When it comes to marketing campaigns, engagement is a key metric. As marketers, we dread the thought of our campaigns falling flat. At the same time, it’s getting so much harder to hook today’s highly distracted consumer.
At 3radical, we’ve seen how good interactive campaigns can be. Done well, campaigns are fun😁, not dull, and results are strong💪, not weak.
With a few solid ideas in your back pocket, you can create campaigns that customers love and senior management rave about.
So, let’s get into it.
What are interactive marketing campaigns?
Let’s start with some context: What exactly is an interactive marketing campaign? An easy way to think of it is interactive marketing campaigns invite a two-way conversation➡️⬅️.
Unlike traditional one-way marketing tactics.⬇️
That moment where customers think “Ah, okay, this looks fun.” Then click and stay engaged. This could look like anything from social media polls and quizzes to augmented reality experiences and personalised email journeys.
In other words, people are busy, and attention spans are short—but they are still willing to engage in campaigns if they’re entertaining.
By using interactive campaigns, brands can turn a campaign into an experience, gather valuable customer insights, like zero-party data, and see a higher return on investment.
Interactive marketing isn’t just about promoting products; it’s about starting conversations and building communities around your brand.
To make this a bit more concrete, let’s look at some examples.
1. Interactive quizzes
Instead of sending your audience dull questionnaires and polls, use interactive quizzes for a fun and engaging way to understand your audience on a deeper level. Through unique and gamified quiz formats, you can uncover insights about your audience—that might otherwise remain hidden.
Nobody wants to waste their life filling out forms🥱. But give them a gamified experience, and you’ll have them hooked.
Here are a few examples:
Uncover audience pain points
Structuring questions to understand what makes someone tick, goes beyond surface-level interactions. They delve into the core of your audience’s needs and challenges, enabling you to tailor your products and services to address their specific pain points effectively. If you are a tour operator, you could ask, “What’s your biggest challenge when booking a holiday?”.
Identify key events for targeted marketing
By asking questions little and often we can start to understand the micro-moments that matter. As marketers, we really need to go beyond a birthday offer! How about holidays, anniversaries, kids starting secondary school or leaving home. Gathering data about these moments and events that resonate most with your audience, you can plan timely, relevant and captivating marketing campaigns.
A quiz for every purpose
From personality quizzes that build a deeper connection to shoppable quizzes that drive sales, and even educational quizzes for the classroom, the possibilities are endless. Each type of quiz offers a unique way to engage and understand your audience, making your marketing efforts more targeted and effective.
Discover product preferences
This could be a quiz that walks you through various fashion styles. This approach can reveal whether your audience cares more about quality than fit, or prefers cocktail dresses or crop tops, guiding your product offerings and marketing strategies.
💊Real-life example: Boots vitamin quiz
Boots’ vitamins quiz walks through a series of questions about how you feel and your lifestyle to make product recommendations tailored to you. They also capture email addresses for future marketing.
2. Augmented reality experiences
Augmented Reality (AR) transforms the way customers interact with products, offering them an immersive and interactive experience. By integrating AR into your marketing campaigns, you can create memorable and engaging interactions that go beyond traditional advertising.
Visualise products in real-time
For instance, a furniture brand could develop an AR app allowing customers to see how a sofa or table would look in their living room. This real-time visualisation helps with decision-making and enhances the shopping experience.
Try-on features for fashion and beauty
In the fashion and beauty sectors, AR can enable customers to virtually try on clothes or makeup, giving them a feel for how the products would look on them. This not only adds an element of fun but also increases the likelihood of purchase.
Interactive packaging
Imagine a product label or packaging that comes alive when viewed through an AR app. This could tell a story about the product, offer usage tips, or even provide interactive games related to the brand.
Educational experiences
AR can also be educational. A food brand, for instance, could use AR to show the nutritional benefits of products or suggest recipes when a customer scans the product with their smartphone.
Virtual tours
Estate agents and travel companies can leverage AR for virtual tours, allowing customers to explore properties or destinations from the comfort of their homes. This immersive experience can significantly influence customer decisions.
💄Real-life example: Estée Lauder
Estée Lauder launched a virtual try-on AR campaign on Snapchat for its makeup offerings. The AR experience enabled users to try-on over 60 shades of Estée Lauder’s foundations, see what suits them best and then swipe-up to buy.
