It may seem fitting for fashion and beauty brands to dive further into social media to capture digitally savvy consumers, but much to Meta’s dismay, the online generation actually yearns for in-person connection — and brands are getting smart about leveraging that fact. In partnership with global brand experience agency Focus, Launchmetrics released its latest report titled “The Event Renaissance,” detailing the growing power of in-person activations in an increasingly digital media landscape.
Since 2019, brand events in the fashion, lifestyle and beauty spaces have increased by 54% globally and attendance has surged by 65%. We’re talking after parties, trade shows, store openings, fashion shows, re-sees, collection launches, VIP dinners, press days and more. Brands are going all-in on physical touch points, which you’ve probably already observed from the brand activation overload at this year’s Coachella. Put simply, in-person experiences are so back.
“The renaissance of the live event is a strategic response to the most pressing challenge in modern marketing — the collapse of attention — and the brands taking it seriously are pulling ahead,” Launchmetrics Chief Marketing Officer Alison Bringé noted in the company’s report.
As Bringé highlighted, consumers’ attention spans are stretched thin, meaning brands need to cut through the noise in impactful ways to make an impression. Management consulting firm McKinsey’s “The Attention Equation” study surveyed 7,000 consumers and found that audiences spend an average of 13 hours a day engaging with media, often across multiple screens at once.
So how do you grab a consumer’s attention when they’re simultaneously scrolling on Instagram and bingeing the latest reality show? Welcome them into your brand’s universe, and allow them to escape from their phone for a moment (after capturing content of the actual event, of course). In-person experiences now generate the highest levels of consumer focus, Launchmetrics said in its report. That heightened attention also pays off for brands, as a 10% increase in focus is associated with a 17% increase in consumer spend.
That said, getting an in-person brand event right is an entirely different story. Successful activations set out to reach two core audiences: the actual attendees and those who will encounter the event through media coverage, influencer content and social posts. For example, Launchmetrics’ proprietary data found that one undisclosed brand’s activation at a recent fashion week outperformed its nearest competitor in media impact value (MIV) by more than 130% simply by intentionally curating its guest list. Boosting the brand’s MIV didn’t come down to an amplified budget, but rather the inclusion of a handful of “high-impact voices,” or celebrities, influencers, media, owned media and partners.
“In our world, guest experience is brand experience,” said Dominic Kaffka, Focus founder and managing director. “Every decision, whether creative, operational or
strategic, must uphold that tenet. The most effective events today are doing two things at once; creating something unforgettable for the people in the room, and generating momentum that travels well beyond it.”
Successful in-person activations treat the guest list as one of the biggest decisions, according to Launchmetrics. After all, whoever attends will shape the story of the event, whether they’re press, influencers or even celebrities. Per the report, brands that master their guest list achieve 15% higher invitee-to-attendee rates.
As Bringé put it, “It’s not the budget that separates the leaders from the rest, it’s the intentionality behind their events strategy and management.”
