Top 12 Experiential Marketing Agencies You Should Experience
Make no mistake, social media marketing is still relevant and effective. Though, there are a couple of concerning trends. Engagement rates seem to be decreasing and growth is slowing down.
Plus, after two years of limited face-to-face interactions, we all crave some human connection. Moving forward, it’s safe to say that if you dreaded corporate events in the past, you’ll have a new appreciation for them (at least, for a while).
So, where does that leave brands and marketers?
While marketing strategies like content marketing and social media marketing remain important, it can also be worthwhile to explore experiential marketing. In short, it focuses on creating extraordinary experiences that will immerse audiences and create a strong emotional connection. From product demos to events, there are many ways that you can create impactful experiences. Needless to say, for this to work, you’ll need all hands on deck and the following are some of the best experiential marketing agencies that will help you to ensure that your event gets remembered for only the right reasons.
12 of the Top Experiential Marketing Agencies:
12 Leading Experiential Marketing Agencies
1. Viral Nation
Founded in 2014 as the world’s first influencer marketing agency, Viral Nation’s core values are innovation, connection, and drive. They believe in creating for the future. Using a strategy-first approach, they push the boundaries. That said, while innovation and industry-leading tech are at the core of how they approach marketing campaigns, it’s never at the expense of authentic life experiences.
As an influencer marketing and talent agency, much of their work relies on collaborations with influencers and creators. For example, Meta Quest (formerly called Facebook Oculus), they worked with 70 creators across key platforms like Twitch, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok to build excitement and immerse audiences. Through interactive stories, live streams, and gameplay compilations, they managed to create 1.3 million engagements. Plus, at the 2022 AVA Digital Awards, this campaign also received top honors.
2. RMNG
RMNG joins brands and their target audiences face to face to create magical moments that leave a long-lasting impression. For the past 10+ years, they’ve taken advantage of their knowledge of mobility and food trucks to create unique marketing opportunities. Similarly to their founding father, Roaming Hunger (the authority in food trucks), they weren’t satisfied to be stuck in one place. They’ve served the majority of US states and expanded their reach to hundreds of markets across Canada and Europe too.
Trusted by leading global brands like Sony, Pepsi, and Walmart, they can help your business to go mobile. It doesn’t necessarily need to be with the help of a food truck. Their services include mobile pop-up shops that are easy and quick to set up and disassemble as well. And, if you’re interested in something bigger, they can also help you to organize a mobile marketing tour.
Depending on your campaign goals, you can expect to pay anything from $50,000 for their experiential mobile activations.
3. NEXT/NOW
Based in Chicago, NEXT/NOW is an award-winning experiential marketing agency that concentrates on digital exhibition and multimedia design. Their team of 40+ employees come from different backgrounds and often incorporate new tech solutions like generative art, virtual reality (VR), and extended reality (XR) into their experiential campaigns.
For example, for Intel, they created the Intel Best Buy Retail Experience. All the digital assets that were used for this display of innovative experiential retail tech were created by NEXT/NOW’s in-house team. The result was a mixture of branded portals, vertically stacked screens, and an Intel robot that created truly immersive experiences for their customers.
On Clutch, they’re one of the most reviewed experiential marketing agencies. They’ve been praised for their ability to stick to deadlines and innovative ideas. Needless to say, these are two critical qualities when it comes to experiential marketing specifically.
4. MKG
MKG is a women-owned and operated creative agency that’s listed by Built In New York City as one of the top experiential marketing agencies. They specialize in creating brand action like employee engagements, virtual events, social impact actions, and live experiences. From developing a brand and campaign strategy to competitive analysis to production, they can help you with all the key aspects involved in experiential marketing.
For example, to help Barbie celebrate her 60th anniversary, they worked with R/GA, an international marketing and global digital product company, to create a pop-up celebration that brought her past to life. From a life-size version of her Dreamhouse to a physical timeline that highlighted her different looks, there were more than enough to keep Barbie young and her young crowd entertained.
They’ve also worked with a number of other big brands that include Google, Target, and Delta Air Lines. For example, to help Google launch its newest lineup of products, they partnered with influential New Yorkers who could help audiences see how these products would be used in a real-life setting.
5. Sector 5 Digital
Based in Texas, Sector 5 Digital (or simply called S5D) is an award-winning creative agency that uses emerging tech and storytelling to help transform brands. Trusted by names like American Airlines, IBM Cloud, and Motorola Solutions, they offer a wide range of services that include experiential marketing, augmented reality (AR), integrated campaigns, video production, and 3D animation.
On Clutch, they’re one of the most reviewed agencies in the experiential marketing category and past clients have praised them for really going the extra mile and putting in loads of effort. For example, to help potential passengers of American Airlines get a better idea of the different cabins of the fleet, they created a web-based product that allowed them to experience a 360 animated tour.
6. Pro Motion
Founded in 1995, Pro Motion is one of the oldest independent experiential marketing companies. As you would expect, they’ve received a number of awards during their 20+ years in business. As a matter of fact, in the past 18 months alone they won a total of six new industry awards.
