THE MOST SOCIAL EVENTS FOR BRAND SPONSORS

THE MOST SOCIAL EVENTS FOR BRAND SPONSORS WHAT BRAND SPONSORS NEED TO KNOW IN 2015 A STUDY OF BRANDED CONTENT SHARING FROM LIVE EVENTS

THE MOST SOCIAL EVENTS FOR BRAND SPONSORS TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary & Industry Recommendations 3 Defining What Social Means for Brand Sponsors 4 The Most Social Types of Events 5 Trends in Social Endorsements 8 Why Social Endorsements Matter - Impact and ROI 10 Conclusion 11 Methodology 11 Social events can increase a sponsor s organic reach, develop new brand advocates, generate positive brand sentiment and cultivate purchase intent. Tagkast is a fast growing marketing software company that has designed a system to generate social media endorsements for event sponsors. It s a simple tool that promotes branded content sharing and viral behavior amongst your consumers. Learn more at: www.tagkast.com. The Most Social Events for Brand Sponsors 2

THE MOST SOCIAL EVENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY THE MOST SOCIAL EVENTS FOR BRAND SPONSORS From a brand sponsor perspective, the most social live events result when on-site consumers personally share their brand interactions to social media resulting in social endorsements. By exploring how often consumers share branded content at events, we have identified two different categories - events with High Social Endorsement Scores and events with Low Social Endorsement Scores. Each category informs how brand sponsors should execute their sponsorship spends to optimize social sharing and ROI. The most social types of events are explored on pages 5-7. Overall, events are becoming more social for brand sponsors. The cumulative rate at which branded content is being shared from tablet photo marketing platforms has grown from 25 percent to 51 percent from Q1 2014 to Q1 2015. This signals significant improvement in the industry s technological ability to optimize how event guests share branded content combined with a growing acceptance of native, sponsored content within 51% 2015 25% 2014 consumer feeds. See more trends in social endorsements on pages 8 and 9. OVERALL AVERAGE SHARE RATE WHY SOCIAL ENDORSEMENTS MATTER: IMPACT FOR BRAND SPONSORS Social endorsement programs, when executed well, have the ability to tie event marketing directly into a brand sponsor s overall business objectives. Below are some examples of how the proper social endorsement strategy can help brands increase their organic reach, develop new advocates, generate positive brand sentiment and cultivate purchase intent. Go to pages 10 and 11 to see more details about the ROI of social endorsement programs. AUTOMOTIVE Tablet photo marketing platforms allow consumers to share event-based content with their personal social networks. Shared photos ideally branded photos with cars can generate exponential word-of-mouth reach for brands and develop significantly more positive brand sentiment online. With analytics, this on-site and digital activity can be captured for lead cultivation. INSURANCE, BANKING Trusted consumer recommendations are advertising gold in the financial sector - and branded photo sharing from live events can accelerate the rate of social endorsements in an scalable way. If you also integrate lead generation capabilities into your activations, your event marketing programs will measurably help fuel your sales pipeline with high-quality leads. ALCOHOL, BEVERAGE Product tastings at events can be the key to gaining loyal consumers and increasing market share. When branded photo sharing activities are included in these live consumer experiences, your sponsored tastings immediately transform into viral, visual product endorsements that can reach entirely new networks of potential consumers. NONPROFIT Providing consumers with a way to capture and broadcast personal brand stories can significantly amplify the reach of a fundraising activity in an organic way. In addition to expanding the reach of a fundraising initiative, these photo endorsements can drive meaningful web traffic and action on e-commerce donation pages through link sharing. The Most Social Events for Brand Sponsors 3

THE MOST SOCIAL EVENTS DEFINING SOCIAL Events are inherently social. They combine the best of above and below the line sales promotion with an unparalleled ability to engage consumers through shared, real-time experiences. Many marketers see events as an opportunity for increased brand recognition and consumer engagement, but after the fact, they are left with a very vague idea as to how many people saw and interacted with their brand. So for event sponsors, the question becomes how do you leverage the inherent socialness of live events to maximize marketing reach, win new customers and cultivate loyal brand advocates? Before drawing any conclusions, we have to define what social means for event and sponsorship marketers. From a brand sponsor perspective, the most social live events result from on-site consumers exhibiting the capacity and propensity to share their brand experiences through photo endorsements. Why photos? Visual shares will maximize the reach of social endorsements because platforms have modified their algorithms to highlight visual content (posts with images receive 94 percent more views than text).* By exploring the frequency in which branded photos are shared from events, we can identify the most social types of events for brand sponsors. And through that exploration, we can further pinpoint how to optimize each unique event property to drive a strong ROI directly from an event marketing program. The Most Social Events for Brand Sponsors 4 * Source: MDG Advertising - http://www.mdgadvertising.com/blog/its-all-about-the-images-infographic/

