By Claire Jansen, Research Director and Hannah Davies, Head of Life & Style at 2CV
In the crowded and competitive landscape of 21st century business, ´experiential marketing´ has emerged as one of the most powerful ways for brands to create lasting, emotional connections with consumers. When performed well, it offers something digital can’t replicate: moments that are felt, remembered, and shared. These experiences shine brightest during pivotal brand moments—product launches, rebrands, sponsorships; but they can drive value across a broad range of objectives.
However, in an era of tighter marketing budgets and increasing ROI scrutiny, experiential activity can feel like a hard sell. Unlike digital campaigns with clear quantitative metrics (clicks or conversions), qualitative measurement of experiences often requires more time, coordination, and investment.
That’s where 2CV comes in.
Shaping the Future of Experiential Evaluation
For over two decades, 2CV has worked in the field of experiential measurement. As early entrants, we identified the distinct challenges and opportunities presented by live experiences. This led to the development of 2CV: EXP—an approach designed to support brands in defining success, assessing impact, and refining their strategy within a complex marketing environment
We don’t just measure campaigns; we shape them. Our role often begins with helping clients define the right objectives, tailoring research approaches to fit everything from immersive pop-ups and station activations, to music festival sponsorships and digital experiences. Over the years, we’ve worked with some of the world’s most ambitious brands, including Guinness, Singtel, Pernod Ricard, BBC, McDonald’s, Cadbury, Campari, and Johnnie Walker. We also maintain a long-standing partnership with Outernet, the UK’s leading cultural attraction. Our insights help transform one-off activations into lasting brand-building assets.
The 2CV Framework: Measuring What Matters
Our market-leading framework evaluates experiential marketing activity across three key dimensions:
- Personal Impact – How did the experience feel? We assess individual engagement and emotional response to understand resonance.
- Behavioural Impact – What happened next? We measure actions like product trials, purchases, or even intent to find out what the experience triggered.
- Reputational Impact – How did it change brand perceptions? We evaluate post-event brand equity shifts that extend beyond the event itself.
This holistic approach provides clients with more than just a snapshot of performance—it gives them a deep understanding of if, how and why their campaigns succeed, and what can be improved next time.
Case study
A Singapore-based alcohol client hosted a live music concert branded with one of their beer labels, aiming to boost sales and strengthen brand associations among a younger audience—a group they had struggled to engage.
They partnered with 2CV to assess how well the event met these goals. Using our EXP framework, we conducted a combination of on-site and post-event interviews and measured the event’s digital reach to evaluate its impact on key metrics such as purchase intent, brand preference, and alignment with desired brand positioning.
The study revealed that the event had a positive impact, while also offering actionable insights to enhance the effectiveness of similar campaigns in the future.
Proving ROI and Driving Business Buy-In
Marketing leaders always need to demonstrate tangible results. Our framework not only helps validate experiential investment, it also plays a crucial role in securing internal alignment and budget sign-off. It’s flexible enough to adapt to different campaign types, but always grounded in the same core principle: impact matters – and it can be measured.
As Claire Jansen, Research Director at 2CV, shared in a recent EXP webinar:
“Whether the objective is campaign optimisation, audience understanding, or simply proving ROI, our measurement approach helps clients capture what worked, what didn’t, and how to make the next experience even more powerful.”
A Partner for What Comes Next
The experiential landscape continues to evolve, but one thing remains constant: brands want to learn, grow, and do better each time. At 2CV, we’ve evolved alongside our clients, adapting to new formats, technologies, and consumer expectations—always staying focused on helping brands create experiences that stand out, and stand the test of time.
Find Out More
If you’re looking to evaluate, optimise or scale your experiential marketing, our team is here to help.
To find out more contact:
Hannah Davies – Head of Life & Style
Hannah.davies@2cv.com
Claire Jansen – Research Director
claire.jansen@2cv.com
This article was first published in the Q2 2025 edition of Asia Research Media
