Live event FACELESS comments focusing on consumer experience based on comparing with recently well-known immersive events

I am an event management students studing in the university of Huddersfield from Sep 2015 by now.  Event mangement students has organized a variety of fundrasing live events during February and Match 2016 in groups.  I organized the entertainment event Brain Crash with my team member which is a night for intelligent toys in the purpose of learning, competition and communication.  I also visited, atttended and paied attention to large amounts of events for learning and thinking in the view of both professional organizers and consumers experience.  It is worth mentioning that, I took part in a live event FACELESS in February 2016 which was organized by my event management classmates.  I was very interested in its form and topic which is a night for DIY mask and having fun with fluorescent art.  To comment and explain the experience of FACELESS, it is significance to compare with the other two immersive events (that I will introduce below) and another immersive event RAIN ROOM (that I had introduced in my previous blog) that have paied attention to for several times.  These are good cases and models for exploring trends of entertainment events in the view of brand experience.  

Foresta Lumina

http://mp.weixin.qq.com/s?__biz=MjM5NTQ1Njk3OA==&mid=201372332&idx=1&sn=733b4cc06b1a62c8b6726aa7cac7df2e&3rd=MzA3MDU4NTYzMw==&scene=6#rd

There was an event ‘Foresta Lumina’ created by Moment Factory.  ‘Foresta Lumina’ is a night-illuminated path way and in which people would see different kinds of lives produced by lights and brought consumers attractive stories from fictitious heritage and forest mythology inspired by the forest --- Parc de la Gorge Park(Quebec's most frequented pathway, famous for its suspended footbridge, the longest in North America)  They combined nature with technologies to create this forest which becomes a stage for public immersive event.  In this 1500m magic road, they integrated environment and hided technologies so that consumers did not know where the magic come from but lights, arts, video projections and structures are all applied in almost everywhere.  Each folktale or roles were presented by a kind of unique multimedia.  Every tool such as lighting, music and videos has potential to bring emotional empathy because of characters of universal in forests.  For example, everywhere in the world reference to the fairies though they all take different shapes but always there.  All the sciences and arts were integrated and used.

Therefore, from the event ‘Foresta Lumina’, it is not difficult to summary the touch points to explain why Moment Factory can create such an wonderful immersive event. 

l  Technologies and arts can supple the limitations of story-telling and bring feelings to enrich the consumers’ experience.

l  All the inspirations, stories and themes are from cultures and present in a universal ways that encouraging the emotional empathy based on sensory stimulation.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIMcZtSUiFo

There was also a wonderful touch points on ‘Foresta Lumina’.  Every consumer could take a stone at the beginning of the journey and the stone would be shining at the end of the road.  It is a small part of the design but it seems to have magic power to bring consumers from passive into an active Foresta Lumina experience.  When the shining stone brings you positive thinking on having stronger power to overcome difficulties in the future life or getting an optimistic psychology, it will be an unforgettable Foresta Lumina experience.

http://gorgedecoaticook.qc.ca/en/activities/foresta_lumina

http://mp.weixin.qq.com/s?__biz=MzA4NTM1MDIxOQ==&mid=401770608&idx=2&sn=acad230bd7a730cdc8e2c1201d3c1417&3rd=MzA3MDU4NTYzMw==&scene=6#rd

Another famous event Teamlab: vivid digital and future park event was  held in February 2016 in Pace gallery.  It is winned because of its famous technology applications on over 20 digital works and it brings outstanding interactive experience by controling the exhibits on APP. 

