WHAT IS FIELD MARKETING? Field marketing and marketing Recruiters in Kurla is becoming more popular for companies in various industries. From food and beverage to consumer goods. It’s a tool that can be used to showcase latest products or services in a face to face environment with consumers. Furthermore companies recognise the importance of having brand ambassadors and reps on the ‘front line’ introducing the public to new innovations or delicious treats. This is done in the ‘field’; around shopping centers and in retail hot spots, expos and events, university campus’ and sport stadiums to name a few. Most campaign activities focus on customer facing roles including product demonstrations, direct selling and street training teams. However not all field marketing is consumer facing such as auditing and merchandising.
Goals and outcomes of field marketing will differ from company to company. Some campaigns are designed to increase brand awareness or sales. While others may be to collect data and feedback about the product and its market. At Splatter we have all the tools necessary for the clients desired outcome to be achieved WHAT A FIELD MARKETING TEAM LOOKS LIKE. For successful field marketing campaigns companies might have dedicated teams within their business whose task it is to be creative and manage field marketing initiatives. However agencies are also on hand to support a campaign. By offering staff, management and infrastructure the client can focus on the more creative aspect of the campaign.
A field marketing agency and marketing Recruiters in Kurla tends to work in territories operating with reps within their own regions. Often overlooked by regional or national managers depending on the scale of the team. Although territory management is more important for wide scale national distributing business, smaller brands are recognising the importance of managing promotions on a more local scale using teams to promote, audit and sell in their regions.
WHAT CAN FIELD MARKETING DO FOR YOUR BUSINESS?
1. PRODUCT DEMONSTRATIONS
As mentioned already, demo days are a popular tool of field marketing. These campaigns can stretch from as little as one week to 6 months however some are continuous and full time. For consumer goods this would mean having brand representatives in retail stores and around shopping centers, events or road shows. Finally The Brand Ambassadors are engaging with the consumer and showing them how the product or service works. This is important as it allows a potential buyer to get hands on experience and a feel of ownership of the product; most importantly the rep is also on hand to answers any questions the customer may have. Although a sell is great the main aim of a demo campaign is brand awareness.
Food and beverage take a slightly differently approach. By handing out free samples and one off deals of their product around retail and events, consumers are getting a taste of the brands latest delicious treats and at the same time everyone loves free food! Sampling is a fun activation and is effective when bringing new products to the high street. Marketing Training Learn more about product demonstrations by checking out our in depth guide here.
2. DIRECT SELLING
Much like product demonstrations these campaigns have brand reps or ambassadors at the center of them. The difference is it’s more about the selling of the product. Sales rep might have targets to adhere to. Finally these campaigns are super effective during peak times when the difference in a sale or not can be having a knowledgeable brand rep in store.
Product Demonstrations
Learn more about what direct selling is in our guide here.
3. RETAIL AUDITS AND MERCHANDISING
Auditing takes the reps out off the front line and away from the consumer. Auditing teams are used by marketers to monitor traditional marketing strategies that they put in place across retail. Most of all audits ensure that the brand is represented as it should be on shelves and around retail hot spots. Examples are; checking POS is as it should be across the territories, promotions advertised and running and paid spaces such as gondolas are set up. The data collected from the teams can be useful for the marketers to negotiate better future deals. In addition it also allows for mistakes to be rectified there and then by the reps. Splatter offer a live system that can be monitored by the client in real team meaning that red flags in the field can be dealt with instantaneously .Store Audits and MerchandisingTo learn more about Audits and merchandising view our guide here.
4. GUERRILLA MARKETING
When it comes to guerrilla marketing the gloves are off. They are usually low budget campaigns but with the right imagination and ideas they offer up some unprecedented results. Furthermore the term ‘Guerrilla Marketing’ itself is used to refer to campaigns that surprise consumers in locations and ways they might not usually expect. For that reason the experience remains with the consumer.
5. PRODUCT SAMPLING
Product Sampling
To learn more about sampling work and what that involves view our guide here. WHO DOES WHAT?FIELD MARKETING REP: These guys and girls are the cream of the crop, they are masters of everything. Sometimes they may be conducting training sessions on major proportion for a retailers whole selling team. Another role they find themselves in are in is in the field collecting data and conducted audits. Finally everything in between including sales, merchandising, and working at events. Their primary concern is to drive brand awareness across their region through face to face with consumer and staff on a retail level.
Read about what being a field marketing rep is all about here. FIELD MARKETING MANAGER: The field manager’s role is to oversee the field reps; it is their duty to ensure the field marketing campaigns achieves the clients intended goal. As the manager of all the region, they hold the responsibility of ensuring that all reps are trained and directed towards the client’s goals. In addition the field marketing manager will work closely with the clients marketing executives to align the marketing objectives and goals with team in the field. Finally they will then report the findings and feedback from the team.
