Razer is tapping into a communal spirit and adding to its experiential marketing mix this year by hitting the road for a summer-long tour.
The festival-like vibe they’re creating is designed to bring hands-on experiences to consumers for their portfolio of gaming products and virtual reality technology.
Billed as the “2017 Razer Experience Tour,” the one-to-one activation shifts from consuming entertainment to creating it.
It started in May and runs until September, and is organized around music, gaming, action sports and other consumer interests, allowing attendees to immerse themselves in the brand, and potentially create newfound excitement for the inventory line.
“Our products are very much premium, and we put an incredible amount of time, attention and effort into developing respective categories with detail,” Travis Furst, Razer’s global product marketing manager, told AListDaily. “That said, Razer is something consumers need to experience first-hand in order to appreciate it. That’s why the summer tour marketing move is a such a great idea for us because it puts the products in the hands of the audience we’re marketing to.”
Razer is operating with a direct-to-consumer retail strategy while staying focused online, Furst said. It kicked off Memorial Day Weekend at the Soundset Music Festival in Minnesota, and stops on the trip have already included E3, San Diego Comic-Con International, Dew Tour, Rooster Teeth’s RTX and the Free Press Summer Festival.
“We look at the markets, of course, and there are a number of different aspects. In the case of our first stop in Minnesota, for example, we activated a lot of collaborations with musicians and artists,” Furst said. “We have a close partnership with the independent hip hop record label Rhymesayers Entertainment, who was front and center at the Soundset Music Festival. That relationship made it a great spot for us to kick off with.”
The tour is touching events that might need specific badges and credentials, but in the case of E3 last month, in addition to the Razer booth on the showroom floor, Razer paired its space inside the hall with a standalone experience outside of the Convention Center.
“If you look at the types of music festivals and events we’re attending—like San Diego Comic-Con and Wizard World Comic Con—they are very similar in its kind. But we’re still targeting gamers, and we are very focused on that. You’ll notice that we’re very heavy on the west coast, and that plan is strategic because of logistics in routing. Most of the events we’re doing are festivals where people are hanging out and having a good time. There’s still plenty of gamers there, but they’ve got their friends there, too. We make a variety of products but it’s a good way to introduce the brand to new users as well.”
Are you guys at Comic Con? Snap some photos and send them our way! Bonus points if you capture the #RazerTour pic.twitter.com/bNufXSQV1A
— R Λ Z Ξ R (@Razer) July 22, 2017
As the calendar turns to August, the lifestyle brand for gamers will be shifting its strategy toward college campuses. The calendar month will be highlighted with a stop in Dallas for QuakeCon.
Razer will be evaluating the success of the summer tour from a social standpoint, Furst says, particularly with one activation that allows consumers to create custom Razer Blade “X-Rays” using green-screen technology. Fans then get to choose from a menu of gaming heroes to share their inner gaming character on social. Other experiences include consumers composing electronic tracks with Razer computers and software.
Before Razer reaches each particular market, their social and community teams send a series of regional posts and email blasts. They’re also working with influencers and a number of partners like Intel, Bandai Namco, Slightly Mad Studios and Video Project Bars as part of an integrated marketing campaign.
Razer’s booth is abounding with deals, too, like pairing promotions for people who attend by including $200 off Razer laptops or $100 sim cards. The 20 interactive demo stations are complemented with contests as well, like how the fastest time trial in Project Cars 2 winner will get a $600 Nvidia GTX 1080 graphics card.
“Last year, we took a very aggressive pricing strategy and were competitive, and less expensive, with the likes of the Dell XPS 13 and MacBook Air. Now, a huge part of this tour is to just get the products in the field,” Furst says. “We’re really looking at how many people Razer booth promotors are reaching to help touch, feel and experience our product. We’re always exploring new opportunities. It’s really what our fans are looking for, and we want to make sure we deliver.”