Users open the Snapchat camera and click on the campaign icon in the Lens carousel, or scan the Snapcode. Once the experience is activated, users can select from the entire foundation range of Double Wear or Futuristrist Hydra and a lipstick shade to complete the look. They can then Swipe up to shop their favourite products from the Estée Laude.
3. Virtual events
Events have been a mainstay in the marketer’s toolkit for decades. Of course, the hard part is creating an event that doesn’t suck—and making sure the right people attend. But virtual events and webinars can be a great form of interactive marketing. They’re a unique way to get real-time engagement and knowledge sharing.
Plus, they open doors to global audiences, break geographical barriers, and provide valuable insights.
Here are a few ideas to consider:
Live interaction and Q&A sessions
When hosting webinars, be intentional about making them super engaging, including methods to get participants to ask questions in real time, engage in polls, or participate in live discussions. This level of interaction not only keeps the audience engaged but also gives you immediate feedback and interaction, making the experience more personal and valuable.
Educational webinars with influencers or industry experts
Hosting webinars with influencers or industry experts on relevant topics can position your brand as a thought leader. These sessions can cover anything from product demos to industry trends, providing educational content that adds value to your audience.
Virtual networking opportunities
In the B2B space, virtual events are great for networking. Participants can interact with peers and industry leaders in breakout rooms or through chat functions. This creates a sense of community and can lead to meaningful connections and collaborations.
Interactive workshops and training sessions
Offering interactive workshops or training sessions as part of your virtual event can enhance the learning experience. Participants can work through exercises in real time, ask questions, and get immediate support, making the learning process more effective and engaging.
👩💻Real-life example: Metadata’s DEMAND Virtual Event
In case you haven’t heard, DEMAND is Metadata’s 100% free and on-demand or virtual event that brings together business, marketing, and sales leaders to network, learn, and grow.
After the event, there is a free-to-access content hub with 20+ hours of insights from 30+ leaders. Off the back of this, Metadata also launched the DEMAND Community, to connect B2B marketers across industries and growth stages.
Community members had a 93.8% response rate and a 95% sentiment score. Exclusive activities include weekly roundtables, quarterly in-person networking events, and monthly masterclasses taught by the best in the industry.
4. User generated content
User-generated content (UGC) can build relationships, boost cart-size, and so on. But it can also be a powerhouse for interactive marketing. When you encourage customers to create and share content related to your brand, it enhances engagement and builds a community around your products or services.
Here’s a few ideas and a killer example at the bottom:
Storytelling contests
Encourage your audience to share their personal stories or experiences related to your brand or product. This approach not only generates content but also builds emotional connections with your audience, as they share and read others’ experiences.
Art and design competitions
For brands in creative industries, hosting art or design contests can be super effective. For example, you could invite customers to create artwork inspired by your brand, which can then be featured in your marketing materials or even turned into actual products.
Photo and video challenges
Launch a contest inviting customers to submit photos or videos using your product. This not only provides you with authentic content to share but also increases brand visibility as participants share their entries on their social media.
Hashtag campaigns
Create a unique hashtag for your contest, encouraging users to share their content with this hashtag. This not only makes it easy to track entries but also creates a buzz around your brand as the hashtag circulates on social media platforms.
📲Real-life example: ASOS #AySauce
One standout example, is ASOS’s new TikTok challenge with the hashtag #AySauce, which asks users to post a 15-second video showcasing three outfits of their choice.
Those who take part in the #AySauce challenge will be encouraged to interact with more Asos content in the TikTok app’s “explore” tab on the challenge page, and can also use augmented reality (AR) filters called Branded Effects when making their video.
The campaign recorded over 1.2 billion video views in just 6 days. On top of that, the creative achieved an engagement rate of 15.79%.
I mean, can we pause for a moment and appreciate these results? 👏😍🔥
5. Interactive infographics
Sometimes we need a way to present data in an interactive and engaging way, and that’s where interactive infographics can come in. They transform static information into an engaging, dynamic experience, making it easier and more enjoyable for your audience to absorb complex data.
Here’s a few ideas of how this might work:
Clickable data points
Design infographics where users can click on different elements for more information or to see different data visualisations. This interactive element turns a simple data presentation into an exploratory experience, keeping the audience engaged.
Animated statistics
Incorporate animations that bring statistics to life. As the user scrolls or clicks through the infographic, numbers and data points can animate, making the information more impactful and memorable.
Storytelling through data
Use interactive elements to tell a story with your data. As users engage with different parts of the infographic, they can uncover a narrative that ties the data points together, providing context and making the information more relatable.