Read more about what being a field marketing manager entails here. BRAND AMBASSADOR/BRAND REP As we know by now the BA role is one of the most crucial in field marketing. Ultimately they are usually supplied by the marketing agency and are tasked with promoting and representing the client’s brand. This can work well within a University by hiring a student to represent the brand around campus; this is perfect for low budget campaigns as sometimes all it takes is giving the BA some products to show off. Some larger scale business’ use celebrities to endorse their product and services by making them the face of their brand using social media to promote to their following.
Learn about the various roles within the Field Marketing industry are by reading our guide here.
You can also join our team by signing up here. DO YOU NEED FIELD MARKETING? Field marketing as you have seen is a useful tool to accompany other traditional marketing strategies. For example a company might pay a huge amount of money for prime advertising spot during a major sports event. However if this is the case it is important for the brand to follow up with demos in stores. If there is a brand rep placed in store the following few days after the advertising campaign the customer is more likely to come over and ask some questions about the product.
Another reason you might need field marketing is to ensure your budget has been well spent. After investing into a large scale in-store promotion campaign you want to ensure that it is implemented to the standard agreed with the retailer. Data can be collected by auditing teams and analysed to see if the money had been well spent. Furthermore it also gives opportunity for future campaigns to implemented with higher efficiency and success.
Examples of Hospitality Experiences At Experiential Marketing Activations
Brands across various industries have hosted successful experiential marketing events that involved unique hospitality experiences. One of these brands is Audi, which set up a “Dome of Quattro” for 16 weeks at the Denver International Airport. Guests inside the 30-foot dome could visit the bar, watch sports documentaries on one of the many flat-screened TVs, or simply lounge on the sleek and sophisticated furniture. There were no Audi cars within the dome—in fact, there were not even salespeople pressuring guests to buy a car. However, guests could take a short trip to another dome located a few dozen feet away in order to sit behind the wheel of an Audi and take a virtual test drive.
Pepsi recently incorporated a unique hospitality experience into an experiential marketing event that took place in the days leading up to the Super Bowl. The brand invited guests to attend the event to celebrate the launch of the new Pepsi Generations campaign. At the event, guests were able to mix and mingle with various celebrities, including Cindy Crawford and Jeff Gordon. Guests were also offered passed hors d’oeuvres and cocktails as they moved throughout the event to look at the different exhibits featuring some of the biggest moments in Pepsi’s history.
Multiple companies often partner together to create the ultimate hospitality experience. This was the case when Tesla, the Standard Hotel, and Casper mattresses joined forces to host an experiential marketing event at the SXSW conference last year. SXSW guests were able to book a hotel room in the area using the Standard’s One Night app. Guests were welcomed into their rooms with a plate of warm cookies and a glass of milk to help them kick back and relax. They were even given the opportunity to request an “on-site mom” that would visit their room and read them bedtime stories. If guests did not want to book a room for the entire night, they had the option of reserving a “refresh” room where they could unwind for a few hours before heading back to the SXSW conference. These brands went above and beyond to make guests feel right at home.
How to Make This Trend Work
Every brand can successfully incorporate this trend into their experiential marketing event as they follow a few basic rules.
First, keep in mind that creating hospitality experiences can be expensive, so it’s best to take advantage of your brand’s assets to cut costs. For example, Grant Thornton, an accounting firm, wanted to plan a luxurious hospitality experience for a few of their top clients. Since the firm provides accounting services to the Tony Awards, they contacted the organizers of this annual award show and asked for a favor. The marketers at Grant Thornton were able to offer their top customers an unforgettable evening at the Tony Awards because they took advantage of their connections, which are company assets. Your company may not have connections at the Tony Awards, but it’s very likely that your company has other assets that can be used in a similar manner. Think about how you can use these assets to your advantage.
Although the main goal of a hospitality experience is to entertain guests, marketers also need to use these events as opportunities to teach guests about the brand. Guests should be fairly relaxed in this setting, so keep the conversation light and informal so they don’t feel as if they’re in a seminar or being bombarded with a sales pitch. Hiring the right brand ambassadors that can pull this off is key.
Since planning hospitality experiences is becoming increasingly popular, marketers need to conduct research when planning an event to see what other brands are doing. If you want guests to remember the event, it shouldn’t be like other hospitality experiences hosted by your competitors. Read industry blogs and check social media on a regular basis to see what competitors are doing. If you find yourself planning something that is similar to what a competitor recently did, make adjustments so it doesn’t seem as if you’re copying their ideas. No one wants to attend the same event—with different branding—thousands of times.
Some marketers are used to planning large events for hundreds of guests. But, it’s important for marketers to realize that a hospitality experience may be more intimate. Inviting too many guests could affect the relaxed and exclusive atmosphere of a hospitality experience. Plus, this type of event can be expensive, so businesses with limited budgets may have no other choice but to only invite small groups of customers.
Finally, marketers need to remember that service is key at these events. The purpose of creating a hospitality experience is to make guests feel welcome and cater to their needs. However, this is hard to do if guests are offered poor service. For example, if the event is understaffed, guests’ needs will not be met promptly. To avoid this problem, brands need to invest a great deal of resources in hiring experienced brand ambassadors that know how to give guests a warm welcome.
