--- title: "Experiential Marketing: Give People an Experience" id: "34875" type: "post" slug: "experiential-marketing-give-people-an-experience" published_at: "2016-09-07T20:22:05+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-16T17:24:43+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2016/09/07/experiential-marketing-give-people-an-experience/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2016/09/07/experiential-marketing-give-people-an-experience.md" excerpt: "Is the broader marketing world ready to embrace the kind of experiential marketing that conferences are known for? Also: a clever way to reward your most popular speakers." taxonomy_category: - "Meetings / Events" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "fan engagement" - "Live Events" - "Marketing" - "Meetings" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "C-Level" - "Director" - "Manager" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Experiential Marketing: Give People an Experience For generations, television commercials were the primary way Americans consumed advertising. But that kind of marketing doesn’t make sense anymore, [argue AdAge contributors Saul Colt and Bob Knorpp (opens in a new tab)](http://adage.com/article/guest-columnists/experiential-heart-branding/305726/) . Instead, they say, the experience needs to come first. A key passage from their piece that’s so good that it needs to be shared in full: > When you add something for people to see, hear, taste, and do at the forefront of your messaging, you are creating a positive memory that is much more powerful than an ad alone. It becomes a moment in time that participants will enthusiastically remember and talk about. And, it’s a heartfelt connection to your brand that will make consumers more receptive to your messaging every time they see your ads in the future. That strategy matters for marketing in general, but [as Nick Borelli of Borelli Strategies notes on Twitter (opens in a new tab)](http://twitter.com/NickBorelli/status/773541601935327233) , event planners know all about it. “The world is waking up to what we do,” he wrote in a tweet. “Let’s be worthy of the attention.” Event planners, what do you think marketers could learn about being experiential? ### Clever Idea of the Day > Great conference idea from [#CMWorld (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/CMWorld?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > : No. 1 rated speaker that yr is invited to keynote next yr. [#expochat (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/expochat?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [#assnchat (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/assnchat?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [https://t.co/ekdE2UBtpd (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/ekdE2UBtpd) > > — Melanie Padgett Powers (@MelEdits) [September 7, 2016 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/MelEdits/status/773511790579900418?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **When your attendees are telling you something,** why not act on it? Content Marketing World is doing just that by bringing the most popular speakers from previous versions of the event onto the big stage—[with Andy Crestodina of Orbit Media Studios the big case in point this year (opens in a new tab)](http://www.contentmarketingworld.com/andy-crestodina-big-news/) . Think you could borrow this strategy for your own event? ### Other Links of Note **Nonprofit story of the day.** VolunteerMatch shares the story of ISD Innovations, a relatively new nonprofit [that recently launched an app (opens in a new tab)](http://www.volunteermatch.org/nonprofits/stories/spotlight.jsp?id=102) focused on preventing suicide. **Comparing scouts.** At *Kivi’s Nonprofit Communications Blog*, contributor Antionette Kerr puts [the content strategies of the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts (opens in a new tab)](http://www.nonprofitmarketingguide.com/blog/2016/09/06/an-npcomm-showdown-on-repurposing-content-girl-scouts-versus-boy-scouts/) side by side. **Most TED talks are insightful,** but which ones are the best? Chris Anderson, the guy who heads the organization, [shares his five favorites (opens in a new tab)](http://lifehacker.com/watch-ted-curator-chris-andersons-top-five-ted-talks-1785985761) . (iStock/Thinkstock) [Ernie Smith](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Tags: [#fan engagement](https://associationsnow.com/tag/fan-engagement/) [#Live Events](https://associationsnow.com/tag/live-events/) [#Marketing](https://associationsnow.com/tag/marketing/) [#Meetings](https://associationsnow.com/tag/meetings/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [PodcastAssociations Now Presents: Beyond the Contract: Building Stronger Destination PartnershipsSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/associations-now-presents-beyond-the-contract-building-stronger-destination-partnerships/) - [VideoMelvin Tennant, CAE, President & CEO of Meet Minneapolis, Welcomes You to Great Ideas 2026September 2, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/02/melvin-tennant-cae-president-ceo-of-meet-minneapolis-welcomes-you-to-great-ideas-2026/) - [Video2017 ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition Monday Recap videoSeptember 8, 2017](https://associationsnow.com/2017/09/08/2017-asae-annual-meeting-exposition-monday-recap-video/) - [VideoASAE TV Daily Recap: Final Day at the 2026 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/08/24/asae-tv-daily-recap-final-day-at-the-2026-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2016%2F09%2F07%2Fexperiential-marketing-give-people-an-experience%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !