Women and Generation Y consumers say their purchase decisions are more heavily influenced by experiential marketing programs -- live event marketing experiences where consumers interact with a product or brand face-to-face -- versus television advertising and direct mail, according to results of the Experiential Marketing Survey, released today by global experiential brand communications agency Jack Morton Worldwide.

The Experiential Marketing Survey analyzed the impact of experiential marketing on all demographics and studied the effectiveness of this increasingly critical marketing medium for particular product categories.

The on-line survey of 800 consumers ages 18-65 was conducted by Connecticut-based Sponsorship Research International (SRi) for Jack Morton between October 20 and October 22, 2003. A white paper reporting the results of the Experiential Marketing Survey is available on-line.

Among all women, 43% rated experiential marketing the medium most likely to cause them to purchase a product or service quickly, compared to advertising (20%) and direct mail (37%). Among 18 to 23 year old Generation Y respondents of both genders, 36% rated experiential marketing the favored medium for influencing purchase consideration, compared to advertising (32%) and direct mail (33%).

The influence of experiential marketing was shown to vary by industry category, with food and beverages, cars, computers/software and cell phones the top categories for event marketing across gender and age. Among women, household, personal and healthcare products and services also ranked high.

The survey also revealed some of the factors that increase the influence of live event marketing experiences on consumers, including:

• Location: Malls, in-store events and fairs and public events were the
  preferred venues for an experiential marketing program, especially
  among those aged 18-37.

• Entertainment: Events that integrate entertainment along with an
  opportunity to test a product are strongly preferred by respondents
  across all age demographics, indicating the greater impact of branded
  experiences compared to mere sampling or sales promotion.

• Duration: Consumers will spend up to 14 minutes participating in an
  experiential marketing program; women are willing to spend more time
  on average than men in malls and stores.

• Interaction: The presence of on-site representatives and the ability
  to experience the event with others are the top two factors
  respondents say make live event marketing experiences more enjoyable.
  Additionally, consumers overwhelmingly preferred smaller events
  offering a more intimate setting to interact with a product/brand.

• Affinity: Consumers are most likely to participate in an experiential
  marketing program showcasing a product they have heard of but never
  tried, followed by a product they already use.

Additionally, the survey endorses experiential marketing's ability to enhance the value of other marketing investments. Almost nine out of 10 consumers agreed that participating in a live event marketing experience for a particular product/brand would make them more receptive to advertising supporting it.

Jack Morton's CEO Josh McCall commented, "This research further validates the increasing importance of experiential marketing and provides a clear statement of its impact on targeted consumer audiences."