1. Travel, apparel and automotive among hot sectors
These sectors have seen the biggest change, in terms of brands using experiential in 2014 compared to the previous 12 months. Experiential activity among travel, transport and hospitality brands rose by +2.8%, +1.6% for apparel companies and +0.2% for brands within the automotive sector.
Financial services dipped to -4.6% during the same 12-month period, and FMCG saw a slight drop of -1.3%.
2. Target high-net-worth individuals
Now 8.8% of all experiential briefs in the UK are to reach HNWIs, according to . This is a big opportunity for asset/wealth management, luxury apparel and automotive brands to increase their experiential work, as Thorne explains: "Agencies and brands targeting these consumers will need to make experiences more exclusive and invite-only, but the same level of high-quality production will be seen across the board."
3. Financial brands backing away from music and sport
Have Barclaycard and MasterCard priced finance brands out of the festival market or do others in the sector simply fear public sentiment will not be improved by a conspicuous presence at music festivals? Either way, Thorne says UK experiential agencies should acknowledge that only half as many brands in this sector are seeking to align themselves with music properties.
"With the exception of companies such as First Direct, who are increasingly interested in music, brands are worried that partnerships with these events do not in fit with their general tone, therefore it doesn't come across as a geniune, authentic experience and some financial companies might see these opportunities as high risk."
However, one to watch out for is contactless payment technology, which Thorne says certain brands may go the extra mile to promote using experiential and live experiences.
4. Rugby World Cup 2015 and Rio 2016 big opportunities
While brands in certain sectors like financial may be moving away from sports sponsorship, it's no doubt these two international events will offer some sort of prospects for brands to reach consumers.
5. Combine sport and entertainment
Thorne believes that more agencies and brands are seeking partnerships between sports and entertainment/leisure brands, as he explains: "The US is taking the lead on this concept, with sports stars now launching new fashion lines. This helps to extend the reach of a brand, and it will be interesting to see how Europe follows to create more of a lifestyle around sports brands."
6. Asia is increasingly becoming an emerging market
Based on interviews with 2,000 marketing and PR decision-makers across south-east Asia, 6% indicated in the Pearlfinders Global Index 2015 an intention to increase investment in PR in 2015 compared to less than 1% in 2013. While the market for experiential services across the continent is still immature, it is growing rapidly with nearly six times as many briefs for agencies.
Thorne says this emerging market, particularly Malaysia, offers a huge opportunity to experiential agencies.
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