FACELESS is an entertainment event, because of the growing consumer choices and busier life-styles, some writers said one trend of entertainment event is to designing for all people to create and enjoy.  And another trend is organizers create some wonderful entertainments which usually concepts themselves or to present things in unique ways for people to enjoy or exploration which needs to involve technologies.  FACELESS event obviously wants to combine two of them.  At the first room, every attendee has the biggest freedoms to design and create masks that belong to them.  It is a good experience for consumers to impress themselves in unique drawings.  In this part, organizers have the opportunities to see the different personalities of mask designers.  For example, some people just using single color and pattern to decorate herself, but another people hope to combine several colors to try their best to design multifarious pictures on his mask.  However, they did not provide encouragements for every consumers to enjoy the creating process. Before, we entering the second darkroom, we did not know how the fluorescence work like.  The communications and attractions were very limited.  There are no promotions of mask designs on any social media platform.  Therefore,  the designing experience may not be an enjoyable or happy experience for every consumers.  In my mind, if there are some suggestions on designing or appropriate visual and music for relaxation and appreciation, it will be an better consumer experience whatever  based on the purpose of creative learning, communication or the other.  

The second part, is about a party in the darkroom with UV light to dance with fluorescent masks.  FACELESS added touch points with DJ music to create atmosphere.  There also had people to invite consumers to join in the activity of taking light painting photos and feeling the fluorescent interesting.  However,   sensory stimulates are limited because of losing enough technologies and arts supporting.  There are no attractive visual things for consumers.  The surprising emotion bought from the color and patterns would not stay very long time for these reasons.  If there are wonderful fluorescent paintings on the wall and for people with masks to take photos and for them to share on their social media? If consumers can interactive with these figures created which control by technologies?  If organizers can design for steps in order to satisfied more needs of attendees.  For example, focusing on the learning purpose in games or story-telling, focusing on the networking purpose on art chatting or social purpose on dancing with wire but under mask?  How to inspire consumers do more thinking about thier life to enhance the significance of the event?  I think before entering the darkroom, having rules to keep wearing the mask and chatting or dancing, may be it is a unique experience for people who are tired on the socitey phenomenon paying more attention on face- looking nowadays.  Trying best to be unique, interactive, paying more attention on the cultural or emotional influences can make the live event have more significance and brand can bring a more memoryable experience for consumers.

Culture veiw of the campain 'INNOCENT Knit Hat' from the UK charity Age UK- keep older warm in winter !

When entering February, a well-known drinking brand Innocent Smoothie with lovely knit hats attracts people‘s attention in UK surpermarkets such as Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Ocado, boots, WHSmiths, Asda, Costa Coffee.  Why the drinking brand having the idea of wearing knit hats on their drinking products?  Just for promotion by attracting consumers' attention?
It is an annually event called ‘The Big Knit’ for 13 years since 2003.  Oliver Bonas has teamed up with innocent to raise money for Age UK.  As the brand claimed that for each innocent smoothie with knit hats sold, they would make a donation of 25p to the charity Age UK.  Age UK is a charity for older caring.  The event is aim to keep older warm and well in winter.  Expect that, Oliver Bonas also picks six favorite little knit hats and transformed them into life-sized innocent big knitted hats.  Similarly, £5 from each adult’s hat and £3 from each kid’s hat also goes straight to Age UK. 

I

It is the INNOCENT smoothie I bought from boots in Huddersfield.

I consuming it for supporting UK older without hesitation.  Because of the learning from the event and the lovely design, I had a satisfactory experience for this consumption.  Actually,  because of it is an annually event, it repeats and continues year by year, the connection built between the products and long-term memories of event from consumers is a powerful way to build loyalty stated by solomon in 2011.  In the behaviourist view, it is classical condition in marketing approach.  The brand introduce the knit hats and the charity event and consumers soon to know more about the Innocent drinking which named angle drinking or hats drinking.  The two stimuli introduced at the same time.

https://www.oliverbonas.com/new-in/category/innocent-big-knit

The consumption belongs to sacred consumption related to the culture.  Sacralization occurs when ordinary objects like buying innocent Smoothie for drinking and knitting hats, people take on sacred meaning i.e. donate for charity of Age UK (Solomon).  Sacred consumption occurs when we buying innocent Smoothie with the aim of respect for the campaign of support charity in order to keep older from cold in winter.

For the brand innocent, brand image will be related to the charity and build good relationships and trust with consumers.

