Brett Hyman

There have been some fundamental shifts in where creativity originates, but much of that conversation has gotten wrapped up in a false dichotomy between agencies and in-house marketing teams. Agencies cannot lament the slow migration of creative work to internal teams. Instead, we need to reconsider how we view creativity and stop trapping our partners behind insurmountable communication barriers.

Running a successful creative agency has always been about adapting, whether that's to digital trends, client preferences or financial pressures. But increasingly, agencies are also being forced to adapt to a new kind of creativity -- one that's a result of strategy, design and production coming together.

As digital consumption increases, it seems that the communities within online platforms get smaller. Experiential marketing has the power to unlock these closed communities and allow marketers to leverage peer-to-peer connections that turn customers into micro-influencers within their trusted groups. Millennials and Generation Zers, after all, seek experiences over material items.

But experiential marketing isn’t just about impressing people. It’s about impressing people in a way that galvanizes them to impress others. The experience is a catalyst that sparks conversations and drives conversions. The point is not to have any effect; it’s to have an intended effect. And to be successful, you must define what that is early on, then build every aspect of your experience around it.

Launching an agency takes a huge leap of faith -- not only in yourself but also in your offering. So, when things start going well, it can feel like a weight has lifted. But now isn't the time to get comfortable. In fact, starting your agency may have been the easy part. Now, you have to scale.

If consumers first experience a brand in real-life, they’re more likely to pause and engage with that brand when they see it on social media. By combining experiential marketing with your social media campaign, you increase the potency of marketing efforts in ancillary channels.

As marketers, we're used to fighting the fear of missing out — always connecting, watching and following the conversation to ensure we're not whiffing on valuable opportunities. But when it comes to trends in marketing, it's important to realize the distinction between the ones worth exploring and the ones that may have run their course.

Not every budding business needs a board of mentors and a few million in investments to succeed. Aspiring business owners can make the most of their own resources, growing from scratch before breaking into the bigger scene.

Whether you're hosting 10 million people or 10, a strategy that's guided by the brand and driven with a powerful narrative will inspire consumers to share that experience with an exponentially larger audience. The more personal the experience, the better the results.

As more marketers pioneer the experiential frontier, there’s prime opportunity to capitalize on the power of influencers’ followings by providing them more compelling content to share.

These three strategies join influencer and experiential marketing in a way that nurtures brands while creating the highest return on investment.

Client retention isn't a race, and there isn't a finish line. Instead, build your customer relationships on these three pillars to create a solid foundation for your company to grow on.

Gamification is becoming an immensely valuable experiential marketing tactic because it allows brands to capture important consumer data through rewarding experiences that boost consumer engagement and increase brand loyalty. And when gamification is paired with the ever-expanding reach of mobile technology, brands can deliver messages to more consumers than ever before.