Automotive News Canada - May 2019 - v2 - 19

* MAY 2019

When it debuted at the Canadian
International AutoShow in Toronto
in February, an online e-racing
tournament - a fast-growing form
of experiential marketing - attracted
more than 3,500 contestants.

MAKING
EVENTS
MORE

PHOTO: MICHAEL GOETZ

EVENTFUL
Brands explore greater
consumer connection
through gaming,
track days and other
interactive programs

tial-marketing initiatives on the horizon is the first Canadian installment
of the BMW M Festival, a heady mix
of hot laps with the pros; test drives,
displays of race; classic and current
BMWs; big-stage DJ concerts, family
fun; and gastronomic delights.
The M Festival, to be held July
13-14 at Canadian Tire Motorsport
By MICHAEL GOETZ
TORONTO CORRESPONDENT
Park northeast of Toronto, will
mark the first North American
appearance of the festival. The M
Festival in Germany was tied to the
CANADIAN AUTO COMPANIES
24 Hours of Nurburgring endurance
are zeroing in on experiential-marracing event in 2017 and drew over
keting events in an effort to create
200,000 people.
brand loyalty and generThat's not exactly
ate positive online buzz
the amount that BMW
about their products.
Canada expects this
And unlike other forms
summer. "But this is
of marketing, industry
an event that is not
executives say, experiential events are often famabout absolute or masily-oriented and provide
sive numbers," said
an opportunity for feedSebastian Beuchel,
back, data collection and
director of BMW Brand
fine-tuning for future
Management for BMW
events.
Canada.
Jonah Midanik of
It's about doing
Rather, its success
Limelight Platform:
things and not just seewill be based on how
"All humans, at
ing things.
well the event gives
their core, value
"Experiential, as we
attendees an experiexperiences; that's
know it today, startence that ultimately
how we're wired."
ed rising up about 15
strengthens or kickPHOTO SUPPLIED
years ago," said Jonah
starts their relationship
BY JONAH MIDANIK
Midanik, founder
with BMW, he said.
and CEO of Limelight
The hope, he added, is that those
Platform. Limelight, with offices
experiences translate into positive
in Toronto and San Francisco, prosocial-media activity so the good
vides experiential-marketing (XM)
experiences will ripple out even furtechnical support to automakers
ther and ultimately lead to brand
and other companies.
loyalty.
Midanik attributes the continued
rise of experiential marketing to
NOT JUST FOR MILLENNIALS
two factors: people putting a higher
Providing a great experience
value on experiences, and marketwith the hope that attendees share
ing dollars - historically allocated
that experience on social media
to more traditional channels such
sounds like marketing targeted at
as TV and newspapers - shifting to
millennials.
digital forms such as social, mobile
Not so, Beuchel said.
and experiential.
"Unique and personalized experiences are valued across all age
BMW: CARS AND CONCERTS
groups. We see this particularly
One of the bigger experienwith our events that are catered to

our more mature customers."
BMW also expects the festival
to attract families with young children. "All humans, at
their core, value experiences; that's how we're
wired," said Limelight's
Midanik. "Millennials
are just a little more
vocal about that."

creative director.
The company now has added
e-gaming tournaments to its events.
Last year,
Pfaff teamed with
WorldGaming and
Cineplex Inc. to run a
major online e-racing
tournament. The company got the ball rolling after understanding
DATA COLLECTION
the demographics of the
hard-core gamer.
Experiential market"The average age is
ing, he said, is composed
in
the
30s, and houseof two core elements -
Susan Gubasta,
the experience and the
president of the 2020 hold income is in the six
figures," Yap said.
tracking of that experiCIAS, said e-gaming
This year, the tourence.
will be part of the
nament was signifiOnly by tracking can
auto show, as it was
cantly expanded with
businesses determine
this year. F I L E P H O T O
a big interactive disreturn on investment,
play at the Canadian International
better learn customer preferences
AutoShow (CIAS) in Toronto.
on the experience and product front,
Gamers set lap times online or
keep communication flowing and
in person to qualify for the top 16
ultimately grow customer relationGrand Final extravaganza, which
ships.
And all that doesn't happen if
took place on the show's last day.
businesses don't ask for and capture
More than 3,500 contestants set
customer information - data that
lap times at the show, "interacting
can be used for personalized emails
with our brands and those we reprepromoting products and offers at
sent in a very deep way," Yap said.
dealerships.
That's a lot of hours of motorConsumers, Midanik said, are
sport enthusiasts engaging and havmore than willing to exchange pering fun with virtual vehicles spatsonal information to enter a special
tered with Pfaff logos.
event that strikes their fancy.
Susan Gubasta, president of the
"Consumers are never as open as
2020 CIAS, said e-gaming will return
they are at an experience. Not recto the show.
ognizing and setting up mechanisms
"It's one of the fastest-growing
to track that is a huge missed opporforms of entertainment out there,
tunity."
and what a great way to engage with
consumers," Gubasta said.
E-GAMING AT AUTO SHOWS
Auto shows are, and have always
Representing several high-perbeen, experiential marketing. But
formance brands, Pfaff Automotive
the CIAS team is focused on enrichPartners is known for its motoring that approach with lots of intersports activities, track days and
active features to foster, celebrate
high-octane VIP events.
and experience car culture, she said.
"Pfaff has always been big on
Too many shows are just about
experiential - events probably
"current cars on a carpet. If it's just
take a larger percentage of our budthat, why would consumers want to
get than the average dealer," said
go to the show every year?" - ANC
Laurance Yap, Pfaff Automotive's

Automotive News Canada - May 2019 - v2

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