It Pays to Obtain Locked Up! Escape Rooms: The Marketing Professionals' New Play Area

One might assume that being locked up is a thing of problems, well now it's the new cool. Sweeping en-vogue sector events such as the South By Southwest (SXSW) Conference, the Escape Space is the destination getting everybody talking. And also it's not just the participants, since this contemporary love of immersive experience is opening a door to ingenious advertising and marketing opportunities, too.

Exactly what is an Escape Area? You may ask. Photo this - you remain in a secured room. You have a few arbitrary ideas and also you have no idea exactly how to venture out. You could think this is just one more story from among the Saw movie franchises but it is in truth the makings of an Escape Area experience. This 'fad' entails a group of as much as 12 gamers - relying on where you publication - that have to utilize physical and also psychological agility to unlock door after door, moving from space to space hysterically figuring out cryptic clues. The catch? You have just 60 mins to damage cost-free.

Of course this is not a new concept but after years of virtual reality parading as the amazing big brother on the planet of immersive experiences, escape rooms have been confidently overcoming the experiential rankings to take the title of properly 'wow'. Not remarkably, sharp marketing experts have actually tracked this and also are currently locating cutting-edge means to make best use of the direct exposure to the experience. The 'linkup' design of advertising and marketing agreement seems to be the ruling formula for this.

Famous examples to day consist of Disney organizing a pop-up escape experience related to Rogue One: A Celebrity Wars Tale. The Escape Game in Austin Texas (America's most prominent escape experience) being taken over by FOX in time for the launch of a new series of Prison Break, and HBO setting up a multi-room installment themed around Game of Thrones, Veep, and also Silicon Valley. Smart.

This design of advertising is also absolutely nothing brand-new in itself, what makes it effective is that the products marry flawlessly with the experience, as well as we understand that consumers are, more than ever before, urged to spend their money on 'doing' instead than via standard marketing methods, i.e. simply 'seeing'.

This pattern can be linked back to the world of computer game and also eSports. Marketing experts would launch video games then host 'real world' experiences: occasions, competitions and communications that enhanced the gameplay and made it substantial. This is where creative partnering as well as collaboration is available in. The perfect partnership here would certainly be founded on a mutually advantageous business connection where the escape room firm and also the IP (or copyright) proprietors interact to gather maximum direct exposure and increase the consumer base, motivating a 'win: win' arrangement.

Escape 60 in Brazil pulled off a blinding instance of this in 2015 when they linked up with Ubisoft, the designers of fantasy behemoth Assassin's Creed, to obtain in advance of the game and also create an escape space coordinated around the release of Assassin's Creed Distribute. Alex Reece, Chief Executive Officer of America's Escape Game, commented in an interview at the time (October 2016), "We see a really bright future of incorporating escape rooms powered by America's Escape Game in several Vistana places in the coming months as well as years.

Fast-forward to 2017, which very same love of immersion drives a lot of the sophisticated advertising and marketing activations we see today in escape rooms. "I think the immersion enables it to be extra individual and also tailored," Joanna Scholl, vice president of advertising at HBO stated when priced estimate in an interview at this year's SXSW conference. When asked about HBO: The Escape she mentioned, "Everyone feels like they themselves are part of that experience, and it leaves much more of an unforgettable note for them."

Ryan Coan owner of company Creative Riff, the experiential advertising and marketing professionals who were the creators of the Prison Break escape space takeover likewise commented at the very same occasion: "Experiential advertising and marketing is unique because it's an involvement. It's something followers are selecting to do. Followers are so obsessive over this material, they're so in love with these personalities and their stories, that by allowing them to step inside that story and also seem like they belong of it - also for a moment - is an actually unique experience."

Design and innovation is at the center of this intelligent advertising and marketing pattern as each space may have a various motif or problem level where the clues will additionally be themed around the subject issue of each room. That said, it does not look like this advertising and marketing approach is reducing up, so look out for the next immersive escape room experience leaping off a display near you quickly!


Of program this is not a new principle yet after years of online reality parading as the cool large sibling in the world of immersive experiences, escape rooms have been with confidence functioning via the experiential rankings to take the title of properly 'wow'. The Escape Game in Austin Texas (America's most popular escape experience) being taken over by FOX in time for the launch of a brand-new series of Jail Break, and HBO setting up a multi-room installment themed around Game of Thrones, Veep, as well as Silicon Valley. Escape 60 in Brazil pulled off a blinding instance of this in 2015 when they connected up with Ubisoft, the makers of dream leviathan Assassin's Creed, to get ahead of the game and create an escape area managed around the release of Assassin's Creed Organization. Alex Reece, CEO of America's Escape Game, commented in an interview at the time (October 2016), "We see a really brilliant future of incorporating Escape games NYC escape rooms powered by America's Escape Game in numerous Vistana areas in the coming months and also years. That stated, it doesn't look like this marketing approach is slowing down up, so look out for the next immersive escape area experience leaping off a display near you quickly!