Use Interactive Content to Unlock Immersive Events
Bob Dylan sang that “the times, they are a-changin’.” But, this wasn’t just true in the ‘60s. It’s always true. And, when looking at delivering events and experiences, one of the big changes brought about by the times is interactive content.
Events may once have consisted of stark, windowless rooms and attendees trying not to nod off as monotonous presentations lulled them into a state of boredom. But, times have changed.
Modern audiences have shorter attention spans and are accustomed to more entertainment value. So, immersion is now more important than ever.
Fortunately, there is a way to unlock the potential of immersive events and capture the attention of attendees. The key is interactive content.
Here we’ll discuss interactive content marketing, why it’s important, and how to use it effectively in an event marketing strategy.
In this blog we’ll explore:
What is interactive content?
How did interactive content marketing develop?
Why do we need interactive content?
How to use interactive content to engage attendees
What is the future of immersive events?
What is interactive content?
Interactive content is any media that you use to create audience participation. It actively involves them, making the presentation a two-way street.
This is far more engaging than a one-direction stream of information and is more likely to be memorable, enjoyable, and effective.
An example of interactive content could be asking the audience to complete a poll or post live suggestions via an app during a presentation. Another could be using pop-up QR codes in a video to drive audiences to specific landing pages.
The act of feedback or participation is far more likely to hold an audience’s attention, which should be one of your business’ key outcomes for an event.
How did interactive content marketing develop?
As we mentioned earlier, marketing had an easier time a few decades ago.
While simply delivering a stream of information still might not have been the best way to get your message across, marketers had fewer distractions competing for an audience’s attention.
But, in today’s world, distractions are abundant. Mobile phones, computers, and various other devices are readily available and easily accessible at all times.
So, modern marketing efforts needed to find a way to not only grab attention, but hold it. Enter: interactive content.
Through interactive content, marketers found a way to create a primary focus point in their audience that managed to drown out all (or, at least most) of the other distractions.
Why do we need interactive content?
Interactive content marketing uses its content to create a give-and-take approach with its audience. The information they receive is having its desired effect and creating reciprocal thoughts or actions. They’re engaged.
And, engagement is one of the crucial outcomes of experiential marketing.
After all, what is one of marketing’s main objectives? You are trying to get an idea to take hold in your target audience. And, without a level of focus and concentration, that idea is going to skip off into the void like a fizzling meteor off Earth’s atmosphere.
How to use interactive content to engage attendees
So, now we know the importance of interactive content. But, how do we use it to create immersive events that can truly make an impact on attendees?
Here are a few ideas:
Polls and surveys
These forms of content are great ways of inspiring attendee interaction. They will typically involve attendees answering multiple choice questions or filling in digital forms.
While they might not seem like much at face value, they are particularly useful for:
engaging with attendees before, during, and after an event
getting genuine suggestions for event design before the event and improvement following it
driving traffic to particular sites
getting sign-ups for repeat marketing
Interactive displays
Through the enormous popularity of video-based media like YouTube and Tik Tok, modern audiences’ love of video is blatantly apparent.
And, it’s possible to work this love of video into your event marketing strategy through the use of interactive displays.
Video displays are already a great way of engaging them. But, by bringing in an interactive element, you can keep them engaged and start their journey into the sales funnel.
Interactive elements could include pop-up prompts for more information or rewards. Or, they could be ways of manipulating the video, like how Volkswagen’s interactive ad experience let users create their own ads.
Virtual reality
VR can be a powerful tool for events, particularly if your product or concept is too big to fit into a venue.
Imagine giving a 360-degree tour of your proposition, complete with immersive sights and sounds.
You could virtually put attendees on a windswept mountain range, at the bottom of the ocean, or even inside a Happy Meal box, like McDonalds did with its SXSW Happy Meal VR presentation.
These are just some of the possibilities that VR offers in order to excite and engage your audience.
Gamification
Games make learning fun. It’s true when we’re in school and it stays true even as we grow up.
If you can find ways to gamify aspects of your event, you can create engagement in attendees. You just need to inspire their sense of fun, love of rewards, and possibly their competitive instincts.
To do this, you could use:
in-app games, such as spin-to-win wheels
virtual badges, applied to attendees’ profiles when they visit exhibitions, talks, displays, etc.
completion meters, which show progress through the event’s interactive content and can show overall leaders
How effective can gamification be? Let’s use the Shrimp Attack game that was launched by KFC. The purpose was to create interest in the addition of shrimp to the fast food restaurant’s Japanese menus.
This game asked users to slash at airborne shrimp to protect KFC’s castle. And, it rewarded users in the form of discount vouchers. This proved so popular that the new shrimp offering quickly sold out and the campaign had to be cut short.
What is the future of immersive events?
Through interactive content like the examples mentioned above, it is possible to create a higher level of immersion in events. But, progress never stops. So, where do we go from here?
There are some exciting technologies that are not far away from becoming commonplace in the world of events, such as:
Remote interaction
The Covid pandemic created the necessity of remote attendance. And, we’ve run with it. In fact, virtual events can prove highly successful.
But, as virtual reality evolves, we may well see the rise of fully interactive remote attendance for hybrid events.
This way, remote attendees could feel like they’re physically walking around a venue and experiencing the sights and sounds, all without leaving their homes or offices.
Imagine being able to open your event to countless attendees from across the globe and give them an immersive experience. What could that do for your brand’s reach?
Augmented reality and mixed reality
We may well see an increase in the use of augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) in event attendees in the near future.
Augmented reality presents a digital overlay to reality, usually managed through AR glasses. Through AR, attendees could navigate their way around the event and benefit from informational overlays.
MR is the next evolution of this idea, which allows actual interaction with digital overlays in the real world. For example, attendees might be able to try on digital outfits or push their way through the dense leaves of a virtual jungle.
Interactive content is a powerful way to engage attendees
In a world of fast-paced media, our collective attention spans are shorter and need more sophisticated stimulation to satisfy them.
So, when aiming to engage and inspire event attendees, you need to connect with them quickly and creatively in order to capture their attention.
Through media like VR and interactive displays, you can make attendees a part of the presentation. This will keep them engaged and give you more of a chance of making a lasting impact.
If you’re looking for innovative ways to do this, Sleek is here to help. We’ll work with you to deliver exciting interactive content that will help your brand engage and influence attendees at your next event.
Get in touch and let’s unlock your brand’s immersive potential!