THE MOST SOCIAL EVENTS TYPES OF EVENTS This section explores what types of events lend themselves more to consumer social sharing and why. Tagkast organized the 2,600 promotional activations represented in the data into 9 event types - Auto Show, Bar Event, Concert/Music Event, Conference/Expo, Cultural Event/Festival, Fundraiser, Home and Garden Event/Tour, Sporting Event or Recreational Activity. Each activation utilized an event marketing platform that capture branded photos of consumers and then, presented them with a few ways to share their watermarked photos - share socially to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, or privately email the photo to themselves. [ [ By using the formula total social shares / total shared we can determine what event types create environments where audiences are more inclined to socially share their brand experiences.* Based on the average share rates outlined in the chart below, each event type can be organized into one of two categories: High Social Endorsement Scores (> 45 percent) and Low Social Endorsement Scores (< 45 percent). Both categories of events can be powerful but require unique approaches. The next section will explore how these scores inform the best way for sponsors to optimize social endorsement programs and social sharing rates at live events. Average Social Share Rate by Event Type High Social Endorsement Scores Low Social Scores 53% 51% 50% 50% 45% 45% 34% 22% 22% The Most Social Events for Brand Sponsors 5 * Total Social Shares = Count of branded photos posted to personal social media platforms. Total Shares = Count of all branded photos delivered to consumers via social media or email.

HIGH SOCIAL ENDORSEMENT SCORES In general, events with High Social Endorsement Scores are naturally primed for branded content sharing. Characteristically, guests are attending these fun experiences with groups of friends who are active on social media. Highest Average Share Rate - Concerts and Music Events The chart on page 5 shows that Concert and Music Events have the highest average share rate (53 percent). This isn t surprising when you consider how much smartphones and social media have changed the way we experience music. Fundraisers, Bar Events, Recreational Activities (marathons and outdoor activities, etc.), Sporting Events and Cultural Events and Festivals (movie premieres, festivals and award shows) each also have High Social Endorsement Scores. These events are entertainment or celebratory experiences with average share rates above 45 percent. Most Maximum Sharing - Sporting Events and Bar Events Events are complex. Only exploring averages constrains the dynamic story depicted by experiential data. By looking at the range of share rates, you can see just how social these events can be. Each event type in this category, as depicted in the floating bar chart below, has seen several social endorsement rates above 75 percent. More specifically, over 30 percent of Sporting Event and Bar Event activations have share rates that fall between 75 and 100 percent. The Sporting and Bar Events with the highest share rates - events like NCAA basketball games or product launches at bars - result when sponsors combine an event s inherent socialness with a solid social activation strategy. The best social activation strategies 1) ensure that the activation is seamlessly integrated with other elements of the event and 2) set up memorable live experiences that have the ability to resonate with further audiences on social media. Range of Social Share Rates - High Social Endorsement Scores The shaded blue area of each bar represents the middle 60 percent of the data - respectively depicting the majority of the share rates for each event type. The vertical whisker lines illustrate the full range of sharing that occurred in the data for each event type, respectively. Finally, the orange x shows the average share rate indicated in the chart on page 5. The Most Social Events for Brand Sponsors 6

LOW SOCIAL ENDORSEMENT SCORES Unlike the first category, these events are not always naturally primed for social sharing. Auto Shows, Conferences and Expos and Home and Garden Events or Tours fall into this category because social media is typically not a core component of the guest experience or event strategy. In addition, most individuals attend Conferences or Expos alone or with work colleagues rather than groups of friends and family. How to Maximize ROI from Events with Low Social Endorsement Scores Although these events are characteristically less social, if they fit with a brand s target audience and business objectives better than other event types, they can still drive powerful ROI for an event marketing program. The floating bar chart below shows that while the average share rate is lower, it s still very possible to secure high social endorsements rates - several activations have sharing between 75 and 100 percent. Additionally, from an ROI prospective, the quality of the social endorsements can offset a low share rate. For example, Auto Shows allow for images to be taken while consumers are in and interacting with a car. That s a much stronger product endorsement than just a watermarked photo at a sponsored event. The key to this category is to ensure a sponsor s event marketing strategy successfully drives business objectives. Since these events are not naturally primed for sharing, sponsors that bring in an industry expert to assist with the activation may be more likely to see 1) powerful social endorsements and/or 2) sharing rates at the maximum side of the range depicted in the chart below. Range of Social Share Rates - Low Social Endorsement Scores The shaded blue area of each bar represents the middle 60 percent of the data - respectively depicting the majority of the share rates for each event type. The vertical whisker lines illustrate the full range of sharing that occurred in the data for each event type, respectively. Finally, the orange x shows the average share rate indicated in the chart on page 5. The Most Social Events for Brand Sponsors 7

