How to Use Snap Glasses Like a Boss

How to Use Snap Glasses Like a Boss  

---

Experiential marketing events are all about the visuals, and Snap Spectacles are being used by today’s idea-creators to craft memorable times. Snap Spectacles are smart glasses, developed by Snap—also known as Snapchat—for iOS and Android devices. They give Snapchat users a new way to capture, store and share content via the Snapchat platform—all with a hands-free spin.

They have a trending design, looking like a colorful pair of party shades. Each Snap Spectacle features a 115-degree wide-angle lens, giving the wearer the ability to capture circular video. Basically, they’re created for on-the-go video capture. Any user with a smartphone can sync footage, connect to users on Wi-Fi and share mobile content. Meanwhile, snaps recorded with iPhones can be transferred through a Snap Spectacle’s Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connection. The day’s footage is compiled into a Snapchat Story. Then, it can be exported as either individual snaps or entire collections.

They’re $130 for a pair, but they’re incredibly useful as event tools. If you’re able to throw down on a Snap Spectacles investment, the strategies below might be useful to you.

Strategy One: Implement Games

You’re already on a highly visual path. Spectacles aren’t only useful for digital picture snapping; they’re awesome live-action tools for high-energy situations. So, implement games at your event! Trolli’s used Snap Spectacles at its Beardsketball activation, engaging consumers on a new, immersive level. By focusing the spotlight on the players, you’ll create an environment conducive to engagement, long-term action and a great social media campaign.

Strategy Two: Get First-Person

Because Spectacles offer a rare first-person point of view, they’re solid tools for any experiential campaign which utilizes on-site visuals, movement and attendee engagement. When viewed by the Snapchat app, captured Spectacles footage gives viewers the ability to rotate their phone while holding the same image. Even if the phone is turned around, Spectacles can capture a full range of motion via its circular lens. Tell attendees to show their hands, and show how hands-off your event can be.

Strategy Three: Prep for Augmented Reality

Spectacles don’t have augmented reality features yet, but they’re going to have them in the figure. At least, we assume they will. Last month, a Snap patent application for future AR glasses was discovered by Mashable. If you’re dropping money on a Spectacles investment, consider making it the first step of many. A long-term Spectacles campaign might be the push you need, as a marketer, to craft a road to success. As for an AR experience, combine the first two strategies while giving attendees the chance to engage your product on a new, digital, level.

Snapp’s app is expected to grow—and quickly. Aside from its AR patent for a product called World Lenses, it’ll be a useful tool for marketers wanting to engage attendees with Snapchat filters, 3D object placement and a slew of other nifty games. If you haven’t yet, check out the Spectacles web page. If you think your strategy has room for such a device—don’t hesitate. It’s totally worthwhile.

Why Sharing Post Event Photos Can Boost Engagement

To have a stand-out event, you need to keep attendees engaged before, during and after. Taking photos during your event can boost post-event engagement. Sometimes, however, organizing a marketable and photogenic event is half the battle. If you can share event photos, however, you can ensure top-quality engagement strategies and long-term success. Below, we’re covering the ins and outs of post event photos—straight from the inside of events, themselves.

Photos and Social Media Engagement

A March 2014 research project published through eMarketer recorded a 75-percent roundup of all content posted across worldwide Facebook pages. From the social media user’s perspective, photos are one of the most engaging content types in social media. Boasting an 87-percent interaction rate for fans, photos receive a majority of attention.

Social media and experiential events go hand in hand. Consumers want to be recognized—and so does your brand. To share photos which’ll interest your target audience, you’ll need events worth capturing. Because today’s Newsfeed is laden with random pictures, advertisements and profile updates, a little excitement can go a long way.

High-Quality Photos Stick Out

The key, here, is to offer exciting photo opportunities. By posting photos reflective of your event’s greater aspects, you can highlight your brand’s attention to detail. Plus, you’ll show Facebook-lovers why your business was born to be remembered.

Event photos needn’t be entirely under your control, either. Fan engagement is worth a thousand words, alone, and “caption this” photos can directly increase engagement while holding true to your brand’s image. Post funny post-event pictures, and ask fans to create cool, or funny, captions. Avoid selfies when possible, and hire a visual content creator or designer to engage your social media team.

Crossing into the Twitter World

Social media users engage differently with every tweet. That said, adding a photo to a tweet URL can boost retweet power by as much as 35 percent. Like Facebook, Twitter engagement is powered by visual media. You’ll need to tag event-goers, sure, but Twitter’s tagging mechanics allow for a 10-person tag. You can additionally share up to four photos per tweet. It’s a new Twitter feature, but it’s a powerful one nonetheless.

