Experiential marketing has long been recognised as a great way to engage consumers with brands. Yet some brands still argue that it can never have the reach of big ad campaigns. But is it reach or relevance that's really important?

A remarkable brand experience will leave customers feeling excited about a brand and wanting to spread the word, but at the same time these types of campaigns and experiences will likely cost a lot more - which will ultimately limit the number of people you can talk with.

It wasn't long ago that this would always result in a classic planning challenge for experiential agencies. We would have to make an important decision - what did we want to achieve? - which would result in one of two outcomes. Either spread the campaign thinly to talk to as many customers as possible, or focus our attention on giving fewer people a really remarkable experience, which would leave them wanting to do the talking for us.

The good news is: thanks to the explosion of digital and social media, this dilemma is no longer the head-scratcher that it used to be. The more relevant the experience, the greater the reach through positive word of mouth and recommendation.

A recent campaign we did for Pampers demonstrates this. It was a roadshow event, for which we took a giant toy train around shopping centres, in which shoppers could talk to experts on a one-to-one basis about a problem close to their heart: how to get more sleep for their young children. This meant that we only reached a small number of people, but because we were offering advice and tips that were of real value, news of the campaign quickly spread online to influential sites and blogs, achieving a 'halo' effect.

The first stage in the planning process is always to figure out how we can maximise the relevance of the campaign, in order to create something that will have as much impact as possible. This will ensure that, to a certain extent, amplification will happen naturally. Conversely, if a campaign is of no interest to the customer, no-one will talk about it.

There's an important point here, though, that needs to be said. Brands shouldn't try to control social media. It's much more effective - and authentic - to give people real experiences and then let them share it with others themselves.

In the offline realm, studies show that consumers who experience a memorable brand event will usually tell three or four people about it, whereas online someone who is well connected can see their recommendation trigger an avalanche of interest from fans, followers and friends.

In short, as long as you do it right, you no longer have to choose between reach and relevance with experiential campaigns - now good planning and a joined-up marketing approach can enable a brand to have both in abundance.