Activations with the numbers counted at every site.
Sampling, mall and campus activations, roadshows, pop-ups and in-store promotions, with reach and conversion counted at each site instead of estimated.
- Lead time
- Three to six weeks
- Counted
- At every site, daily
- Reported
- Per site, never averaged
Why activations get counted here
The standard activation report is a number of people reached, an average across sites, and a folder of photographs. The number is usually an estimate made by the person being paid on it. Nobody can tell you which mall worked, which day of the week was worth staffing, or how many of the samples handed out reached somebody who could buy.
So we count instead. Interactions logged at each site as they happen, conversions recorded where there is something to convert, and reporting per site and per day rather than averaged into one figure. It costs a little more to run and it is the difference between a channel you can improve and a channel you repeat until the budget is cut.
The work itself is straightforward and depends entirely on execution. The right sites, permissions obtained properly, a mechanic somebody in a hurry will actually stop for, staff who have been trained properly instead of briefed on the morning, and stock and materials that arrive before the team does.
Staff are the part that decides it. An activation is delivered by the person standing there at four in the afternoon on the second day, and no amount of design compensates for somebody who does not know the product or does not want to be there. We recruit, train and supervise, and we never subcontract a headcount and hope.
Scope
What is included
Site selection and permissions
Malls, campuses, markets, offices or retail chosen for who is there and when, with permissions, licences and society approvals obtained properly, never assumed.
The mechanic
What you actually ask somebody to do, designed for a person in a hurry. A mechanic that needs ninety seconds of explanation is a mechanic that gets ignored at every site.
Staffing and training
Promoters recruited, trained on the product and supervised on site. Trained means they can answer the second question, which is where most activations lose the conversation.
Production and logistics
Kiosks, branding, uniforms, collateral, samples and stock, delivered to each site before the team arrives. Late stock costs a full day and the day cannot be recovered.
Counting and data capture
Interactions and conversions logged as they happen, with contact capture where you can act on it. Data collected with consent, so what you gather is usable afterwards.
Per-site reporting
Numbers by site and by day, with the photographs attached to the site they came from. What worked and what did not, named, so the next round is a better round.
How it runs
Weeks one and two
Objectives, sites and the mechanic agreed, permissions started, and the counting method decided. What gets recorded is settled now, because retrofitting measurement onto a live activation never works.
Weeks three and four
Staff recruited and trained, production and stock delivered to each site, and a pilot day run where the schedule allows. The pilot usually changes the mechanic, which is why it is worth the day.
During and after
Sites run and supervised, numbers reported daily rather than at the end, and a final report per site with the data, the photographs and what we would change.
What you get
- A site plan with permissions secured and dates confirmed
- Trained, supervised staff at every site
- Kiosks, branding, uniforms and collateral produced and delivered
- Daily counts by site, and contact data captured with consent
- A final report per site with photographs and recommendations
How it is judged
- Interactions counted at each site, never averaged across them
- Conversion at the point of activation, where there is something to convert
- Cost per interaction and cost per conversion by site
- Sales movement in the catchment, where retail data is available
Questions we get asked
How do you count reach?
Do you provide the promoters?
Who handles permissions?
Can we capture contact details?
How many sites do we need?
What does an activation cost?
Next
Tell us the product and the catchment
What you want people to try, where they are, and what a good day looks like in numbers. We come back with the sites worth running, the mechanic we would use and what it costs per day.
Related services
The work behind this