We all know the power of brand-right, highly engaging event activations. But it’s hard to calculate the ROI: is all the time and money put into single events, or even a series of events, really worth it?

One way we’ve found over the years to de-risk event and experiential investments and increase the odds of good returns is to engage both your B2B and B2C audiences in events.

Smaller brands, in particular, often have three must-win audiences: Distributors, Customers/Retailers, and the end consumer. It’s near impossible to break into big CPG categories, and the culture at large, without all three aware, believing in and trying your brand.

It’s also not easy to design events that are worth it for all three audiences—so here’s a recent example that generated sweet results for our partner Loacker:

• As part of the broader Loacker x Giada De Laurentiis partnership, we built one of Giada’s appearances around a layered event at Eataly New York—featuring a social moment, a branded gelato giveaway at the Loacker x Eataly kiosk that was open to the public, and a private rooftop event. The cultural and brand alignment with Eataly set the perfect stage. It’s the essence of our 1+1=3 approach.
• We kept event invites exclusive to 40+ top-tier Influencers and Media, and 20+ Loacker priority Customers and Distributors, most of whom were in town for the Summer Fancy Food Show. Timing the activation around a major industry event allowed Loacker to capitalize on both media and customers who were in NYC at a specific moment in time.
• We added TikTok star Ted Zhar to the mix to help hyperdrive the social layer by creating a fun, unexpected interaction with Giada, as opposed to the standard meet and greet to spark real buzz.

The Results: 

Wins on both the B2B relationship-building front and in sheer consumer impressions and engagement combined to make it “worth it.” One without the other would have made the ROI calculation very challenging—especially given the value of Giada’s personal appearance, and all the executional labor to make the event feel special for everyone. Highlights include:

• Customer/Distributor: Loacker leadership spent quality time with key distributors and retail partners, including Walmart, Albertsons, and Sprouts, building relationships in a warm, immersive setting. Giada personally connected with the audience during the event, reinforcing brand affinity and elevating the experience in a way only she could, after having drawn attention —and long lines—in the streets of New York.
• Awareness: 1.67M social impressions, 900K+ video views of Ted Zhar’s video on TikTok and Instagram; 910.6M potential PR impressions all correlate with a jump in Northeast Aided Brand Awareness.