Out of the shadows, into the spotlight: The rise of experiential impact
You know that feeling after a festival or conference? You showed up for the main event, thinking that’s what it’s all about.
But when you look back, you realise it was the unexpected moments on the sidelines that stuck with you, the impromptu side-stage DJ, the free taco pop-up, or the installation you nearly walked past that ended up stealing the spotlight.
The industry is finally catching up to what audiences have craved for years: experiences that connect, writes Jay Davis, senior creative strategist at London-based brand agency Seen Presents.
Experiential marketing budgets have seen steady growth, as the IPA Bellwether reports show, but with that momentum comes growing pains in the form of creative tension.
And nowhere is that tension more visible than at Cannes Lions where the industry’s biggest stage is grappling with what truly deserves the spotlight.
And this year, the tension was palpable. Inside the Palais, traditionalists celebrated polished ads and craft.
Outside, crowds swarmed immersive brand activations, the areas people truly interacted with and couldn’t stop sharing afterwards. Brands built experiences and worlds people wanted to step into, because activations are where cultural capital lives.