U.S. Concepts' Data Refines Event Marketing
Nov 2, 2007
Experiential marketing has a new criteria for success, and it's gone way beyond the meticulously orchestrated events that U.S. Concepts, a division of CoActive Marketing Group, Inc., New York, has long been known for.
"We convert consumers into customers through compelling brand experiences," said Charlie Tarzian, president/CEO of U.S. Concepts. "We create a consumer-relevant, brand-centric experience, staff it with highly trained ambassadors, and the product does the rest."
U.S. Concepts has become an expert at staging these social events. The integrated marketing services company's programs are geared toward growing incremental sales and profits for clients by creating innovative solutions based on identifying and leveraging key consumer, trade and category insights.
But it's the data that makes U.S. Concepts so compelling to marketers. "Experiential marketing is measurable media whose time has come," said Tarzian. In the past, experiential marketing had been somewhat marginalized as many concentrated on the execution and the activation but failed to prove the results. Today, U.S. Concepts' methods of data capture prove that its events and promotions "are much more attractive in terms of customer conversion than a lot of the new-media options available," according to Tarzian. "Face-to-face is the best form of social networking."
During the past 25 years, the company has built its core capabilities with events, promotions and digital solutions. It has evolved these disciplines to credibly deliver integrated marketing activities grounded in consumer insights through the marriage of creativity, execution, data, technology and results.
A perfect example is Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum. The brand has blossomed into the third-best-selling spirit in the U.S., thanks, in part, to events such as the Captain's CREWsade. These mega-events, designed by U.S. Concepts, have reached 100,000 consumers at bars and nightclubs across the country. Activities such as "Ultimate Pose-off", where partiers strike the Captain's famous pose, have helped personally drive home the brand's message to consumers aged 21-24. Data capture by U.S. Concepts builds a profile of the people who enjoyed the events.
"We're looking at experiential marketing like it's any other marketing or media tool and know that clients expect optimum return on investment," said Tarzian. "Regardless of the brand, clients want to see the marketing equation equal sales and loyalty. And that is what we are all about: conversion."
For more information please visit www.usconcepts.com.