Shares and Engagement

Social media, for some, is the Wild West of marketing. Comments and shares have surpassed likes on Facebook, in terms of importance. Brand engagement is at an all-time high, and Facebook comments are steadily increasing in number every year. On the flip-side, likes are decreasing in importance.

Fan comments and shares result in engagement. So, you’ll need comments and shares to influence ongoing visibility. Fortunately, Facebook event and business pages are conducive to shares and comments. Engagement begins in the social media world, but it ends with cross-channel brand marketing. Just make sure you’re replying to all fan comments.

As a takeaway: Post your event photos on a Friday. Friday is the social media world’s highest engagement day, and it’ll spike fan attention if it’s used to your advantage. The visual promotion trend is much more than a trend. It’s a cornerstone of modern marketing.

How Rick and Morty are Taking on the Road

How Rick and Morty are Taking on the Road

---

While the "marketing" aspect of experiential marketing almost necessarily involves trying to sell a product, service, or idea to new people, it isn't always the only goal. Sometimes, events are held to reward current loyal fans – or as it may be put, "spread the love" to these people. This is the case with Adult Swim's Rickmobile, which is a traveling pop-up retail shop making stops in several cities and towns this summer. Adult Swim is making a point of hitting cities that are often overlooked by marketers, such as Cleveland, Santa Fe, and San Antonio as well as some of the more predictable places.

The Rickmobile is patterned after the character Rick in the series Rick and Morty, complete with a painted Styrofoam-and-fiberglass Rick on one end. From the side, the vehicle opens to display plenty of Rick and Morty merchandise. This gives fans a chance to stock up, and the eye-catching nature of the vehicle ensures that even people who have never seen the show will be curious enough to come and find out what the display is about.

In keeping with the fun and youthful nature of the show, the Rickmobile's stops have been chosen for their similarly fun nature. Comic shops and conventions and arcades are on the list. For older fans, the Rickmobile will stop at taverns, bars, and other such "social spaces." By combining the event types while sticking to ones that are associated with fun, the show will be able to reach people of all ages without diluting its messaging.

According to Adult Swim's Jim Babcock, its vice president of consumer marketing, the intent was to create moments akin to seeing the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile for the first time. He characterized it as "unforgettable," and the Rickmobile is going for the same effect. Adult Swim also wants the scene to be hilarious, and it posed its giant Rick so it would surely get a laugh. Rick is on his hands and knees as seen from the side, and stares slightly downward from the back of the truck. Those following it on the freeway therefore get to look right at the mad professor's giant eyes as he stares down through their windshields. It's sure to give anyone who ends up behind the vehicle plenty to talk about with everyone they know.

Since this tour is already in progress, preliminary results are coming in. By the time it made 12 stops, it registered 5,000 transactions and got 15,000 people to engage with the Rickmobile. It also caused people to tweet about it 15,000 times and post about it on Instagram 7,500 times. This caused messages about it to be seen over 10 million times. Such a resounding success is sure to bring more viewers to the Rick and Morty show!

You don't need to custom-make an expensive truck or tour across the country to reach people with your experiential marketing event. For a less-extravagant option, try renting a venue in a big city. Here in Miami, try Soho Studios. We can configure up to 70,000 feet of indoor space to suit your needs or provide one or both of our outdoor pavilions for events out in the open.

How to Map Out the Perfect Pop-up Tour

How to Map Out the Perfect Pop-up Tour

Digital communication rules the world, so how do companies make that personal connection with their target audience? They "pop-up" in some very special places, so their marketing plan is not just about promotion, but about appealing to the different emotions that drive consumers. Pop-up shops are all the rage right now because they grab their attention with hands-on interactions to dazzle them up close and personal. How can you map out your next pop-up tour to get the best ROI?

Establish Measurable Goals that Cater to the Audience

The moniker "know your audience" fits almost any marketing scenario including creating a successful pop-up tour. When Disney wanted to promote their Doc McStuffin show in the UK, they didn't set up Doc clinics in office buildings or on the street; they picked venues like Toys R Us and Smyths because they appeal not just to kids, but to parents, grandparents and aunts, too.

They took a multifaceted approach when planning their pop-up strategy. Their goals didn't focus just on increasing ratings for their show, but on retailing merchandise and creating a buzz for the characters, as well. The acted on goals they could track on social media, too, instead of just tallying up the revenue from event to event.

Find Spaces That Mesh With the Brand

Be a visual thinker when picking out venues. Visual space says something about a brand. Consider Supreme clothing stores. Each one has visual clues that related directly to the brand image such as the parquet floors and steel rails. They wouldn't think of opening a pop-up at a country fair or in a dirty warehouse because that is not the look they want.

