The Future of Branded Experience
As we look ahead to a new year, we wanted to get an inside scoop on the future of experiential marketing from a handful of pros. Our experts from the TMA Experience team are here to share what they’re looking forward to.
WHAT TYPES OF EVENTS DO YOU EXPECT TO SEE IN THE MARKETPLACE IN THE NEXT 6-12 MONTHS?
Nicole Houchin | Associate Director
In-person-only events are a thing of the past, and we are starting to see hybrid events emerge where virtual meets face-to-face interaction, bringing out new opportunities in the space. Want to leave your house? Awesome! Join us for meaningful connection, incredible and interactive engagement, and content to fuel your soul…or achieve the exact same thing from the comfort of your couch. The name of the game is to craft a PR-able moment – a brand act so eye-catching the consumer can’t pass it by without investigating further. Branded artwork installations, Instagram-able settings, and pop-up shops galore are what the people want, whether it’s in person or through their screens. People are looking for that “wow” moment, and if you do it right, 91% of customers are likely to buy what you’re selling. Branded experiences are everything.
Ali Delzell | SVP, Experience & Hospitality
Phygital, phygital phygital!! Every event in the next 6-12 months should be moving into a physical-mixed-with-digital space. Brands can no longer just do cheese on a stick and expect results. Consumers are looking for experiences to fill their feed. Our ultimate goal is to elicit an emotional reaction – laugh, cry, goosebumps – and then wanting to share with their friends and family. Therefore, events must be engaging, energetic, and most importantly, different. The spin wheels of yesterday need to be replaced with high-tech digital components that create unique photo opportunities for consumers and data capture moments for brands.
Jason Brogdon | Senior Manager, Marketing Technology & Special Services
I believe that Web3 tech platforms will continue evolving in 2023 from a spatial and motion standpoint. This will allow more creativity for the creators and brands to do more interesting things, like hybrid events on Web3 and live events, games, promotions, etc. I can see Web3 and sports merging in 2023, and gaming and Web3 opportunities in advertising to take off. I think if you don’t have an iron in the fire on how to do this, then you are behind right now. Another thing that needs to happen in 2023 is advertisers taking the reins in partnering and driving the roadmaps of these Web3 spaces. Admittedly, I was skeptical of the Web3 world until recently. Ali Delzell and I were making 3D virtual events 12 years ago with large clients – it was well received, but by small groups. The tech has changed, though, and the audiences have changed, too. The time is here.
Heith Heidtke | Supervisor, Production
Many of the elements that made events successful during the pandemic will continue to make events successful post-pandemic. The constraints placed on experiential marketing during the pandemic led to some beautiful creativity across the marketplace. And although some of those “constraints” are now gone, some of the creative solutions will have real staying power. Whether it was building hybrid experiences for consumers to interact with brands in diverse ways, or something as simple as efficient and comfortable line queues, these solves (and others) paid dividends then, and will continue to pay dividends now. These events are back, and they’re bigger, and with the help of some carryover creativity, they’ll be better than ever.
Yolanda Miller | Account Supervisor
I’m pumped to see a continuous return of large-scale events and innovative ways to be more inclusive for event-goers! Brands that are standing out are those that have integrated not only the onsite experience, but a pre- or post-event experience. With the expansion and continued use of new technology, the industry is seeing more and more virtual immersion, to be more inclusive for those who may not be able to physically attend an event, or for consumers who just want more. This can be seen through sneak peek virtual online experiences teasing event goers for what’s to come in-person, allowing current virtual participants to experience a physical display through an enhanced web interface that may interact in both the digital and physical world, and in so many more ways.
TMA executes thousands of brand experiences per year for clients including Wendy’s, State Farm, Nintendo and U.S. Army.