This event is full of wisdom.  The lovely knit hats can attract consumers in sensory and try to find the story behind them.  Social media such as Facebook and Instagram promote innocent and age UK in a positive way.  Many consumers learned the story and then buy innocent in a cognitive way.  Therefore, it is also a good case of cognitive approach to learning for marketing.  Some fans and charity supporters even collect knit hats which often involve emotional components.  Consumers will make affective decision.  It is a brilliant strategy for keep the company in a sustainable development for continuing to have an corporation with charity Age UK.

http://www.thebigknit.co.uk/

PANDORA's Magic

PANDORA is an international fashion jewellry brand from Denmark in 1982 and it has over 10,000 retailers across the globe by now.  PANDORA‘s eStore is available as well.  After I have been in UK for several months, I found PANDORA is very popular feminine jewellery brand in UK among different women who cover almost all ages from different countries and I am also love PANDORA in no time.  Then, what is actually the magic power of the brand like its name PANDORA that is the same as a greek mythology?

The magic of PANDORA reflects in its strong brand loyalty from PANDORA fans.  The brand achieves through the high quality and unique designs in Italy which ensure that PANDORA wins the brand awareness in marketing.  ‘In 2015, there will have over 375 PANDORA concept stores’ that had been showed by company’s 2012 financial reports.  This marketing strategy of opening more concept stores which aims to build PANDORA brand image.  Therefore, they pay more attention to visual effects of designing showcase in order to attract target consumers in sensory way and encourage them to reduce the decision-making stages and consume as soon as possible.  Because of the fast fashion trends, the lower price than traditional jewelry brand, relaxed and friendly consumer services in stores make the decision making easier and strengthen the trust for management.  PANDORA is benefit form this kind of fast fashion,  in this style of strategy, there have quick renewal on products, then it is easy to make consumer believe there is perceived risk so that there will have highly product involvement in thier decision-making process.  PANDORA has more than 1000 kinds of hand-made jewelry which can satisfy the personal expression.  Brand can express personality (Solomon).  For example, there is a series in PANDORA called ESSENCE BRACELET that using the special essence collection which can express inspiration or wishes through PALNDORA.  I bought one that charms have the meanings present ‘love’, ‘positive’ and ‘wisdom’.  I love the values behind them which show the self-concept.  PANDORA is seems to have special offerings can be found for every occasion whatever for gifts, express personal style for ourselves or celebrating life’s previous moments.  Every season or festival, PANDORA will promote new serious such as the spring 2016 collection or for CHRISTMAS that related to the cultural value in ritual way that covers on grooming,gift-giving and holiday.   some research shows that 89% perople will use same band and 3/4 show dispointed when thier brand choice isn't available.(solomon) In the decision-making theory, it also states that consumers often rely upon 'rules of thumb' or cues in the environment to make future decision.  As gifts with free collection and unique design can stimulate emotions reactions from consumers and even ideal –self thinking brought from PANDORA which can create memorable brand experiences from sensory to the intellectual.  It is very significance for the decision-making trends to affective not just cognitive based on emotion rather than just rational.  As you can image, when every charms you brought or got belong commemorative value, they seem all to have stories which related to you, PANDORA is a brand present you in your life.  Then, loyalties were built in a magic way!  http://www.pandora.net/en-gb/explore/inspiration/whychoosepandora

Immersive Event ----RAIN ROOM

Immersive event is a new trend in the event industry.  A famous event named RAIN ROOM was first presented at the Barbican in London (2012) and then at the museum of modern Art, New York (2013). Some visitors waited for 9 hours for just 10 experiencing time at the Museum of Modern Art(MOMA) in New York and similar enthusiasms appeared in London that someone claimed that he waited for more than 12 hours.  In 2015, it was premiered in Asia at the yuz museum Shanghai from 1/9 - 31/12.  Rain Room is a major installation by the artists Random International.  Why RAIN ROOM attracted so many visitors and becomes the miracle event? 