Promotion, Promotion, Promotion

Marketing your pop-up before, during and after each event is the key to success. Adidas combined both a celebrity appearance and a fan challenge to get people buzzing about their D Rose Jump Store before it opened. Use every form of content marketing at your disposal from your website to the company Facebook page to get the word out. If sponsoring multiple pop-up locations, consider an app or map that fans can use to track each event.

Use some social media tactics to promote live as it happens, too. Trolli and 7-Eleven went with free giveaways at the beach to market both a new candy brand and the Slurpee inspired by it.

#slothsome

What's your hashtag going to be? Add some real-time graphics to make people wish they were there, too. Snapchat, Facebook Live, Vine, Instagram – set up one or more and appoint a brand ambassador to manage the show.

Before moving on to the next place on the tour, make sure people understand what they missed at the last one. Provide statistics if possible, lots of pictures and some videos of all the fun along with information for the next few stops.

Take Notes and Learn

When the final guest leaves and you pack up to go to the next venue, reflect on what you learned at this one. What worked and what didn't? Ask for feedback during the event and online afterward, too. Grow with each stop on your tour to make the next one that much more meaningful. 

Miami Fashion Week 2017: What to Expect and New Trends

Miami Fashion Week 2017: What to Expect and New Trends

Every year, Miami Fashion Week is a true spectacle of Florida culture, beach life and today’s fashion stage. Florida is the swim fashion capital of the world, packing panoramic views, midday art walks and beachside displays. Soho Studios is proud to be in the mix, and we’re dishing out this year’s biggest arrivals. Miami Fashion Week hits on May 31, so get ready, gear up and get wild with these new trends, designers and events.

Art Basal

While Art Basal isn’t a fashion event, it still holds a heavy influence over fashion. Expect to see Dior, Chanel and Valentino. They roll into Miami each December, and they’re back to pack Art Basal with loads of fun. Bruce Weber and Terry Richardson will be there, too, photographing the event while signing books. Art Basal is expected to headline Miami Fashion Week, garnering attention up and down the street.

Funkshion Fashion Week

For your edgy pattern fix, we suggest Funkshion Fashion Week Miami Beach. It lasts four days, wrapping up Miami Fashion Week in the allure of music, a sizzling sartorial showcase, emerging designers and rad presentations. It’s established by providers like Chloé, but it’s contingent upon purchasing power. Show entires are free, and display items are available in nearby stores.

The First Faces Competition

On the event side of things, the First Faces Competition will highlight 2017’s hottest runway models, fashion statements and emergent styles. If you don’t see First Faces, you’re missing out. It pulls some of Fashion Week’s highlights to the forefront, giving you a dose of culture. Really, it summarizes this year’s greatest, most creative fashion choices. Don’t miss out.

The SwimShow & LingerieShow

Hosted in the Miami Beach Convention Center, the SwimShow & LingerieShow is a 400,000 square-foot exhibition. Stop by, and check out over 2,500 swim, resort, lifestyle and intimate apparel retailers. You’re bound to find interesting yearly additions here, and you can expect to see a variety of accessory designers tossed in, too. If you favor the beach-goer look, sandals and summery shades, you’ll be in the right place. Check out this year’s leading selections by Oscar de la Renta and Nanette Lepore, or get sporty with Oakley and Body Glove.

1,200 Jewelry Booths

Jewelry will be at this year’s forefront, too. The Jewelers International Showcase is one of the largest jewelry-based trade shows in America. Across its three trade shows, about 4,000 jewelry buyers will hit the Miami Beach Convention Center. Every year, the world’s largest venders—and some new ones—populate over 1,200 booths. They present new goods, introduce industry newcomers and offer low, mid and high-range purchasing options.

Miami Fashion Week, in many ways, promotes the area’s surrounding culture by giving consumers what they want: new, legendary collections. Even styles not native to Miami have a place. Because the event puts the purchasing power into the public’s hands, a slew of new fashion designers, businesses and creators have a place for expression. Check out this year’s alluring options, and navigate the high-end selections reserved for today’s hottest brands.

How Budweiser Keeps it Lit in DC

How Budweiser Keeps it Lit in DC

The 2017 Stanley Cup was a fantastic opportunity for brand promotion, and Budweiser took full advantage. D.C’s Verizon Center was sold out, flashing over 10,000 Budweiser Red Light Cups. Every Capitals goal against the Maple Leafs was met with additional cup-tossing displays, giving Budweiser much-warranted attention for its pre-planned event.

Bluetooth and Booze: An Uncommon Pairing

So, how’d Budweiser coordinate it? As it turns out, Bluetooth isn’t only for gadgets, cars and high-tech home inclusions. Budweiser passed out a slew of Bluetooth-enabled cups, promoting itself for the playoffs. As hockey-lovers know, a game’s goal light is one of the much anticipated parts of any display.

