Event marketing as an effective tool for the advertising campaign of the social network "VKontakte"

Nacharova Liudmila Igorevna Assistant, Department of Foreign Languages and Communication Technologies, National University of Science and Technology (MISIS); Postgraduate, Moscow University named after A.S. Griboyedov. 129323, Russia, Moscow region, Moscow, Rusanova ave., 25 K.1, office of Moscow luda_konstant@mail.ru

In today's dynamic world, where technology is constantly evolving, advertising strategies are undergoing revision. Traditional methods such as television, radio and print are still important, but need to be updated in the context of changing preferences and consumer behavior. Event marketing stands out among the new promotion tools. This method involves the creation of engaging events to promote a brand, product or service both in real life and in the virtual spaces of the Internet. In comparison with traditional approaches, event marketing provides consumers with the opportunity to interact with the brand in a more direct and emotional form, which contributes to the formation of a deep connection with the audience.

As O.A. Ksenzenko notes: "Advertising is an extremely multifaceted and multidimensional phenomenon" ^{[1, p. 610]}. Throughout the centuries and millennia of its existence, its essence has remained the main and unchanged as the process of creating, planning and executing campaigns or messages in order to promote a product, service, brand or idea in order to reach and influence the target audience. The main purpose of advertising is to attract attention, create and maintain interest and stimulate action among consumers. It is a form of communication that uses various media channels to convey persuasive messages and create awareness around a specific proposal. Thus, while maintaining its essence and goals, the methods of advertising messages are constantly changing, which allows its creators to subtly capture trends in their customers' user markets. In our case, we consider a social network as the subject of an advertising message, its creator. This factor is decisive both in the choice of media channels and the means and tools of an advertising campaign aimed at achieving the unchangeable goal of promoting this social platform, retaining and expanding its market share.

The peculiarity of the social network as a subject of promotion is multifaceted and complex. This complexity is directly related to the definition and essence of a social network as a market entity. It is itself a channel of promotion, which, in turn, requires promotion. Social networks play a key role in modern event marketing strategies. With their help, brands can dynamically interact with the audience, create discussions and spread information. This form of promotion is becoming increasingly popular due to its ability to immediately reach a wide audience and create attention-grabbing virtual events. In our case, the platform is interested in promoting itself.

Traditional advertising methods, which have performed well in television advertisements or on the pages of newspapers, face challenges when promoting on social networks. Modern users expect more individualized and interesting content, rather than traditional advertising approaches.

Event marketing can be considered as a form of advertising, which marketing involves promoting a brand, product, or service through organizing or sponsoring various events. These events can range from product launches and promotional activities to larger sponsored events such as conferences, exhibitions, or community events. Advertising in a broad sense includes various methods and channels used to promote and convey messages to the target audience. Event marketing is included in the field of advertising because it aims to create brand awareness, engage the audience and convey key messages, similar to traditional advertising methods. Event marketing provides a unique opportunity to interact with consumers in a more experienced and immersive way compared to traditional advertising channels. By creating memorable experiences, brands can leave a lasting impact on participants and possibly generate positive feedback and information dissemination on social media. In fact, event marketing is a specific type of advertising that uses live events to promote and strengthen a brand.

According to the concepts presented in Neil Ferguson's work "The Square and the Tower. Networks and power from Freemasons to Facebook", homophilia – our tendency to be attracted to people like ourselves (it is also called assortativity) – can be considered the first law of social networks ^{[3, p. 42]}. By and large, it is on this principle that the effectiveness of using event marketing for advertising campaigns of the VKontakte social network is based.  

Fig. 1 – Fundamental concepts of network theory

Figure 1 shows a diagram of the organization of communication between participants within one network or even many networks. According to Ferguson, it is precisely "weak connections" – with acquaintances with whom we already have fewer similarities–that play a key role in the phenomenon described by the phrase "the world is small." These are vital bridges thrown between different clusters or groups that otherwise would not be connected to each other in any way ^{[3, p.46]}.

Thus, influential people in society (bloggers, public figures) or commercial or government organizations can act as nodes of the network. Being present at the same event with such participants allows you to develop a sense of belonging to the community, which develops through the formation of these "weak ties". Thus, information coming from such centers through social network channels has a greater influence and trust on the part of users, especially if it is emotionally colored and targeted.

The key point in transmitting information through such channels, according to Ferguson, "as with an epidemic of diseases, is that the speed and scope of dispersion is determined not only by the essence of the idea being transmitted, but also by the structure of the network through which it is transmitted. In the process of viralization, nodes play an important role, which serve not only as connecting centers or intermediaries, but also as “gatekeepers", that is, people who decide whether or not to transmit the received information further to the part of the network that is located behind them. ^{[3, c.51]}

According to information available in the company's official report, "The average monthly coverage of VKontakte in the second quarter of 2023 amounted to 85% of the Russian Internet audience, while the daily coverage of the platform amounted to 53% of the daily Russian Internet audience." Also, according to the information on the official website, the company explains such impressive results by the fact that VKontakte "actively invested in product development and content, as well as in working with authors." The Vkontakte social network actively promotes itself both in online communities, conducting webinars and educational seminars for the community of technical and IT specialists, but also in an offline environment. As an illustration, we can cite a large number of "live" events that the company held in 2023, such as the large-scale VKFest youth music festival in the largest cities of Russia (Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sochi, Novosibirsk, Vladivostok), which was attended by 500 artists and celebrities, attended by 200 thousands of people, 34 million viewed online. In addition, the company even acquired a nightclub in Moscow, which has historically been very popular with the youth audience, and changed its name to VK Gypsy, focusing on the brand and promoting it among its audience. It is also worth noting that the company will continue its advertising campaign with an active component of event marketing also among the audience of visitors to museums, exhibitions and theaters, providing grants for such cultural institutions wishing to participate in organizing public events and meetings in partnership with VKontakte, which shows the versatility of the target audience that the company plans to attract. 

It is also important to emphasize the fact that advertising is usually perceived as a "one-way type of communication (the so-called one-way communication)" ^{[1, p. 612]}, which reduces the number and effectiveness of mechanisms of influence on the audience. In our case, event marketing allows you to get feedback from both the participants of the events themselves and the audience, which continues to communicate on social networks and the Internet space after the events. The analysis of such messages from network users can ensure continuous improvement of VKontakte services and offers in accordance with their tasks and wishes, as well as improve the effectiveness of future advertising campaigns.

Modern market demands require innovations in advertising strategies. Event marketing and social media provide unique opportunities to create strong connections with the audience and effectively promote the brand in the modern digital era. For effective advertising, standard methods need to be reviewed. Personalized content, engaging contests and the use of influential personalities are becoming key elements of successful strategies. Event marketing combined with social media allows brands to create unique experiences and interactions, attracting the attention of the target audience. The example of the VKontakte advertising campaign is indicative, and clearly demonstrates the effectiveness of using modern methods of interaction with the audience to meet modern consumer expectations.