Making your brand an experience to remember

The marketing landscape is more crowded than ever, so brands are always looking for new ways to break through the noise and connect with consumers. For 2025, sensory experiences top our list of ways to engage and build relationships with customers, which can only be achieved with experiential marketing. By tapping into sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell, brands form strong emotional connections going beyond traditional advertising to make themselves more memorable.

But the stakes are getting higher. Experiential marketing is all about creating fun, memorable experiences that give people a feel-good connection to a brand. But with more brands entering the experiential space, brands need to up their game to stay memorable, relevant, and shareable. As you consider whether experiential marketing elevates and extends your brand, consider the following insights:

• Make your experience immersive. Bring as many senses to the party as you can. That way, your experience goes beyond advertising and becomes entertainment.
• Keep things fresh. One-of-a-kind experiences leave people feeling good about a brand, and the same-old experiences get even older fast.
• It’s not just for brand awareness. Experiential marketing can make an impact at any stage of the marketing journey, whether you’re just getting started or you’re an established brand tapping into a brand-new customer base.
• Don’t let money get in the way. You don’t need a huge budget to create memorable experiences. Get creative and work with partners who share your goals to enrich your experiences.
• Keep it shareable. Word of mouth (or Word of Feed) positions the sharer as valued, which is especially appealing to younger audiences.

In the post-lockdown landscape, events and experiences have been a huge drive of brand successes. Data from Event Track shows consumers believe events and experiences are highly effective at driving sales and improving their feelings about brands. In fact, 46% of consumers report feeling more positive toward a brand or product after participating in a brand-led event or activity. And over 40% said they become more loyal to brands after attending these events and experiences.

While experiential marketing is not often considered during early budget cycle reviews, research shows it can be highly cost effective. You don’t need a huge budget to create a memorable and successful experience extending far past the footprint of your event. A well-planned event often encourages attendees to share their experiences online, affording them what we call “social currency.” When brands promote sharing through photos, hashtags, or rewards, it makes consumers feel special, allowing them to showcase something unique to their followers. And it shows confidence in the consumer, as you are trusting her to portray and extend your brand in an individualized manner. This is especially appealing to younger consumers, who value unique content and want to connect with brands that understand the power of social media. Brand experiences are social at their core, offering a natural context for customers to interact, share, and connect.

Whether you’re just starting out or looking to breathe new life into your brand, consider how experiential marketing can enhance your strategy. Get creative—sometimes, even the smallest, thoughtful experiences can make a big impact. As you plan your next marketing campaign, keep this in mind: it’s not just about what you say; it’s about how you make your customers feel that truly matters.