"Eventually, you will bond for life": A study of the relationship between Event Marketing and Customer Bonding

Diplomarbeit, die am 01.06.2003 erfolgreich an einer Universität in Niederlande im Fachbereich Marketing eingereicht wurde. Abstract: Changing market conditions have made it tougher on companies to stay competitive. Long-term customer bonding can provide a competitive advantage. Today's customers' wishes have put forth the need for experience marketing though. This trend has to be taken into account when planning on bonding with customers. One way to create a platform for experience is event marketing. This final thesis focuses specifically on the use of events with regard to customer relationship bonding. In this study, an answer will be provided to the following problem statement. Event marketing supports bonding by providing an opportunity for direct and personal contact between a company and its customers. Furthermore, customers are offered the possibility to experience a company and its products in a pleasurable surrounding. Events can either be business- or leisure-oriented, depending on the overall character of the event. Events provide a variety of advantages to both the company and its customer, ranging from cross-selling and exchange of information to risk and cost reductions. Event marketing integrates in the modern concept of customer relationship marketing by opening a constructive dialogue between the customer and the company. Customer relationships are built on trust which can be established by creating a special bond between a company and its customers. These bonds can exist on various levels and not all customers are suited for long-term bonding. To insure that events support and do not hinder these relationships its success should be controlled in different ways. These controls should be applied before, during and after the event to avoid pitfalls, remove obstacles, and reach the set aims. Events are a powerful communication instrument due to their experience-oriented character but have to be us