ISILUMKO ACTIVATE LEADS THE WAY WITH AN INNOVATIVE INTEGRATED MARKETING STRATEGY

 It’s good, positive news that most of the restrictions have been lifted involving public gatherings, social distancing and the wearing of face masks. The marketing of brands can now go forward with renewed purpose. We’ve already seen the joy and enthusiasm of people who can once again attend large gatherings. These include rugby and football matches, conferences, seminars, events and the ability to sample innovative products.

The changing marketing landscape is adapting to a new way of promoting brands, where connection, engagement and experience along with meaningful insights bring your brand to life. Marketing of brands, in particular, has evolved over the years and brand owners expect more for their ROI. Consumers equally have higher expectations of their purchases in tough economic times.

Bianca Brink, General Manager of the Isilumko Activate Integrated Marketing Agency says,” The social media in South Africa now attracts over 25 million users, so we have embraced the shift from Below The Line (BTL) to the digital era. We are very excited to see the return of face-to-face, interpersonal marketing in the brand activation space. After more than 2 years of major disruptions, the experiential marketing space has slowly started to open more and more, especially over the past few months. We are re-energised and welcome the opportunity to showcase our new and revised integrated marketing strategy. We provide the link between the brand owners and their targeted consumers.” 

Bianca adds that fortunately for the events industry the demand for products and services has never gone away. South Africans have always been avid fans of sporting events, concerts and outdoor events. In-store activation has in the past offered a great customer experience to the shoppers. For example, many shoppers have longed for the smell of a promoter cooking a new tasty treat. In-store promotions have always helped to disrupt the shopper and get your brand's product into the hands of a customer. As an industry, we are happy to see that retailers have opened their doors to in-store promotions.

Event organisers, despite the setback, are even more focused on delivering outstanding service with new and innovative experiences. While event spending and options may differ, there is a definite shift to more outdoor hospitality solutions. From an in-store perspective, the re-introduction of brick and mortar store campaigns has been a huge boost to the activations business.

Let’s look at some important trends in the events industry. They include: Smaller events and a combination of technology & activations; Safety and security but not only from a physical standpoint; Special interests in health and solutions around keeping people safe; A responsive and flexible campaign plan is the best strategy for all future events; The increased use of digital meeting platforms has further increased potential reach of brand messaging via hybrid technologies.

While Covid regulations have been relaxed, adjustments to F&B services not only assist with social distancing but also present opportunities to create unique brand touch points; The clever use of technology can assist with the staggering of F&B services with real brand engagement via brand ambassadors; Branded events and experiences inspire and motivate your consumers to take action and directly engage with your brand; Events can assist to build an emotional connection with your brand and providing great lead generation benefits.

“We are a dynamic, high energy, passionate and experienced team where the focus is placed on building and maintaining solid long-term client partnerships, with trust, care and ongoing value contribution. We fully understand our client's values and culture, with a strong emphasis on ROI. Added to consumer insights and driving impactful and creative conceptual solutions. We connect the brand with the consumer and ensure successful go-to-market campaign results,” says Bianca.

Isilumko’s national presence with wholly owned offices in 5 major cities, allows the team to be hands-on, agile and locally focused on providing solid project management, ongoing optimisation and seamless execution, where Connection, Engagement and Experience, along with meaningful Insights bring your brand to life.

The team at Isilumko Activate are excited for what lies ahead! Our portfolio of services now includes Brand activations; Experiential marketing; Traditional trade solutions; Digital USSD and loyalty programmes, where our digital capabilities embrace understanding data, tools, platforms and channels; Creative design print and production; Media strategy and buying; Events, Expos and Roadshows; CSR marketing AND Conferences.

For more information go to www.isilumkoactivate.co.za or email: activate@isilumko.co.za or 011 267 2920

(Gauteng) 021 461 3609 (W Cape).