Designated Market Areas (DMAs) have been used for decades by advertisers to target specific geographic regions where their products are sold. Well, mobilads (mobilads.co) has developed a new way to measure, target, and engage the millions of like-minded consumers who, for a few days, descend upon many of these markets for conferences, sporting events, cultural gatherings and festivals. We call it the Event Marketing Area (EMA). Here’s the scoop.
What exactly is an Event Marketing Area (EMA)?
Major events — think SXSW, the Super Bowl, Sundance, the RNC and DNC conventions — create a huge market within a market that exists for only a short period of time. These events bring together a concentration of very specific audiences in a rapt and ready state of mind, all quite different demographically from the regular inhabitants of the DMA. When exposed to experiences that allow attendees to engage with the brand in a memorable way, these consumers go back to their home markets afterwards with lingering good vibes… and impressions of the brand they’ve interacted with.
In fact, recent surveys suggest that over 70% of consumers are more likely to purchase a product or service after seeing it promoted at or around a live event. It is no wonder that so many marketers utilize events to target consumers. It works.
But while in-person gatherings are back with a vengeance post-Covid, the high price tag for sponsorships can be daunting. And for event sponsors that do shell out the big bucks, enhancing their investment while filtering out the non-relevant reach within the market during the event is essential. That’s where mobilads and the EMA comes in.
Benefits of focusing on Event Marketing Areas (EMAs)
Our EMA initiative provides both challenger brands and event sponsors with data and intelligence, vibrant creative options, and versatile Out-of-Home solutions. EMA enables your campaign to effectively reach and engage your target audience IRL during and around intent-rich, culturally relevant moments, at scale.
Using our unique take on guerrilla marketing, with a fleet of vibrant wrapped vehicles with in-car advertising options and digital retargeting technology, brands can engage consumers throughout their attendee journey — including before and after scheduled events, when they are less likely to be inundated with competitive messaging.
You can target airports to establish a first touchpoint with your brand for the event. Reach attendees as they move around the market and travel to and from the venue. Swarm the event venue with multiple wrapped vehicles to create a serious “wow” effect in front of thousands of event goers entering and leaving. And engage them after hours at downtowns, restaurants, parties, tourist attractions, gyms, hotels, or retail stores.
Research by the Event Marketing Institute found that live events can generate a 2x higher return on investment than traditional marketing methods. Of course, the effectiveness of marketing at live events depends on careful planning, execution, and partnerships that deliver success through metrics like social media engagement, lead generation, and sales.
And that is what the mobilads EMA initiative taps into: finding, reaching and engaging geo-located mobs of unique, identifiable consumers. Consumers who, for a brief time, have created a thriving and distinct new market (EMA) within an existing one (DMA), and are ready to be embraced by your marketing message.
Explore an EMA initiative with our Live Events Marketing tool
Ready to explore an EMA initiative for your brand? Our newly launched Event Marketing Areas Directory, covering over 200 of America’s leading events, is ready for your perusal. And our introductory EMA turn-key and bespoke packages can ignite your campaign with rapid deployment, helping you create a lasting impression on event attendees, increase your brand awareness, and generate buzz.
If you're looking for a way to stand out at America’s leading live events, consider mobilads and make our EMA initiative work for you.
Craig Cook - Chief Executive Officer - craig@mobilads.co