RAIN ROOM is a large -scale environment of perpetually falling water that ceases wherever a person walk.  From theory of experience economy from Pine and Gilmore (1999), RAIN ROOM is a case of creating immersive experience for consumers.  However, he emphasised that consumers can be immersed in an experience but still be passive recipients of the experience.  So, what are the touch points added to encourage it to be more interactive?  Firstly, the technology called 3D trace and camera positioning equipment which ensure RAIN ROOM responds to the presence and behaviour of its paticipants, offering them a surreal environment and unique relationship with water.  Actually, this motivation point satisfies the needs of uniqueness from consumers.  What's more, social media are helpful to move it becomes an active experience. Huge amounts of selfies on Facebook and videos or pictures of RAIN ROOM having Hollywood-style backlight... all of them are the reason of fear of missing out !!  Successful experience economy achieved the results of sold almost 20,000 tickets before 31/8/2015 for RAIN ROOM in Shang Hai.

Someone worried about if visitors will lose attention for no big changes in different places.  Random International shows the events ' experimental significance.  It can relate to the cultural system: voices and smells from rain are different in places all over the world.  RAIN ROOM is an art to show person and rain within light and shadow.  People will react in many ways for the rain because of different life environment and life experience which included in aesthetic principles of ideology.  Therefore, at this level, I believe RAIN ROOM success in four dimensions of brand experience: consumer will have a strong impression on five senses.  The surreal environment will bring strong emotions or feelings.  People and society will be brilliant to think about human action in nature in art ways through engaging physical actions in the event.  RAIN ROOM even tries to help people managing impression.  Art and unique environments is a new window to find ideal-self.  For example, people in Shanghai may want to impress ‘living in Shanghai, arts often arise suddenly’.

Band Experience ---LUSH,H&B,Alpro

I have been UK for more than 4 months, it is time for me review my favorite bands in UK.  With the unavoidable cultural shock and the consuming trends factors influenced recently, consumers pay more attention to the natural, organic and healthy products for their daily life. 

Lush is a fresh handmade cosmetics band.  I attracted by its colorful products decoration which just like a lots of sweet desserts at the plates.  After entering Lush shop,  the fresh flower and fruit smells and its freedom shopping way that consumers take with a beautiful blanket, all of them bring me just like into a countryside.  The band image is fresh, natural and handmade.  All their materials are from fresh fruits, vegetables, flowers&plants and fine fragrant oil.  The employees will invite you to try their products and even put the lip products in mouth in order to feeling the fruit sweet and natural compositions in a funny and cute way... All these band experiences can make consumer perceive its quality and enhance management trust and build band reliability in the mind based on matching the band awareness and band image well.  All the five  above elements of brand equity increases consumers loyalty.  Band experience with lush  can be covered with the four dimensions.  stimuli which links the sensory theory to attract the target markets for natural lovers and young women.  Affective consuming experience  and intellectual functions which design for different functions encourage consumers to do their affective and habitable decision making.
https://uk.lush.com/

Holland and Barrett(H&B)  is a UK leading brand for selling vitamins, minerals and herbal.  H&B builds a strong brand and targets to the all aged people who want to keep healthy.  When I enter the shop,  there are clearly types of natural products.  Members of staffs will help consumers get concise information on the nutritional supplement in the inquiries.  It is supported by the comprehensive staff- training programmes.  These ensure H&B create convenient consumer experience. H&B has been over 145 years within the health supplement industry and provides over 1000 high quality products over across most every major citys and towns.  Expect that, H&B has a good value both on quality commitment and the low price.  These characters can meet the needs of consumers.  The different kinds fo stimulus factors of communication with trainned staff, differentations of alternatives in the situational involvement will make consumer to sensitive to the physical risk on vigor and health.  All of these elements are match the image of 'GOOD FOR YOU'.  Therefore, I build the loyalty on this brand.  It is becoming a kind of habit to buy something just good for me to keep healthy and get necessary supplement.  This kind of decision-making is trend to habitual adn affective at this kind of level.  H&B is also a good brand case for application of operant conditioning in the behaviour learning theory. The brand uses penny sales like buy one get one which belongs to fixed-Interval reinforcement.  Belowing is a motivation for next consumption.  H&B provides the loyalty card and consumers can have bonus points for a fixed number of action which belongs to fixed -ratio reinforcement.  

