When we hear the words set design, images of elaborate TV studios or broadway plays come to mind. But set design is used in many industries, including the corporate world, and a well designed set can be critical to your brand messaging.
Set Design for Business Theater
Business theater refers to a theatrical-like production created for corporate events. For example. Apple’s World Wide Developer’s Conference and Salesforce’s Dreamforce are well known business theater events. They often include a grand, branded main stage with theatrical lighting and audio-visual elements where company VIPs can present to customers or employees. These events also feature other environments in which a strategic set design can be applied. For example, breakout sessions and product experience areas, where event attendees can immerse themselves even deeper. Here are reasons why corporate set design matters for your brand
1. Repeated Visibility
In a world where marketers battle for your attention, business theater offers the golden calf – a captive audience. Where else does a brand have the opportunity to have hours, even days worth of your attention? A strategically branded set design keeps your audience engaged with your brand at all times, visually and aurally. This influences your audience’s conscious and subconscious perception. Additionally, a well placed brand is always in camera, so the at-home audience who attends virtually or views the recorded event later are also engaged with your brand, widening exposure.
2. Enhance the Experience
Experiential marketing is a highly effective way to create brand loyalty. An impressive set design is a major part of the visitor experience. Whether you have a giant LED wall, pixel mapped projections, or moveable set pieces, companies who provide a wow factor for their audience level up their game, providing not only the message but a show. And who doesn’t love a good show?
3. Foster an Emotional Connection
Customers and employees who trust a brand often hold an emotional connection to it. There are many innovative ways to achieve this connection – from advertising to company sponsored events. Business theater whose set design features the highly emotional elements of music, color, and imagery can strengthen the audience’s emotional connection to the brand, and thus create brand loyalty. Additionally, the collective joy felt when bringing a group of people together creates an emotional experience remembered long after the event has passed. And longevity is key to keeping a customer.
4. Differentiate Your Brand
Relevant differentiation from your competition is the most important thing your brand can deliver, and is a leading-edge indicator of future profitability and market share. Your consumer-relevant product may be incredible, but in today’s market, services and the total brand experience often become the differentiators. Show stopping events, with exciting theatrical set designs featuring big name entertainers are impactful and provide another layer to the brand experience that keeps your customers coming back. Additionally, research shows that company sponsored events are 1.3 times more predictive of employee retention than compensation. Be like Salesforce, and get Maroon 5 to headline your company holiday party. At the very least, splurge on a cool set design.
Set Design - The Takeaways
Building your brand and creating brand loyalty is an ongoing process, but incredibly important in today’s marketplace. Creating memorable experiences for your customers and employees that showcase your brand personality is a powerful way to grow your consumer base and keep your employees invested. So do yourself a favor – hire that fancy experiential marketing team and capitalize on their set design expertise. And when you need that epic set fabricated and installed, contact us to build it!