User-driven data exploration
Allow users to customise what data they see or how it’s presented. For example, they could adjust variables to see different scenarios or choose which data sets to compare, giving them control over their viewing experience.
Integrated surveys and polls
Embed surveys or polls within your infographic. This not only makes the experience more interactive but also provides you with valuable feedback and data directly from your audience.
👨👩👧👦Real-life example: Family fun in Scottsdale interactive infographic
Created to promote the Marriott hotel in Scottsdale, this simple flow-chart interactive infographic uses an engaging style and offers a set of local Scottsdale activities.
It engages the viewer through follow-up questions, which lead them down the path just like a choose-your-own-adventure book.
It’s intuitive and easy to use, and the retro style is entertaining.
6. Gamified loyalty programmes
You want to earn customer trust so they keep returning to your brand. One of the best ways to do this is through loyalty programmes. But gamified loyalty programmes take things to a whole new level, encouraging repeat engagement, purchases, and more.
Let’s look at a few examples:
Points-based rewards system
Create a points system where customers earn points for various interactions with your brand, such as making purchases, sharing on social media, or writing reviews. These points can then be redeemed for discounts, freebies, or exclusive offers.
Levels and milestones
Introduce different levels or milestones in your loyalty program. As customers accumulate points, they can unlock new levels, each offering better rewards or exclusive benefits, adding a sense of achievement and progression.
Challenges and missions
Set up challenges or missions for customers to complete, like visiting your store on multiple days, trying different product categories, or referring friends. Completing these can earn them bonus points or special rewards.
Leaderboards and competitions
Incorporate leaderboards to foster a sense of competition among customers. Those who earn the most points or complete challenges quickly can be recognized on the leaderboard, possibly winning additional rewards or public recognition.
Personalised rewards
Offer rewards that are personalised based on customer preferences or past purchases. This not only makes the rewards more desirable but also shows customers that you value and understand their individual tastes.
👓Real-life example: Essilor eye care
This is another B2B example we can learn from. Essilor, leading global lens manufacturer, launched a rewards scheme where eye care health professionals received a code when a customer bought the latest lenses (Varilux Comfort Max).
In Ireland, that meant they could complete a stamp/loyalty card. In the UK, it got a little more exciting. These customers gained plays of a scratch card. Both offered additional awards – like £100 Amazon and £5,000 holiday vouchers.
The result? Sales increased by 10% and engagement went up by 20%. And 5,300 unique data points were captured.
7. Personalised email journeys
More than anything, customers just want to feel seen. When we receive messages personalised just for us, we immediately feel understood. One way to achieve this is through personalised email journeys.
This form of interactive marketing, turns emails into not just a form of communication but a tailored experience for each recipient. By leveraging data (such as zero-party data), these emails dynamically adapt to the actions and exact preferences of each individual.
Here are just a few examples:
Behaviour-triggered emails
Set up emails that are triggered by specific customer behaviours, like visiting a certain product page or abandoning a shopping cart. These timely and relevant emails can significantly increase engagement and conversion rates.
Segmented email series
Divide your audience into segments based on their interests, purchase history, or engagement levels. Tailor your email content for each segment, ensuring that each message resonates with its intended audience.
Interactive content within emails
Incorporate interactive elements like polls, surveys, or clickable sliders in your emails. These features not only make the emails more engaging but also provide additional data about your customers’ preferences and behaviours.
Personalised product recommendations
Based on zero-party data or a customer’s past purchases or browsing history, send emails with personalised product recommendations. This approach not only increases the relevance of your emails but also encourages repeat purchases.
📧Real-life example: Michael’s revive your reactivation campaign
Michaels, the largest arts & crafts retailer in North America, activated more than eighty-thousand lapsed email addresses, with the use of a survey and holiday-themed gamified Advent calendar.
Through this approach, they obtained valuable, previously uncapturable, earned data needed to create personalised and highly relevant marketing communications. The results were impressive. 80k+ unique emails were reactivated with an estimated value of $400k. Engagement soured with 41% of clicks engaging with the experience.
The best bit? Michael’s captured 2,500 previously uncapturable zero-party data points. Data they can use on an ongoing basis to get even more personalised on an individual level.
8. Interactive videos
It’s easy to fall into the trap of static campaigns. Enter interactive videos where audiences actively participate in the storytelling process. These videos transform passive viewers into active participants, enhancing engagement and message retention.