free bag of peanuts with my next shop.

http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/

Alpro is a band for enjoying the plant power.  Alpro suggests to use naturally soya which turning it into the alternatives to milk, yogurt, cream and margarine.  The idea of plant power are good for consumers and plants can attract strong awareness for environmental friendly lovers.  The natural product source, processing of packing, the action and effect to be good for the plants can build brand trust and loyalty.  

http://www.alpro.com/uk/powerful-stories-about-plants

McDonald's marketing compaign

There is a McDonald's 25th anniversary QIQU toy factory exhibition in Shanghai!  It was opened from 22/12 to 11/11.  There are  quantities of 2530 kinds of food and toys showed in this QIQU toy factory exhibition.  The success of the campaign was not only showed some rare toys from  all over the world for the Mc Donald's toy collectors but also brought the pure happiness for all the people whatever for children or adults.  It is also the culture which Mc Donald's wants to deliver to the world.  McDonald's marketing campaign links the cultural value- happiness, memory to the consumer behavior.  McDonald is clever.  The company sells food with toy to consumers and during the eating process, family or friends enjoy the warm, satisfy, family-ships and friendship and these emotions will be added to the extra  happiness from the toy given.  This can be seen as a way of priming and establish schema belongs to McDonald in the consumers mind.  McDonald meets the needs of physiological and belongs to ensure consumers will choose affective decision -making. 

 We all know that collecting toys is the natural characteristic for children.   This can encourage them to do the habitual decision-making applying the instrumental conditioning And if these children or teenagers keep the habit and McDonald' toys will become a kind of memory along with their whole growing up lives.  They create memories, stories or other special significance  for McDonald's' toys.  This kind of consumer behavior will along with their whole life.  They will co-create more values for both themselves and the brand.  Thus, the value of brand will increase.   They may pride of their collecting achievements which meets the higher needs from Maslows Hirarchy of needs.  

Therefore, based on above, the event can be attractive and achieving big successful.  Brand loyalty plays an important role for the high involvement in motivation for McDonald marketing campaign.   It is McDonald expected effects for that repeat purchasing behavior that reflects a conscious decision to continue buying the same brand ----McDonald!!!

(Solomon,2015)

mmmono.com 

The distance between you and your favourite luxury brand is only a cup of coffee !

In recent years, some famous luxury brands are not only producing clothing, shoes or bags as we all known,they trends to open branding cafes all over the world.  Masion Hermes Dosan Park are the forth Hermes flagship stores in Seoul.  The Price of a cup of coffee in Cafe Madang is 13000KRW (7Pound).  What surprised to consumer is the room design bring into high level of correspondence with the brand mentality.  Similarly, in china, Gucci catches consumers' eye as an restaurant.  Consumer can recognize Gucci for its woody texture and the golden environmental color.  In addition, all menus, tableware and even napkin are all made by Gucci.  

It is an branding experience for consumers that can both enjoy Gucci foods and use its products simultaneously.  For Gucci fans, it is can be seen as an unavoidable experience to create a schema which is a cognitive framework they develop through this dinner experience.  And this schema which belongs to Gucci determines interpretation which is the third stage of perception.  The price of 150 RMB attracts more consumers to focus on Gucci.  These experiences of having dinner and drinking coffee are almost becoming events of companies for the aim of motivation.  Communications between consumers make them involvement in these brands.  How brilliant market promotion is!  That strategy of promotion is a perfect example of using promotion to achieve stages 2 of perception - attention. The kind price for luxury brand experience turns from cognitive decision-making to the type of affective and habitual which gives consumer needs of affiliation, power and uniqueness.  In general, cafes is a successful application of different threshold.  Target market can know brand stimuli by the same texture,sight,smell which are the examples of classical conditioning in learning theories.  However, the new product line makes  them explore more . Thus, different threshold refers to the ability of a sensory system to detect changes in. And  differences between high price of its original products and the nicely price of consuming experience encourages communications which has the function of making stronger the sensory system. (solomon, 2015)

mmmono.com
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