Branded Photo Sharing by Platform, Year-Over-Year THE MOST SOCIAL EVENTS TRENDS IN SOCIAL ENDORSEMENTS When looking at how consumers are sharing content, social media has quickly overtaken email at onsite activations. Facebook has grown significantly in its percentage of sharing, email has declined and Twitter remains small. While in 2015 total emails sent remained higher than Facebook and Twitter individually, when combined together social platforms outperformed email [chart above]. Overall, events are becoming more social for brand sponsors. The cumulative rate of social endorsements occurring from tablet, photo marketing platforms has grown from 25 percent to 51 percent [see chart at top of page 9]. With every event type explored in the data, more consumers shared branded photos of themselves interacting with sponsors in Q1 of 2015 than in Q1 of 2014 [see chart at bottom of page 9 for growth by event type]. These trends signal powerful improvements in the industry s technological ability to optimize how consumers share photos from live events. In addition, consumers are becoming more willing to personally share branded content - supporting the industry-wide growing acceptance of native advertising and sponsored content within social feeds. The Most Social Events for Brand Sponsors 8

Overall Average Social Share Rate, Year-Over-Year 25% 51% 2014 2015 Growth in Social Endorsements by Event Type 121% 96% 73% 73% 67% 66% 60% 57% 43% This study found that share rates grew for all event types from the first quarter of 2014 to the first quarter of 2015. The percent growth in sharing branded content from tablet platforms at Sports Events grew 121 percent. Auto Shows, Concerts and Fundraisers also saw high growth in that time period (96 percent, 73 percent and 73 percent, respectively). Home and Garden Events and Tours, Cultural Events and Festivals, Recreational Activities, Bar Events and Conferences also saw growth (67 percent, 66 percent, 60 percent, 57 percent, and 43 percent, respectively). The Most Social Events for Brand Sponsors 9

THE MOST SOCIAL EVENTS WHY SOCIAL ENDORSEMENTS MATTER [ [ Social endorsements increase an event s organic reach, develop new brand advocates, generate positive brand sentiment and cultivate purchase intent. Events are a great way to build relationships, but come with risks - they re one of the most expensive marketing activities from a cost-per-interaction perspective. Only a certain number of people can physically interact with a sponsor at an event - signage, paraphernalia, product placements - but when those people share watermarked images with their social networks, the brand awareness multiplies. Social events provide the optimal environment for sponsors to better achieve goals with the same marketing spend. The chart below explores various marketing ROIs for a range of event types, sizes and brand sponsor industries. At the NCAA Basketball Game [chart line 1], a targeted group of almost 85,000 individuals were made aware of an Insurance Savings Program because their friends shared the campaign on social media. A music streaming company [chart line 2] sponsors concerts to engage Millennnials in a natural environment for their brand. The activation amplified their ability to reach a key audience by almost 80,000 percent. At the Buffalo Tour de Cure [chart line 3], more than 65,000 additional individuals were personally exposed to the ADA s fundraising initiative by their networks and provided links to donate online. A top automotive brand sponsors obstacle races [chart line 4] to position their brand as tough and adventurous. The company is able to significantly amplify this association in a targeted, organic way with branded photo activations. Even with an average share rate, Subaru s Auto Show activation [chart line 5] drove results because 98 percent of the photos shared were of consumers interacting with a vehicle. That means 943 consumer posts were visual product endorsements that cultivated purchase intent and positive brand sentiment (via comments). The Most Social Events for Brand Sponsors 10

[ THE MOST SOCIAL EVENTS CONCLUSION [ consumers exhibiting the capacity and propensity to share their Social endorsements - for event sponsors - results from on-site brand experiences through photos. When marketers invest in a promotional event, they want to know they re getting the most bang for their buck. Branded photo sharing at live events maximizes the ROI of event marketing programs. Branded photo sharing does not only amplify organic reach, but also transforms face-toface interactions at live events into viral, social endorsements. By understanding how social your event naturally is, sponsors can develop the best strategy to amplify reach, generate word-of-mouth recommendations and drive sales directly from live events. METHODOLOGY This report used data from Tagkast client events. It looked at year-over-year event metrics spanning 15 months between January 1, 2014 through March 31, 2015. The data represents brand activations from almost 2,600 events that occurred in the United States, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Australia. Event size ranged from a few hundred to hundreds of thousands of attendees. address: 600 West Chicago Ave #775, Chicago, IL 60654 phone: 1-844-tagkast email: info@tagkast.com site: www.tagkast.com twitter: @tagkast facebook: facebook.com/tagkast linkedin: linkedin.com/company/tagkast The Most Social Events for Brand Sponsors 11