Experiential marketing has achieved steep growth because of its dynamic approach, which has transformed the traditional landscape of brand promotion. Besides with consumers become increasingly selective about the content they engage with, experiential marketing has emerged as a powerful strategy to create lasting impressions, forge emotional connections, and drive brand loyalty.

From The Grub Fest to Lollapalooza to Zomaland, no brand wants to be left behind when it's about leveraging the experiential game. A liquor brand like Blenders Pride also partnered with Fashion NXT to establish a synergy between alco-bev and fashion.

To know more about this spurt in experiential marketing and its potential we caught up with

Kartik Mohindra, Chief Marketing Officer and Head-Global Business Development at Pernod Ricard India.

“With Blenders Pride Fashion NXT, we endeavour to re-imagine the platform where the evolving lifestyle aspirations of our consumers, seamlessly intertwine with the pulse of global fashion. From cutting-edge fashion shows, immersive experiences by trending lifestyle brands, elevated music and several other stylish engagements under one roof, we hope the platform resonates with the aspirations of the young generation,” he added.

But a fashion show with music and liquor, doesn’t sound too unique right? So, what’s the X factor here?

To begin with, Mohindra said, the Fashion NXT Festivals are India’s first fashion festival experience. There’s no other festival format that brings together multifaceted experiences from the world of fashion and lifestyle. The brand has been taking names that define India’s fashion industry like Varun Bahl, Rimzim Dadu, JJ Valaya to Bhubaneswar, Gurugram, Hyderabad and Pune. 

“For the first time, we’ve opened the doors to our premium, fashionable experiences for consumers to witness the brand’s uber-glamorous world,” added the CMO.

And for alco-bev brands, who are in a soup with ASCI for surrogate advertising issues, experiential marketing looks like the best way forward to reach out to their consumers. 

With regards to this, Mohindra highlighted that while Pernod Ricard India has always been compliant with regulatory requirements for advertising, their need for experiential marketing stems from the fact that they are a lifestyle brand after all. 

He believes by creating such immersive experiences, they are essentially listening to their consumers who seek fashion, style, glamour and want to associate with a brand that is at the pinnacle of these expressions.

“We are cognizant of these aspirations of our consumers, we partner with leading platforms and industry bodies to tailor-make experiences that are relevant for them, and that would make them gravitate towards the brand,” he added.

Further are there any challenges the brand faces? Well yes. The executive expressed, “It’s not just our industry, the marketing landscape itself is rapidly evolving in India. Consumers are increasingly becoming more discerning and aware of global trends, demanding deeper associations with the brands they consume, regardless of categories and especially so if you’re a lifestyle brand.”

Additionally, there's also a rise of consumer cohorts beyond metro cities, necessitating a focus on addressing the needs of diverse audiences in tier I and tier II cities, who are becoming increasingly affluent and demand engaging experiences to connect with them.

According to Mohindra, “The advent of digital has accelerated this further, democratising access to information and brands. Overall, there has been a rapid evolution of consumers across the board. Therefore, we constantly ensure that our comms, our experiential platforms and our collaborations are relevant, keeping up with evolving trends, and fostering brand love for our consumers.”

About the success of the event, Mohindra shared: “From the ‘talkability’ we’ve created in PR, the engagement we’ve garnered on social media, the buzz on-ground before the event, to the audience turnout at the festivals, there has been a lot of positives from the first edition. Consumers who attended the festivals have shared raving reviews of their experience, vowing to come back whenever the festivals are hosted again in their city. These are great signs for us to continue to build on the platform.”

Futuristically looking at Blenders Pride Fashion NXT, the marketing leader hopes to scale this further while carefully calibrating the collaborations and experiences they bring to the consumers and the cities they take the format to, and continue to curate the most spectacular fashion experiences.