and hold lasting memories. Using neuroscience in your planning, design, and marketing ensures that your event will stand out in any crowd — or any brain.
These same principles apply to all kinds of content, not just live events. Even if you’re not planning an upcoming gathering, neuromarketing can be a powerful tool in your content creation and, ultimately, in the success of any campaign.
Well, as it pertains to events and marketing, developments in neuroscience have taught us that emotions are one of our most powerful tools for memory and engagement. If we want our events and our marketing campaigns to be long-lasting in the minds of our audiences, we have to evoke emotion, not just share facts. According to Forbes,
“Emotions act like superglue by making certain events stickier. As a result, emotional events are readily prioritized by the brain. Whether good or bad, if something is important enough to arouse your emotions, the brain assumes it is significant and, therefore, should be remembered.”
Essentially, emotions wave a flag that tells our brains, “Hey, remember this. It’s important.” We’re inundated with facts and information constantly — we could never remember everything we take in with our five senses. But the things that stick out to us? Those things bring up something in us. A nostalgic photo brings to mind a peaceful childhood memory, while a heart-pounding jump scare in a movie gives us the kind of thrill we love. Bringing up emotion is not implicitly manipulative. In fact, it’s the opposite — it’s what makes any experience meaningful.
To achieve greater engagement and connection in our event planning and campaign management, we must engage in neuromarketing, a process that combines the brilliance of science with tried-and-true marketing principles that will lead to consistent success. Understanding how the human brain works will actually boost sales and customer engagement — we’ve seen that to be true time after time. So how can we leverage neuroscience in marketing and events?
Overly complex marketing efforts often confuse their intended audience. Neuromarketers know that for an idea to be “sticky” in people’s minds, it has to remain short, sweet, and straightforward. There’s a reason so many companies have kept the same catchy slogan for decades — they hold powerful brand associations, and they’re easily remembered. When you think of Nike, Ford, or Allstate, you probably immediately think, “Just do it,” “Built Ford tough,” and “You’re in good hands.” Want to create a successful marketing campaign, for anything from an event to a product launch? Keep it simple.
Our brains immediately latch onto anything that we can see, smell, taste, touch, or hear — and the more of those five things an experience has, the more likely we are to remember that experience. In your marketing, remember to offer a sensory experience whenever possible. This doesn’t have to be overly complicated! It can be as simple as a local treat at every place setting during a conference, branding your storefront or office with unique scents from scent marketing experts like AromaTech, a textured element to print materials, or a catchy jingle in an ad. Give your audience multiple ways to engage with what you’re offering, and it’ll pop back into their minds time and time again.
As we mentioned earlier, emotional manipulation is never the right way to market. We don’t want people to just feel anything, we want them to feel the right thing. Whether you’re seeking to educate your audience, inspire them to care about a good cause, or invest in a product that will improve their lives, emotion will take them from curious to completely bought in. Great marketing makes memories, and well-timed emotional prompts make for great marketing.
Want to raise your audience engagement, sell out your next event, or boost your new product with a fail-proof launch campaign? Neuroscience can help you get there — and the best part is, you can incorporate it into your marketing through small changes, no massive overhaul needed. Think about simple sensory elements that would be easy to include. Change your ad language to inspire the right feeling at the right time. And don’t overcomplicate it — just keep your main objective front and center, and appeal to the humanity of your audience as you do.
At Redstory, we specialize in experiential marketing with a human touch. We believe that neuromarketing is the way of the future, and we’d love to help you leverage it for your next event or campaign. Reach out by providing your email below — we’d love to dream up something incredible together.