By coordinating each goal, Budweiser amplified the excitement. The initiative has been a hockey program staple since 2013. That said, 2017 is the first year Budweiser incorporated its high-tech cups. Fans could bring their own cups, too, downloading the offered Budweiser Red Light app. In conjunction with its Bluetooth technology, Budweiser’s own cups were activated alongside other fan-bought containers.

Celebrating Like It’s Live

Budweiser’s ultimate goal was to create a fully integrative experience, wherein game watchers could enjoy their team’s goals from the comfort of their homes. Attendees, meanwhile, could celebrate with real-time applause. Budweiser installed 25 R.F.I.D. transmitters across the stadium, lighting up all the cups at once. Meanwhile, the brand’s Red Light controller sent a signal to each transmitter, releasing a frequency capable of setting off each cup simultaneously.

Using Social Media

Fans were urged to “Rock the Red” with the #LightUpDC hashtag. Because Red Light Cups were available at all participating concession stands, fans had ample opportunity to grab the goods. Those over age 21 were invited to post further on social media, maximizing the ceremony’s visibility. The game’s epic backdrop was, of course, a highlight.

As if that weren’t enough, the red light itself was—you guessed it—a puck-shaped RFID gadget. Fans were invited to keep the cups, saving their technology for later use—and, of course, as event memorabilia. Available as of April 15th, the cups were only available to those attending the Capitals Playoff Game 2. They were, however, available at specific concession locations for the remaining playoff games. These locations included the Etihad Lounge, the Budweiser Brewhouse and Becks Lounge at the 100, 200 and 400-level concession stands.

The Party Never Stops

As stated above, event-goers could bring home the cups, downloading their own Budweiser Red Light apps on Android and iOS. Because the gadgets could be synced up at any time, Budweiser enabled ongoing celebrations via at-home “Rock the Red” parties.

It takes effort to coordinate a highly digital event remotely. Budweiser, here, displayed the savviness of a brand which knows its customers. Sure, hockey games are notoriously watched at home. As with football, it’s important to include stay-at-home fans while giving attendees something special. The widespread fan attention worked, and Budweiser expertly pulled off an unexpectedly lit display. Parties aren’t just for party-goers. Where beer is concerned, it pays off to honor the distant celebrations—no matter how far off they may be.

Why You Need to Use Drones for Your Next Event

Who wants aerial coverage? We do, and you should too. Drones have made several appearances in 2017, and they’re popping up more frequently. You should invest, because they’re becoming a go-to resource for event marketers, brand promotion teams and event backers. If you want to have a successful, engaging event, take to the skies. Here’s why:

Outdoor Safety Precision

What? You don’t need a weather radar? Well, not exactly. You should still check the day’s forecast. You should also still invest in a security guard. Drones can pack high-end cameras, however, and they can hit regularly inaccessible angles. Whether you’re fearing crowd control issues or security breaches, a droned camera, really, is your best bet.

Facebook’s Favorite Livestream Tool

Facebook is already a popular event media platform. If you want to ramp up your event’s visibility, you should outfit your platform with a drone. Already, event marketers are using DJI drones to stream Facebook Live video. Let’s face it: Social media visibility is the best visibility. Live video via drone provides an immersive experience. It also offers an unrivaled POV.

Mobile-Controlled Mobile Hotspots

Strangely enough, you can use a drone as a WiFi hotspot for mobile devices. Drones can be makeshift cell towers, if you launch them correctly. If your WiFi networks are getting crowded, consider using a drone to boost patron reception. Your attendees will thank you.

Everyone Wants Quick Action

If you’re tired of wheeling around massive equipment, settle for something more agile. Today’s event drones weigh under 55 pounds, on average, and they’re capable of covering tight angles with the push of a button. Sometimes, the event area is too tough to cover, ground-wise. If this is the case, circumvent the headaches by using aerial coverage. Just makes sure you have FAA permission, first.

The Bird’s-Eye View

If you thought mobile-controlled drones were cool, you haven’t seen anything yet—literally. Pilots, now, can use specialized goggles to get a drone’s-eye perspective. You can also have a copilot who watches the physical equipment. Assuming you’re not understaffed, the combination makes for excellent footage coverage. A lot of todays’ event planners are hiring professional pilots to manage their drone activities. Yes, professional drone pilots exist.

At the end of the day, a drone is worth its weight in maneuverability. Before you invest, make sure you’ve got the gumption to repair, upgrade and replace when needed. Move your events at the speed of flight, and outfit your brand with a high-in-the-sky view.