“Don’t just look at experiential as a standalone event, see it as a way to create momentum and really resonate.”

Ben McMahon, Founder and Managing Director at Collaborate Global, is explaining why experiential marketing needs to be more than a moment in time in a marketing calendar to make an impact.

Urging marketing leaders to ensure experience is not siloed off from above the line, he believes it is crucial to ensure that experience really resonates and drives broader communication strategies.

In an economic and creative ecosystem in which many creative leaders are wondering what happened to Cool Britannia, McMahon embraces the simple, yet effective power of positivity.

“In the face of adversity there is always great opportunity,” he explains, adding: “Those brands with clear strategies - those brands that can bring excitement and connectivity can really embrace the opportunity to cut through.”

Experiential marketing is more than a moment in time

Embracing opportunity is an attitude that has propelled Collaborate Global forward. In the wake of a pandemic that placed every aspect of consumers' lives on pause, embracing the power of real-world experiences has rightly landed at the very top of the marketing agenda.

Yet for McMahon, the challenge is to ensure that experiential marketing is more than just a fleeting moment in time. He explains: “It is important not just to see experiential marketing as a one-off standalone event. See it as a way to create momentum and ripples across your marketing strategy.”

Urging marketing leaders to consider why their above the line campaign doesn’t resonate with their experiential campaign, he believes it is vital not to see different disciplines as disparate activations.

Embracing a new era of immersive storytelling

McMahon is an advocate of the ‘it’s PR not ER’ school of marketing. He shares: “We are not stem cell scientists, we are hopefully making life more enjoyable for people.”

This down-to-earth approach extends to the agency’s enduring focus of making great work with great people. He explains: “When I set Collaborate up, the goal was always to be fiercely independent. It was always focused on growth, based on great work and great people.”

In an industry in which process is in danger of coming ahead of people, he is resolute that it is people that drive the industry forward. “It is my belief that if you create the right environment with the right people, be ever evolving and continue to adapt to your client's constant needs, you win.”

It is an approach that you can’t make a process for because you have to place your ever-evolving audience's needs first.

Thriving in an age of uncertainty

McMahon believes that the biggest challenge for the industry as a whole is managing uncertainty. While experiential has been front of mind in a post-Covid world, challenges remain when it comes to where the discipline sits in the broader marketing ecosystem. “For us, the experience always comes first,” he adds.

Rather than being a bolt-on, McMahon sees that brands are beginning to lead with experience. Notably digital-first brands are increasingly taking an experience-first approach.

“How you build your personality offline is a huge question for digital platforms,” he explains.

At a time when there is a groundswell of attention on the negative impact of social media, McMahon believes that the focus on real-life connection is growing.

“The truth is we all crave well-crafted meaningful experiences. In digital marketing, you just get a few seconds but if you do experientially well you really can capture people’s attention for well over an hour,” he explains. An approach which underlines experiential’s special place in an increasingly competitive attention economy.

Yet he is equally clear that brands need to earn that time. It’s not enough to simply turn up at a festival or show, brands actually need to hold themselves accountable to being additive to the consumer experience.

Flexible futures

It is clear that McMahon doesn’t preach accountability to clients; he lives it through the way Collaborate has built its business and brand: by attracting and retaining high-performance teams.

“From day one, we wanted to create a performance lifestyle environment,” he explains, noting that this approach is not about the snacks or the agency’s decor. “Culture is not free fruit and a ping pong table,” he adds.

“A truly creative culture is built on an unrivalled level of trust” he notes. This collaboration is fostered by being clear on the value the agency delivers not just to its clients, but to its employees.

In practice, this means pitching for business that employees are passionate about and embracing the authentic, entrepreneurial edge that comes with this approach. It also means allowing people the flexibility and financial support to  try new things and be fully present in their lives. Whether that equates to learning to fly or leaving on time for the school run, the value exchange is clear.

“We have always embraced remote working. We have pioneered super flexibility. We are a global team and we embrace digital nomads into our business,” he explains.

This approach ensures that performance takes precedence over presenteeism. “You just need to be where you add the most value. If that’s at home with a sick kid, then that’s fine,” he continues.

Collaborate’s entire creative studio is remote, and the company is proud of its ‘tiny’ churn rate. This reflects not only the creation of an environment where people can produce their best work but also its commitment to coaching and training. The ability to flex around individual employees allows careers to "squiggle" rather than follow a singular, linear path.

It’s a refreshing change—a far cry from the high-on-shiny-branding, low-on-empathy, one-size-fits-all return-to-office mandates. He explains, “If you know what your culture is and it’s true, you don’t need to make up those rules because people will do what they need to do.”

Embracing this work-in-progress mindset means the agency is constantly evolving and learning. He notes that it’s important to foster a culture where mistakes are encouraged, adding, “You will never know what really works best unless you are prepared to experiment and get things wrong.”

It’s a behaviour McMahon models himself, being honest and open about making mistakes and switching gears when an idea isn’t working. His advice for leaders is clear: “Don’t always try to be the smartest person in the room—just surround yourself with smart people. You can raise the bar every time you recruit.”

At a time of economic and emotional uncertainty, McMahon is confident that brands and businesses with clear strategies will prevail. “In the face of adversity, there is always great opportunity,” he notes.