Why Pub Quiz Works So Well as a Brand Engagement Activity

It’s a crucial issue for marketing executives and brand managers: how can we find ways for both loyal and new customers to “touch” our brand in unique and exciting ways?

I witnessed this firsthand when I was about 8 years old, when I went to Walt Disney World with my family. Old Walt understood the concept of audience brand engagement when he built his theme parks, allowing millions to “experience” his animated films in a real, tangible environment. Fast forward about 20 years, when I would listen to Jack FM – an 80s format radio station with a brief NYC run. The station encouraged listeners to email feedback and song suggestions, and as I soon discovered, “Jack” himself (a computer-altered, disembodied voice DJ) would respond with a personalized message.

I have no qualms admitting I am a complete dork when it comes to 80s music. However, I DID learn how powerful it is to engage “offline” with a brand you love in a very personal way.

That’s why I feel so strongly about using live trivia events for audience brand engagement. I got to tip my toes into this area during my time working in another corporate team building area, scavenger hunts; we would write hunts designed for lovers of a particular brand, taking them to appropriate places all throughout Manhattan and making sure they took lots of photos with the product along the way. While audiences did enjoy these kinds of experiential marketing activities, the feedback was always that that the depth of immersion into the brands was limited, and the experience somewhat lacking.

With pub quiz events, however, it’s much easier to create a fully-immersive brand experience, which is far more effective at engaging the target audience. Trivia questions can be custom-tailored to the exact audience in attendance, creating a high-energy competitive environment where attendees can get to show off their knowledge of the brand area, as well as the brand itself.

The venue can be completely transformed into “Brand X Live” using any variety of creative measures ranging from posters to furniture to video to you name it. Giveaways, too, are limited only by your imagination: T-shirts, pens, mugs, product samples or any other kind of branded swag will ensure that the audience leaves with a physical object to remember their experience by.

Pubs have the added benefit of being able to offer special concoctions which are brand-themed (think Big Blue drinks for IBM, etc.), not to mention being naturally suited for fostering socialization amongst fellow brand enthusiasts.

For companies searching for fresh, unique and highly customizable ways to engage “offline” with their audiences, pub quiz is a creative and effective option to consider.