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. 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, 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: No. 1 rated speaker that yr is invited to keynote next yr. #expochat #assnchat https://t.co/ekdE2UBtpd

— Melanie Padgett Powers (@MelEdits) September 7, 2016

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.

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 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 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.

(iStock/Thinkstock)