If their list of awards doesn’t speak for itself, their impressive list of clients will. They’re trusted and loved by some of the biggest brands across the globe and include names like CNN, Dr. Pepper, Disney, Bosch, and Nike.
Their services include B2B experiential marketing, pop-up shops, event marketing, and experiential marketing tours. For example, for Bosch, they organized the Bosch Big Blue Tour to help them boost product exposure among professional, DIY consumers. By building five mobile workshops on wheels with interactive stations, they could demonstrate new products. Not only did they engage half a million consumers, but they also recruited and trained more than 20 Bosh brand ambassadors. Almost half of these brand ambassadors were appointed on a full-time basis by Bosch.
7. Amplify
Amplify is a brand experience agency that helps brands to create meaningful and authentic connections with their audiences with the help of digital content, experiences, and PR. With offices on three continents, they’ve worked with a number of global brands that include the likes of Airbnb, Netflix, Afterpay, and Google.
For example, when they were challenged to bring a partnership between the Louvre Museum and Airbnb to life, they created a night to remember (at least for two lucky winners). The content-led campaign used print and digital to generate excitement and encourage individuals to enter the competition (more than 180,000 competition entries were received).
The grand prize – a private tour to visit a number of unique experiences that were set up all across the museum. While the winners walked away with a once-in-a-lifetime experience, the campaign was also a winner with 1.5 million website views and nearly 60,000 likes on Instagram.
8. iMP Experiential
If you have a product to sample in the UK, you can check out iMP Experiential. Founded in 2008, they’re an award-winning experiential agency that can help with product sampling, experiential roadshows, and brand activations.
Not only will they help with the design and creation process, but as a full-service brand experience agency, they also have promotional staff, drivers, and promo vehicles at hand. Their staff is individually chosen for each campaign and their vehicles can be fully branded and adapted for mobile product sampling. For example, for Wall’s Sausages they converted a 7-meter Merc into a kitchen on wheels. Other names that they’ve created experiential marketing campaigns for include Rihanna, Tesco, and Ralph Lauren.
9. Backlash
Backlash is another experiential agency that’s based in the UK. The three founders’ passion for this niche has grown and ultimately resulted in the birth of Backlash, not just as a way to explore their passion further but also to challenge how other agencies go about marketing. According to their website, their experience in marketing allows them to create their own “Big Agency” approach to all briefs irrespective of the budget.
Whether you need a product launch, roadshow, or pop-up shop, they can create multichannel campaigns. For example, for Lego’s AR-powered product, Hidden Side, they created a spooky-themed product launch that included multiple product displays, an AR photo booth, and, of course, goody bags.
And, you don’t have to worry about any backlash. On Clutch and Facebook, they’ve received only five-star reviews.
10. All Terrain
Just like MKG, All Terrain is a women-owned, full-service marketing agency. In fact, they’re the first women-founded and owned experiential agency in the US. Founded in 1998, they’ve been offering experiential services long before experiential marketing was a recognized marketing strategy. During the 20+ years, they’ve also successfully established themselves as the go-to agency for brands that want something else than traditional advertising.
They describe their experiential marketing campaigns as “people-centered, digitally integrated, and socially amplified”. From mobile tours to virtual events, they help brands to create real, meaningful connections that last. And, if you suddenly need to change your plan from a live tour to a virtual launch, rest assured that they’ve done it before successfully. In 2020 (aka the year of virtual events), they helped Ferrari to create its first virtual launch. The result – 500,000+ impressions and even more in dollars for Save The Children.
11. Evolve
For event marketing services specifically, be sure to check out Evolve that’s based in California. On their website, they describe themselves as an event marketing activation agency that’s led by a team of experts in experiential marketing.
Whether you need help with logistics, developing your marketing program, or event production, their team offers a variety of marketing services. As a full-service agency, they can help with all steps of the process. If you need help with a promo vehicle or brand ambassador staff, they can assist with that as well.
One thing that deserves special mention is their focus on sustainability. Whether it’s through sampling materials, route planning, or vehicle efficiency, they’ll help you to make your marketing greener, ultimately helping you to create that emotional connection with your target audience.
12. Traina
Traina is another marketing agency that’s based in California. Founded in 2005, they’re one of the top creative agencies and have worked with a number of top international brands that include Facebook, Sony, and Microsoft. As a full-service design agency, they offer a wide range of digital marketing services that include trade shows and building other digital platforms that generate engagement and inspire joy.
On Clutch, they’ve received the most reviews. They’ve been praised for their professional communication skills and their ability really to listen to their clients and translate that into innovative, impactful experiences.
Wrapping Things Up
Who doesn’t like a free sample? It’s one of the best ways to introduce your product to your target audience and get your name out there.
Thanks to advancements in tech, though, you can also look beyond simply handing out goody bags. Digital experiences can delight other senses.
By working with one of these experiential marketing agencies that know how to hit crazy curveballs out of the park, you can create some of the most enjoyable experiences, whether digital or in person. This way you can create that human connection with your potential customers helping you to humanize your brand and leave lasting impressions.
Source: Top 12 Experiential Marketing Agencies You Should Experience