Known launches experiential practice to help brands understand what drives consumer behavior

Integrated agency Known has launched an experiential practice that uses data science to help marketers uncover what exactly makes their brands resonate with consumers. Known Experimental will support both business-to-business and business-to-consumer brands. It will be led by Mark Feldstein, partner and president of Known Studios, and Jenny Ochsner, senior director of events and Experiences. Agency Review Tracker Stay up to date with the latest account reviews Click here “Our clients are more and more seeing the value of experiential and requesting live events and activations,” said Ross Martin, president and chief experience officer of Known. “The interest and demand has probably tripled or quadrupled over the last 12 months.” Although most of the interest has come from existing clients, the agency has also been approached by brands seeking experiential support without a competitive review, Martin said. How it works The key to Known’s experiential strategy is causal modeling, which the independent, employee-owned agency uses to help marketers better understand the different factors that influence a consumer’s behavior. For example, while longtime client Rockefeller Center knew visitors came for the views, data analysis from Known revealed deeper reasons for the visits. “More importantly they come to touch history and awaken their New York spirit,” Martin said in an email, adding that the “most critical perceptions that drove visitation were memorable, shareable and emotionally connected to the idea of being in the heart of New York.” As a result, the agency created “The Beam,” a ride that allows visitors to step back in time and recreate a classic New York City photograph, “Lunch atop a Skyscraper,” which was shot at Rockefeller Center during 30 Rock's construction. Since launching in December 2023, The Beam has amassed over 151 million impressions across paid, owned and influencer channels, according to Known. The ride has also “become a social content generator,” Martin said. “You can’t get up on that beam and not put it up on Instagram when you get down. It’s like you’re almost doing it so that you can share.” Added Martin: “‘The Beam’ is an experience that speaks to the iconic heritage of Rock Center while at the same time creating an open experience that is infinitely memorable and highly shareable.” Last week, Known helped another client, Spotify Advertising, debut its first OOH experiential B2B campaign, “Q4 Is Calling,” in London. The campaign transformed some of the city’s red phone booths into mini winter wonderlands to show that advertisers should be starting their holiday campaigns on the audio streaming platform now (one in four Spotify users start their festive shopping during October.)

Known launches experiential practice to help brands understand what drives consumer behavior

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