Getting Socially Experiential

Promotional work is a staple of most actors incomes. From street corners to shopping centres; handing out leaflets to demo-ing the latest devices – 9 times out of 10 that person is an actor and it all comes under the umbrella of experiential marketing. Actors make the perfect exuberant and dynamic vehicles to deliver facts and figures in a open and engaging way, they’re also flexible enough to be on-call for when jobs come along.
As a method of direct marketing it’s fantastic. Using armies of well trained brand ambassadors experiential agencies are able to actively engage specifically targeted groups of people and deliver a message through the most efficient means possible, word-of-mouth. We’re social animals and one-on-one interaction is an incredibly powerful tool when it comes to flogging a product.
I’ve been working in experiential marketing for a few years, first as a brand ambassador and now as an event manager. It’s infrequent work, well paid, but infrequent. My hope is to make the transition in-house to actually be someone who helps run the campaigns and hopefully using my field experience to benefit an agency.
Experiential marketing has always had one major flaw, limited audience. It’s relied solely on footfall and attendees for years to put it’s message across. However, more than most sectors, it has real potential to expand it’s reach with social media. By incorporating the internet and social media experiential campaigns have the ability to reach far greater audiences. From something as simple as tagging someone in a branded picture that picture can be viewed by hundreds. And all it takes is another person to simply like the image and you begin to see the potential for exponential viral growth.
It’ll be interesting to see where it leads, but suddenly these once niche campaigns have the potential to match audience reach equivalent to traditional mass media.

Can an actor change his jobs

I made the choice to leave acting, stepped into the fresh air of a brave new world and thought… hang-on, seriously what can I do?

For any arts professional there is a disconnection between the world we inhabit and the 9-5 world of those around us.  Actors have an amazing coping mechanism and an ‘all in this together’ attitude to get through the harsh periods without work. We struggle to sustain a career that to the outside world can only look like madness! At times it seems just as mad to those on the inside.  But actors must be tenacious by nature, and that is one of the many qualities any employer should be excited by.

Trying to quantify your skills to fit the real world is tricky.  I began by looking at the ‘real’ jobs I’ve worked in the past – and found skills in MS Office, computer proficiency, and making good cups of tea.  I then looked at my acting resume – well I’m confident at public speaking, have a strong command of the English language, and do a lovely turn in animal characters…

Last year I started blogging, and much to my surprise those skills, alongside SEO and social media, are in demand. So I’ve thrown my perfect CV out to the winds and tried to find a career in marketing and digital media.  Why marketing? Well it’s creative, it’s varied, it’s got good career opportunities, and it’s always looking at where to find its next audience.  It’s almost like acting for grownups!