Looking for event ideas to reach your customers in new and creative ways that also leave a lasting impression of your brand?
Consider these event marketing examples to take your customers’ experiences to the next level.
What is Event Marketing?
Through event marketing, organizations can roll out their new products, tools, or services in a more memorable way than traditional marketing channels.
Event marketing puts the focus on the engagement created between attendees and the brand that is hosting the event, effectively immersing attendees into the brand and its value.
This list of some of our favorite event marketing examples is meant to inspire you to optimize your marketing with creative engagement and brand memorability through the next event you host, virtually or otherwise.
To help you get ideas for your event marketing, read our post with 41 online event promotion ideas.
13 Event Marketing Examples To Be Inspired By
Event Marketing Example #1) Twitter Beach at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity
Twitter’s presence at this large marketing festival fully embodied Twitter’s brand.
Sure it provided nice places to work, relax, and connect during the festival. But the highlight was Twitter’s smart use of data to design the space and its programming based on what was current, such as trending pop music and tv shows.
It left a lasting impression on attendees who could’ve walked away over-stimulated by the marketing festival’s many brand experiences.
Event Marketing Example #2) Fortnite’s In-Game Marshmello Concert
Music producer and DJ Marshmello partnered with Epic Games to host Fortnight’s biggest event ever, and one of the most successful virtual events in general.
During an in-game concert, 10.7 million Fortnite players tuned in to his virtual performance within the video game, creating quite a brand experience for customers of Epic Games.
Event Marketing Example #3) MLB Virtual Fan Experience
The Pittsburgh Pirates hosted a Virtual Fan Experience in an attempt to recreate the experience of being at a game, while fans were unable to visit the stadium during the coronavirus pandemic.
The virtual experience used the same marketing, sponsorship, and engagement tools that are displayed in-person at the studio, only virtually. This included a virtual t-shirt toss, quiz games, and chances for fans to win other prizes on social media.
Event Marketing Example #4) Surprise Brand Ambassador for Fleetwood Mac and Ocean Spray on TikTok
Accidental brand ambassador Nathan Apodaca created a viral experience that gave exposure both to Fleetwood Mac and Ocean Spray.
His skateboarding video, which featured both the band and brand, racked up views while it inspired others to create 134,000 tribute videos promoting the band and juice as well, including Jimmy Fallon.
The video was viewed 71 million times, giving Fleetwood Mac it’s highest week of streaming and Ocean Spray’s juice huge exposure. All because one happy customer went viral.
Event Marketing Example #5) Buzzfeed’s Tasty: Saturday Night Seder
Buzzfeed’s food channel Tasty created an event for the Passover holiday meal in hopes of bringing people together.
Saturday Night Seder was streamed live on Tasty’s YouTube channel and Facebook. The Seder was hosted by celebrities, and it raised $3 million for the CDC Foundation’s COVID-19 emergency response fund.
Charity events with entertainment are a generous way for brands to support and connect their customers, as well as a cause they can all get behind.
Event Marketing Example #6) Sonos and Google Assistant Sound Experience
Wireless sound system company Sonos hosted an event to promote its integration with Google Assistant. The multi-sensory experience created rooms to immerse customers within the physics, structure, and emotion that music can communicate. By walking through the rooms, attendees could experience songs being deconstructed.
These unique spaces were used to emphasize the features of Sonos’ product, including high-quality audio and premium design.
Event Marketing Example #7) Beat Beethoven 5k
In Fairbanks, Alaska the local symphony hosts the Beat Beethoven 5k. If participants make it across the finish line before Beethoven’s 5th is finished, they get free admission to any performance with proceeds from the race going to the symphony.
Can marketing get any more aligned than through the cross section of community supported events and grassroots marketing through a 5k or another type of walk, swim, or ride?
Event Marketing Example #8) Airbnb’s Valentine’s Day Promotion
Airbnb ran a holiday-themed promotion offering one lucky couple a stay at a medieval home in Verona, Italy, which is associated with Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet — romantic balcony included.
Contest participants were asked to write a love letter, sharing their personal love story and why they should be deemed the chosen guests.
While this is more of a contest rather than an event, Airbnb has become known for giving away stays like this in famous destinations, sending their customers into experiences they won’t forget. A worthy inclusion on this list if you as us.
Event Marketing Example #9) Squishable Customer Involvement
Squishable is a stuffed animal maker that sees itself as a democracy. To show its appreciation for customers, they host a poll every year to determine a new type of stuffed animal to bring to market.
In the past, they’ve also hosted experiential events, such when they invited customers to party in a ball pit full of their stuffed animals to celebrate a coloring book release.
Event Marketing Example #10) Cheetos Crashed New York Fashion Week
To celebrate what Cheetos’ dedicated and creative fanbase was sharing on social media, the brand hosted a runway show titled “House of Flamin’ Haute” during Fashion Week, which featured fashion curated by influencers and a beauty bar for visitors.
It created such intrigue that it was booked in record time with hundreds of people being waitlisted, including several celebrities. Although large groups of people couldn’t attend, the high demand created massive buzz and brand exposure.
Event Marketing Example #11) Taco Bell Hotel and Resort
Taco Bell took over a hotel in Palm Springs for five nights to completely immerse its customers within the brand and engage them in a way that goes beyond food.
In addition to the buzz it created, the hotel also featured a gift shop so that customers could walk away fully-branded.
This isn’t the first time Taco Bell has extended it’s brand into unexpected places. In the past it opened a pop-up wedding chapel in Las Vegas so that couples could get married in their favorite restaurant.
Event Marketing Example #12) Glamour Magazine and Fiat’s Beauty Festival
In a partnered event that also reached several different types of audiences, Glamour magazine teamed up with Fiat to target fashion entrepreneurs, brands, and prospective magazine subscribers.
Attendees — which included customers, influencers, and celebrities — could experience beauty treatments from top brands, earning it the nickname the “Coachella of the fashion industry.” As a bonus, participating brands also gained an understanding of industry trends.
Event Marketing Example #13) GE’s Minds + Machines
GE’s Minds + Machines focuses on digital outcomes through software and innovation. It brings together customers, developers, partners, industry luminaries, and technology thought leaders to explore the digital transformation of industry.
One year the event featured a gigantic gas engine on display as part of GE’s digital industrial narrative that also literally powered the event. This cloud connected gas engine was one of many industrial assets showcased throughout the show, in addition to several Industrial Internet of Things products and services to engage with.
Need some more inspiration or want ideas for planning a virtual event? Check out these related articles:
