Remember how mother always said – We learn from experience. Well, needless to say she was right. And most marketing gurus are shaking their heads in agreement and applying the same principle to building loyalty and driving sales. When a customer has an unforgettable experience with a brand first hand, he is most likely to remember it and have a long lasting relationship with it. When you touch on all the five senses of your target audience, you’ve got a hit!



Welcome to the world of Experiential Marketing. EE brings to you a few target-based marketing initiatives that translate into out-of-the-ordinary experiences.



EDUMEDIA



An alumnus of SP Jain Institute of Management and with a passion for events and marketing, Edumedia was a brainchild of Tabassum Modi. Tabassum brings with her over a decade of rich experience in the business of events and entertainment. “EduMedia comprises of four main business verticles – Krayon, School Cinema, Mentor and Activity. They are the torch bearers that hold aloft the vision of the company by providing innovative solutions for corporates, schools, students, teachers, principals and parents.”, says Tabassum Modi.



So how does a company like Edumedia practice Experiential Marketing? “From events to training to publishing to films, EduMedia is constantly creating progressive avenues to bring about a positive change in the education segment.”, says Modi. With Decoding Kids Conclave 2013, Modi is turning the face of education in India. It is a platform which would solve every query related to kids and engage better with them. With this year’s theme being ‘Marketing to kids’, Tabassum Modi aims to have a different theme for conclave every year. “Every kid is unique and yet approachable in some way or the other. There is no tailor made formula available to understand them. When we conceptualized the idea of The Decoding Kids Conclave 2013, the prime motive was to create a platform which would solve every query related to kids and engaging better with them. Moreover, we are looking forward to making this event an annual knowledge sharing platform for those interested in knowing and delving into the dynamic world of children.”



Kids today offer the biggest market and their influence over the buying habits of consumers is remarkable. But ruling such a market is no child’s play, and Modi understands that well. Which is why her venture Decoding Kids Conclave brings together speakers like Prahlad Kakkar and Pradeep Kashyap all under one roof to reveal insights from their own work in the space of kids and marketing. This is offering a top grade experience first hand. How will this initiative benefit Edumedia? “When the biggest players of the market get together under one roof, it will establish Edumedia as the thought leaders in the domain by offering a unique and first of its kind program, facilitating the overall growth and expansion of the company.”, says the dynamic lady. This one is sure to watch out for.



PARTY BARKY HAI





If you thought that us humans were the only social animals, you are sadly mistaken. Shivani Mathur’s Party Barky Hai, India’s first professional canine events company aims to make every major city in the country pet friendly. “PBH hosts events throughout the year for the pet parent to connect with their pet and spend quality time with them. By collaborating with festivals that take place in major cities, PBH gives its target audience a personal experience they’ve never had before with their pets.”, says Shivani. Collaborations with festivals such as Celebrate Bandra 2010 and Bacardi NH7, PBH gives the opportunity to pet owners to enjoy such festivals with their pets and meet like minded people, ultimately getting PBH happy, loyal clients. “All the activities and games at PBH events have training and behaviour as the premise. It’s ‘Learning through fun’”, says Shivani.



With activites like Doggy Day Out, Sunday Picnic With Your Dog and Birthday Parties, PBH is the answer to every pet lovers’ paradise. The dogs have a ball as they get two hours of undivided attention from their parents. “We always have great feedback post our events that the dogs were exhausted and go home and pass out and the owners also have a good night sleep after all the running around they do as well”, puts in Shivani. All dogs at PBH events are always on a leash to ensure the comfort level of all attending.



A very special event that PBH initiated was the Breed Specifics Clubs in Mumbai in 2012 which received great responses as their clients always want to meet other pet owners with the same breed. Imagine a party of 17 beagles all under one roof – an absolute hit! A dog’s events company?!! “I got a lot of laughs at first but the after thought and reaction from people was wow!!”, says Shivani. Who says you can’t have your passion as your bread and butter? Shivani Mathur, you are sure an inspiration!



INDIA BIKE WEEK





The success of India Bike Week can be judged by the numbers. As per officially claimed numbers, India Bike Week saw the participation of 6,500 hardcore motorcycle enthusiasts and about 3,000 motorcycles descended to Goa for the first time ever in January 2013. India Bike Week is definitely India’s largest annual festival for bikers and bikes. The spirit and energy at the festival will make you go weak in the knees and live the bikers’ life. India, it’s time to dust out your leather jackets as IBW returns in January 2014.



It’s not like India had never seen biker communities before. It had just not ‘experienced’ something like this ever before. “The core of India Bike Week 2013 is independence, brotherhood, travel and the emotional soul of motorcycling. It is about community. From Pulsars to Harleys, IBW encourages bikers to swing a leg over their motorcycles and ride out to join and meet like minded people and enjoy the greatest festival of bikers, bikes and music in Indian history”, says Martin da Costa, the die-hard biker soul behind IBW. An experience so exclusive, it’s like creating heaven on earth for all the motorcycle enthusiasts out there. The experiential value of IBW starts months before the main festival, something like a teaser before the main thing. “Patented chai pakoda rides from cities across the country, we broke records for communal bike rides from Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh, Kochi, Assam, Bangalore, Chennai and Kolkata”, Martin tells us. Phew! Trust these bikers to travel the distance for ‘chai pakoda’. IBW got together thousands of bikers and created a brotherhood with over 14,000 facebook fans becoming involved in the lead up to Goa.



Every brand that associates itself with this festival gets a chance to get the attention of every biker soul. The right kind of attention and target audience, all gathered under one roof for one purpose – motorcycles. And when you turn that into a festival it becomes an unforgettable experience, you see it come to life like never before. Martin da Costa, you’ve made bikes exciting as never before.



FRATELLI WINES





When you think of wine, you think French. Rarely would you associate wine with India, but this is about to change as the Secci brothers, Andrea and Alessio, the Sekhri brothers, Kapil and Gaurav and the Mohite-Patil brothers, Ranjitsinh and Arjunsinh, nurtured in their hearts the desire to create a product made in India following Italian traditions which would meet international standards. Thus, Fratelli Wines (meaning brothers in Italian) was born.



These brothers have rolled up their sleeves and taken up the challenge to make India adopt the fine wine culture. How, you ask? Move over wine tasting and wine dinners, Le Cigare Volant, an ultra-decadent restaurant in an up market New Delhi hotel, played host to the deluded chatter of the titular ‘pricks’ in “Dinner for Pricks”, a satirical theatre production poking fun at the high-strung elite of the city. “Humor Me approached us with the idea and we couldn’t be more thrilled”, says Kapil Sekhri. Fratelli Wines collaborated with Time Out Media and played host to a number of guests, serving them rose and sette wine, while their guests enjoyed the humorous play. They gave their guests an experience that just got better with wine. And when they remember the night, they will remember the wine. That night, the makers surely converted a lot of people to wine lovers.



For every wine lover there is a time, a place, and more importantly a wine that took their breath away. Kapil Sekhri understands that like no one else. “We believe that we can convert every person in India into a wine lover. Wine is simple and complicated at the same time. By educating our guests about wine and teaching them the right way to enjoy it, we will have happy customers”, says Kapil. After their successful venture with Time Out Media, Fratelli Wines has been on the lookout for similar opportunities that would get the attention of the consumers. “We want to create a lifestyle theme around it,” says Kapil, “along with educating our target audience about wine – its more than just fermented grapes.” The makers are taking full advantage of the curiosity around this magical drink, because only the experts know that the consumption will follow. Drinking wine is an experience in itself, almost romantic and there is a certain way to enjoy your wine. What better way than to learn it from the makers themselves!