Don’t let the title fool you. This “Ex” thing is not a rant on the men I’ve had irreconcilable differences with over the years, but instead, a blog about experiential marketing. What is experiential marketing? Actually, I’d like you to tell me.
Oh, sure, I’ve got my own notion of what the discipline encompasses, but this is the type of blog where I’d like readers to chip in with their witty, thought-provoking and/or all-out crazy musings. Just for the record, I consider guerrilla marketing, viral marketing, street marketing, grassroots marketing, ambient marketing, stealth marketing and trendy-term-o’-the-day marketing as subsets of the genre. While I would have a hard time defining experiential marketing, I know it when I see it.
For one thing, I believe it can be practiced by everyone from a scrappy startup to a fancypants Fortune 500. To me, it’s all about attitude. Also, the medium isn’t as important as the message: A clever experiential marketing campaign can come in the form of something as traditional as a magazine ad. Again, I’d love to hear how you define these genres. Here are some ideas on what types of stuff will fill this—for now, weekly, but soon, daily—column:
* Photos of really cool street campaigns/Web sites/non-traditional advertising
* Photos of really dumb street campaigns/Web sites/non-traditional advertising
* Commentary/analysis on either of the above
* Q&As with guerrilla marketing rock stars
* Discussions of industry trends and issues
* Mysterious WTF? links screaming, “I’m a teaser campaign!” that we can work together to solve.
* Links to cool photos, other people’s blogs, relevant articles, etc.
* Crazy ramblings that have nothing to do with the genre. I will try to keep these to a minimum, but I may occasionally slip up. For instance, I thought you should know that while I was writing this I received an e-mail from a “Urology Coding Advisor.” That has nothing to do with experiential marketing; it’s just that I was gonna burst (no pun intended) if I couldn’t share it.
The Ex Files will be less dissertation, more conversation (despite this lengthy introductory entry). Seen a new street campaign that’s baffled or excited you? Send me a pic. Noticing any industry trends? I wanna hear about ’em. Got a beef with the ethics of experiential marketing? Let me be your sounding board. Need someone to bail you out of jail for violating the Patriot Act with your innocent street stunt? I won’t—but I know a good lawyer. And, of course, feel free to brag about and send photos of your own work. Contribute and I’ll give you and your business a plug. I am not above bribery: At times, this could involve prizes, and I give good swag.
Since this is a blog about, among other things, word of mouth, it is my goal to put my money where my mouth is. It would be a shame if it attracted fewer eyeballs than, say, Brandweek’s other blogs. Therefore I beg you, to quote an old Alpha Beta supermarket ad, to “Tell a friend” and in turn (to reference the vintage Faberge Organics commercial), I hope that “They’ll tell two friends, and so on and so on…”
For starters, I’d love it if you would scroll down and write a comment, which can be anything from a “Colbert ’08!” to a critique of my hairdo. I want to know whether people are reading and, if so, what they want to read about. Oh, and if you’re too shy to respond in a public forum or if Typepad gives you agita, please drop me a line at bebenkamp@brandweek.com.
Are you ready, suits?
Start squawkin’!
Becky
Stephen Colbert won a prestigious Peabody award last week. He wasn't comfortable accepting that honor on his own, however, so he unleashed his mighty fan army to rectify the situation. On the April 3 edition of The Colbert Report, the pretend pundit directed viewers to www.colbertnation.com to print up "Peabody Award Winning!" labels that they were instructed to stick on any and all bags of Doritos snacks on grocery store shelves (Such as these in Louisiana, above). 
Frito-Lay's Doritos Spicy Sweet Chili is the "official sponsor" of The Colbert Report's primary election coverage, during which the Comedy Central smart-ass makes declarations such as "I am proud to announce the Stephen Colbert's Doritos Spicy Sweet Pennsylvania primary coverage from Chiladelphia, the city of brotherly crunch." Last fall, Doritos sponsored Colbert's presidential run. When he didn't make the South Carolina ballots, Colbert joked that at least his body would "stop producing bright orange waste."