The Sleek Journal: January Edition
Hi, and welcome to the first Sleek Journal of the new year!
It’s a year full of promise and the world of experiential marketing is practically bursting with innovations. Here we take a look at some of the modern trends we expect to continue or develop in 2025.
And, as always, if any of these get you excited about the possibilities for your brand, we’d love to help bring them to life for you. Don’t hesitate to get in touch!
Overall immersion will continue to be paramount
Since Audible’s product relies entirely on audio, you’d be forgiven for expecting their experiential marketing to lean heavily on the sense of hearing. But that’s not how this brand does things. After all, imagination is a core part of their offering.
Audible’s events are a great example of how a brand, even if it’s known for just one part of the spectrum of senses, can unleash total immersion to take attendees to a different world. They aim to create a very tangible yet enlightening visualisation of audio storytelling. Whether it’s cosy listening booths or an entire carnival, Audible aims to put attendees at the heart of the story.
With memorable experiences being an invaluable factor in the success of an event, we’ll see this level of immersion being prominent in 2025.
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Brand storytelling will become an even greater vehicle for success
Even brands that strive for exclusivity still find that giving customers an inclusive look behind the curtain is an excellent way to forge meaningful relationships and loyalty.
For example, luxury brands like Chaumet are showcasing their history and craftsmanship via traveling exhibitions and interactive events, enhancing audience engagement. These in-person experiences convey the brands’ narratives, values, and significance in the industry, forming strong emotional bonds with their audiences through memorable, firsthand interactions.
Expect brand storytelling to further embed itself as a cornerstone of experiential marketing in 2025.
AI will enhance the digital experience
We’re in the midst of the generative AI boom. And, while many industries are trying to latch AI onto their products just to appear current, the events industry has an exciting opportunity to use it to genuinely expand audience experience.
It certainly has a place in physical spaces, helping to increase attendee immersion and personalisation through interactive displays. But, AI can also help create immersion for attendees unable to be on-premise.
Take the Masters golf tournament app as an example. Over the last couple of years, generative AI has taken the data from the tournament and output it as narration. So, fans on the app got a live virtual commentary of the hole-by-hole play, helping them feel closer to the action.
With AI rapidly expanding, we’ll see far more application opportunities for event immersion in 2025.
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Data will get more interesting
No, we’re not talking about the numbers showing interesting trends. Although, they well could. Instead, we’re talking about the actual data becoming more exciting by being expressed through new and creative means.
Data Cuisine, for example, is representing data through food. Everything from its colour, smell, nutrition, and of course taste, is used to give the data flourishing life.
Imagine a world where data is collaborative, exciting, and delicious. It gives ‘feeding numbers to the audience’ a new and welcome meaning.
In 2025, we’ll see the expression of data push new boundaries as entertainment value becomes a sought-after criterion in events.
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Sustainability won’t be an afterthought
The mention of sustainability might not be groundbreaking at this point. In fact, recent years have seen big strides towards making events more eco-friendly. But in 2025, expect to see many experiences not only pay attention to sustainability, but use it as a foundation.
Last year we mentioned Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres tour which stands out as an event with sustainability at its core. The band vowed to decrease their carbon footprint with this tour, and came up with an ingenious way to help power the show using kinetic energy generated by the crowd. Though energy-harvesting dancefloors and bikes, fans moved by the music delivered green energy to the band usually associated with Yellow.
Look out for events this year delivering clever ways to be kinder to the environment.
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Experience designers will become rockstars
OK, they’re already rockstars. But, their stars will shine even brighter.
As more industries understand the value of the experience, we’re seeing designers from multidisciplinary backgrounds focus all of their expertise on designing projects that move people.
One of the industry's notable personalities is Abraham Burickson. A trained architect and writer, Burickson has refocused his abilities to design experiences, understanding that all the elements surrounding a person affect their feelings and perceptions. From ergonomic buildings and homes to string concerts in remote locations designed for just one listener, Burickson is making art out of the experience.
Look out for the rise of many more names in the field of experience design this year.