2Heads: the use of innovative tech in marketing
Pepe Parra, Founder and Chairman of 2Heads and his team talks to Business Chief to discuss, the marketing industry and how innovative technology can be applied to the industry.
What are the current trends within your industry?
Interest in live events and budgets for experiential marketing campaigns continue to rise despite ongoing economic uncertainty in the UK. Business and brands are increasingly recognising the power of experiences in engaging their customers on a much deeper level – in fact, more than half of businesses believe live experiences drive the most value of any marketing channel. Personalisation will continue to be high on the agenda in 2020 and technology will facilitate this. Brands are now able to track the entire customer journey in real time across every touch point, from the first interaction on a stand through to a conversion. Onsite technology and social media enable consumer behaviour to be monitored and we will see marketers continue to amplify branded messages post-event with personalised communications delivered through a range of digital and social channels.
Nick Rosier, Digital and Content Director.
What innovative technology do you see emerging in the near future?
Within the live events space, experiences where technology is integrated alongside visitor engagement is key. Technology and innovation will continue to increase customer immersion during live experiences, and we will see the creation of unique multi-sensory environments by brands to connect with their target audiences. For example, 2Heads recently produced Airbus’ stand at Gamescom 2019, which created an immersive gaming environment that, alongside live streaming of an elite all-female League of Legends team, enabled the audience to participate in an event hack to replicate situations Airbus coders face every day just to keep planes in the air. Similarly, brands will be looking to heighten experiences next year by tapping further into sounds, smells and tastes - something we did for BNP Paribas at financial services event, SIBOS, in Geneva. Here we created visual prompts to reinforce subliminal brand memory by enabling visitors to produce personalised macaroons with images of their choice and BNP branding. Not only did this leave a lasting impression by connecting with customers through taste, but it also created a memorable moment that was shared and talked about outside the show and led to a record number of captured sales leads for BNP.
Nick Rosier, Digital and Content Director.
How is your company evolving alongside new trends?
2Heads has had to be reactive to every technological advancement, small or large and that is the secret of its evolving success. We have championed technology as clients are always looking for the next best thing to engage audiences. The business has to be nimble and proactive about change, making hundreds of slight adjustments every year in response to the evolution in customer experience and engagement. Investment and talent recruitment into this part of the business has significantly increased with prototypes for data capture in development in progress for 2020.
Pepe Parra, Founder and Chairman of 2Heads
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VR creates a fully immersive environment that captures the attention of events attendees like no other. It not only enhances an event experience, but offers something unique that attendees would not be able to witness at home, increasing the likelihood they would retain positive memories from the brand interaction.
Many event organisers are recognising the potential of VR, not only to wow attendees, but also for data collection purposes and for generating new business leads. By engaging human curiosity and creating unique environments for people to experience, it will increase the likelihood of a prospect engaging with you in future.
2Heads’ work with Rolls-Royce: 2Heads was tasked with crafting meaningful experiences for Rolls-Royce’s aviation business across its global exhibition programme. Rolls-Royce has transformed its business with digital innovation at the heart of its product and service offering and this concept influenced 2Heads’ 2D and 3D designers in visualising how immersive content could be used to promote the Rolls-Royce brand. 2Heads needed a way of previewing exhibition space ahead of events so its digital team created VR demos to understand what it would be like from the point of view of an attendee. This use of VR in the event design and production process ensures 2Heads can continue to create meaningful and interactive experiences that resonate with its clients and their customers at a range of global events.
2Heads at Gamescom with Airbus: 2Heads’ recently harnessed VR on behalf of client Airbus at Europe’s largest digital gaming show, Gamescom. Held in Cologne, the conference attracted 373,000 visitors and 2Heads was briefed with promoting Airbus’ commitment to diversity and inclusivity while encouraging young gamers to consider careers in software development, coding and data science. The agency created an interactive stand that provided attendees with VR headsets to witness live League of Legends streaming via Twitch from professional all-female gaming team Out Of the Blue. Visitors also had the chance to compete with them at the show. This tactic was used to create an engaging and immersive experience for attendees, increasing the likelihood that attendees would remember the event and recommend the Airbus brand to others. A first for the agency, 2Heads launched an ‘event hack’ concept which enlisted the support of show attendees to solve live clues to unlock the gaming screens by decoding encrypted messaging. This also added an additional layer of engagement for attendees. During the ‘event hack’, crowds swelled by 25% as visitors were eager to join the experience.
Craig Wildman, Global Managing Director at 2Heads Global Design.
Gamification can support business development if done in the right way and more often than not, technology plays a central role. For example, when we build a meaningful experience for our own clients, be it Bombardier’s luxury jet launch in Las Vegas, or Disney’s B2B activation at the international media fair MIPCOM at the Cannes Palais, we harness creative tech to create a ‘game’ element. The options are endless so finding the right solution for our client’s specific audience is key. It is essential to interrogate any brief that outlines how businesses will engage their target audience and it’s important to drill down and be super specific about the demographic any business is aiming to engage. Choose a creative tech that provides the maximum engagement for that demographic and ensure it is fit for purpose. For example, we use a wide range of solutions for our clients, from touch kiosks to smart LED walls to display interactive content, SD VR tours and augmented reality models that use projection to build upon realities and expand imaginations. We work through each option to ensure the right tech is used to inspire the player to participate.
Nick Rosier, Digital and Content Director.
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