Experiental Marketing and Digitalization
Chapter from the book:
Ünal Adıgüzel,
D.
(ed.)
2025.
Current Marketing Approaches.
Synopsis
Similar products and services, increasing competition and changing consumer expectations are driving businesses to develop new strategies. Simply creating functional benefits is no longer enough for today's consumers. The concept of creating customer value has recently become a key success factor in marketing. Experiential marketing, which fosters close relationships with customers and addresses them not only through functional features but also through emotional, sensory, intellectual, behavioral, and relational dimensions, is emerging at this point. This approach, which approaches experiences holistically, can be used for purposes such as differentiation, creating value, creating positive perceptions and fostering loyalty by increasing customer interaction. Experiential marketing, whose positive impact on consumer behavior has been proven by numerous studies, will continue to expand with new applications. Factors such as the continuous development of technology, the increase in smart device usage and the growth of e-commerce are compelling businesses to operate in digital environments. In this context, increasing digitalization and emerging new digital technologies are also transforming experiential marketing. In digital experiential marketing, businesses offer consumers a variety of experiences through tools such as augmented reality, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, social media and mobile applications. These experiences, beyond simply promoting products and services, establish emotional bonds with consumers, evoking positive emotions such as excitement, joy, or nostalgia. Positive emotions also foster interaction and positive relationships between consumers and businesses. This study first defines the concept of digital marketing, explaining its differences from traditional marketing, its benefits, dimensions and intended uses and areas of use. Its impact on consumer behavior is explained in detail. The requirements of digitalization and its use in experiential marketing are then explored with examples. The study attempts to explain the ways in which experiential marketing provides businesses with a competitive advantage. The study aims to address the concept of experiential marketing from a holistic perspective and contribute to theory and practice.
