This week, swarms of millennials will descend upon Austin to experience some of the most incredible brand events of 2016.
For months, marketers at brands like Spotify, Budweiser and Mashable have worked round-the-clock to craft the perfect SXSW-themed events and experiential stunts in hopes of reaching the elusive millennial audience. Why? Because these savvy marketers know four key things:
They’re one of the powerful forms of direct marketing in the world. It’s why brands are spending upwards of $572 billion on events per year, from hackathons to music festivals to VIP dinner series.
According to Goldman Sachs’ latest study, millennials are about to move into their prime spending years. That’s a ton of disposable income up for grabs.
Just last year, Mintel reported that over the next 5 years, total spending on experiences—like traveling and dining out—will increase by 22 percent. Why? Because experiences make people happier.
In December, my team set out to study brand events from the millennial point of view. Our research sought to answer one thing: What have millennials come to expect from brand events today?
Today, we’re releasing the full results of our study and invite you to join in the conversation. For the full results of the study, click here. To read about the results in Adweek, click here.
Looking for more info on the millennial consumer? Check out this infographic.
Ben Hindman is co-founder and CEO of Splash, the country's fastest-growing event marketing platform that helps businesses and brands more effectively market through their events. An event planner turned tech entrepreneur, events are in Ben’s DNA. Prior to starting Splash, Ben was the Director of Events at Thrillist, where he produced large-scale events from concerts to mystery fly-aways.
