Advent Blog

Make a splash with Viral Events

A recent poll released by the Event Marketing Institute displays the significant viral impact created by events.  Like concentric rings in a pond, the energy from your event spreads beyond the initial splash.   

An article released in The Earth Times reports that the survey which included over 1,100 individuals found that: (Read the article) 

 —   78% of attendees told friends and family about the event; 90% of them did so within two days of the event, and 69% mentioned the sponsor of the event;

 —   Nearly 50% of event participants purchased sponsoring products (especially food & drink);

 —   98% of those exposed to a product will recommend that product to others after a positive experience.

The significance of these statistics are magnified in light of studies like those highlighted in a recent emarketer.com article (Read the article).  Findings by Gfk Roper, DoubleClick, and Nielson all identify personal recommendations as the most trusted source of information about a product or service.  Word of Mouth is the number one influencer of consumers’ purchasing decisions.  It is key.  But you can’t go looking under the couch cushions for this key. 

Word of mouth phenomenon is a fickle elusive white stagg for marketers worldwide.  But Marketers seem to be getting the idea.  Laura Ramos of Forrester Research points to a survey of 238 b-to-b marketers and asked how their spending plans would change in 2008.  Fifty-four percent said they would spend more on events and seminars (Read the article).  This seems to be a widespread trend that is gaining momentum as businesses realize the potential of creating a viral word of mouth buzz through targeted events. 

by Bill Taylor

Advent thrives at the forefront of the cutting edge experiential marketing industry and for 20 years has helped rapidly growing companies communicate the essence of their brand and vision by creating engaging events, environments, and exhibits.  Based in Nashville, Tennesse, the company is a creative industry leader with Fortune 500 clients like VF Corp and Mars, International. For more information, visit www.adventresults.com.

Tags: events, research, word-of-mouth