New approaches to virtual engagement

How Sullivan clients are thinking differently to stand out

The customer journey looks different these days, but the need for brands to authentically engage their customers remains unchanged. So in this changing world, our clients have approached us with some pressing questions:

How can we make virtual experiences feel on-brand and engaging?
How do we keep people’s interest, during virtual events and beyond?
How do we connect 1:1 in a meaningful way?

At the root of all of these questions is a core tension: every single touchpoint in customers’ lives are now digital. We’ve enjoyed approaching this challenge by taking some risks and being willing to try something different.

Gamifying financial services recruitment

One of our clients in the investment management space has always had a knack for doing things differently. For several years, we’ve worked with them to help attract top engineering talent and make a splash at job fairs, creating everything from Instagram-worthy conference installations to virtual reality experiences.

This year, when we need to take engagement to a new level—but still get to know and foster longer-term engagement with the talent pool—we’re creating a gamified experience. We realized that an addictive and differentiated game on a platform our recruits already know (like the popular streaming service Twitch or gamemaker Gamify) would appeal to this audience while enabling smart data acquisition as they progressed through the recruiting journey. Best of all, the sophisticated, data-driven quirkiness feels on-brand for this business and is indicative of the unique experiences their employees have every day.

Beyond the booth: revamping trade show marketing

Interactivity, of course, is key to keeping interest alive. With our long-time client and tech infrastructure giant Crown Castle, we always go the extra mile to engage prospects differently at trade shows—especially since the traditional booth set up can overwhelm participants and come across as salesy.

This year gave us an opportunity to be even more user-driven and develop a more comfortable experience for participants that circumvents trade show booths entirely. We’ve created a simulated community for prospects to visit called Anytown, USA.

We designed a custom environment where users can learn about the Crown Castle products and solutions that power every aspect of Anytown. Visitors can navigate points of interest, hear from industry leaders, download relevant guides and PDFs, and contact sales teams directly—while experiencing an on-brand reminder that Crown Castle is the force that keeps our towns and lives connected.

These sorts of experiences, along with other innovative tactics like virtual product demos, and more traditional engagement methods like polls, voting, and audience Q&A during speaker events, do more than just offer memorable interactions with your brand. They can serve as a bridge toward sustained, longer-term relationship building at a time that it’s needed most.