Choose-your-own-adventure
Develop videos where viewers make choices that influence the storyline or outcome. This format not only keeps viewers engaged but also allows for multiple interactions with the same content, as they explore different story paths.
Interactive tutorials and how-to guides
Create interactive tutorials where viewers can choose specific topics or steps they want to learn about. This personalised approach makes learning more efficient and tailored to individual needs.
Shoppable videos
Integrate product links directly into your videos. Viewers can click on items they’re interested in and be taken directly to a product page, seamlessly combining content consumption with the shopping experience.
Gamified training experiences
For educational or training purposes, use interactive videos to present different scenarios. Viewers can choose how to respond to various situations, providing a practical and engaging learning experience.
♻️Real-life example: Saint-Gobain’s Net Zero Heroes
Saint-Gobain’s specialist distributor brands, Minster and Jewson Civils Frazer, had the task of driving awareness of their Net Zero by 2050 goal to their colleagues. Saint-Gobain colleagues were encouraged to interact with a gamified training experience and apply their learnings both at home and at work.
Colleagues were also motivated by rewards to take action: the more content they review, the more throws of the dice they unlock as they work their way around the board to collect tokens.
Along with promoting the experience through internal communication channels, promotional posters were created to be displayed in the employee areas of the branches.
These not only raised awareness about the campaign, but also allowed all colleagues,
including those without PC access, to quickly and easily gain access to the site on their
mobile phone using a simple QR code.
In addition, the online experience has a regional leaderboard so colleagues can check out their points progress against their colleagues.
By making their training an interactive experience, they achieved excellent results.
By the end of the campaign, more than 75% of colleagues had signed up with 90% viewing all available content.
And 23% of colleagues returned on the first day of the 2nd phase launch.
9. Virtual reality experiences
Steadily gaining traction, Virtual Reality (VR), is expected to grow by 27% from 2023 to 2030.
Instead of feeling out of reach, we’re increasingly seeing brands use VR for things like product demos as an immersive and interactive marketing tool, allowing customers to experience products in a lifelike virtual environment.
So, how can you leverage the power of VR in your marketing efforts? Here are a few ideas:
Immersive product trials
As the name suggests, VR enables customers to virtually try products in a realistic setting. For instance, car manufacturers now offer a virtual test drive, allowing customers to experience the vehicle in different environments and scenarios.
Virtual showrooms
Similarly you could create virtual showrooms where customers can explore a range of products in a 3D space. This is particularly effective for charities, where people can take virtual tours of private estates from anywhere in the world.
Interactive product customisation
Another way to think about using VR is by combining it with zero-party data. For example, you could offer an interactive VR experience where customers can customise products you know they might like according to their exact preferences. This could be used for customising beauty products, furniture, or even fashion items, providing a unique and personalised shopping experience.
Educational experiences and demonstrations
You could also use VR to educate customers about your products or services. For example, a tech company could demonstrate how a new gadget works in a virtual space, showing its features and benefits in an engaging way.
🍹Real-life example: Coca-Cola Creations
Beginning in 2022, Coca-Cola released mysterious new flavours with interactive campaigns designed to generate social media conversation. Consumers can scan an on-pack QR code to access the Coca‑Cola Creations Hub, where they can envision what their current reality could look like in the future.
It included VR and AR elements, and the exclusive theme amped up chatter on social media.
Although Coke has not released data on the impact of the campaign, CEO James Quincey told investors several times during the year that Creations exceeded expectations and had “tremendous traction” and engagement. Overall, Coca-Cola increased global case volume by 5% during 2022.
Engage your audience with the right interactive marketing campaigns
Whether you’re a retailer, finance brand, or non-profit, campaigns should never be set-and-forget. There’s always an opportunity to ask yourself: How can I make this more engaging and draw in audiences in unexpected ways?
When you incorporate the right interactive elements into your marketing campaigns, a single campaign can land multiple wins:
- highly engaged customers
- repeat orders
- increased cart size
- not to mention what you can do with all the zero-party data you collect. (Psst. here’s some ideas on how you can put those insights to use.)
With the right interactive marketing approach, you make sure:
- 😁Campaigns are highly engaging, fun, and entertaining
- 📈KPIs are exceeded with skyrocketing engagement, sales, and brand awareness
- ✋️Marketing gets the recognition it deserves by impacting the bottom line
How do you create that marketing campaign that delights customers and internal team members?
3radical’s gamification playbook is a good starting point.
Or if you’d rather leave your interactive marketing campaigns to the pros, let us know. We’re here for you!
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