New brands and new locations

Discussion in FMBE magazine’s July (Summer) issue saw SpaceandPeople’s Q2 report picking up on some new brands taking on brand experience marketing. Whilst one of the new brand’s Barny, is a member of the giant Mondelez stable, the arrival of Bonne Maman to the experiential table, on its shopping centre tour with The Circle Agency was more intriguing. Bonne Maman is the lead brand of French fruit processing business Andros and it is, in many senses, a challenger, one that still has its family traditions to uphold. Taking a family kitchen experience to shopping centres was therefore a subtle and popular response to brief.

A few large FMCG brands seem to have cut back on brand experiences in first half of 2014 though the shortfall – not expected to last – has been filled to an extent by challenger brands and resourceful agencies. Big ticket items including cars and holidays have filled the gap as well to an extent and automotive is still showing up strongly in SpaceandPeople’s report data.

The automotive sector has become extra-resourceful in the Spring/Summer period with Goodwood Festival of Speed playing a pivotal role.

Car brands have been strongly represented at festivals as well as locations including Covent Garden this quarter – in addition to notable shopping centre test drive promotions. Brand owners in the sector are very careful about location choice.

Brands that use experience marketing are diversifying and targeting accordingly. The locations they have to choose from are also opening up in line with that demand. It will be interesting to see which brands take up the Brindleyplace offering that SpaceandPeople also announced in its report.