WHERE VIRTUAL MEETS REALITY
The rapidly evolving experiential marketing industry has Blair Glubb asking, ‘Is an experience still an experience if there’s no one there to experience it?’
It may sound like a new take on the old Zen koan, but it’s a question that’s become relevant in the past year. We’ve just lived through (and are still, in some cases) a period where we can’t simply rely on the tried-and-true formulas we once took for granted. Not that long ago, we created compelling physical business events by blending speakers and information delivery, performance, information, inspiration and fun. Today, we’ve got a lot of new tools, many created out of Covid-related necessity. What’s underway is nothing less than the transformation of event experience delivery – analogous with the way online shopping has accelerated. It’s fascinating to be working in an industry that’s changing in front of your eyes.
This evolution opens up an opportunity for us to look at new ways to convey different forms of experience delivery, not as a stop-gap replacement for being there in person, but as valid approaches in their own right. At Uno Loco and sister brand Hula, we’ve been thinking about doing for experiences what we do for events – finding ways to create powerful, emotive experiences that have virtual and real-life components working in synergy.
One simple example is how we now use the virtual component to collect audience data that gives insights into the most popular aspects of the real-life experience. We can use this insight ‘live’ or post-event to reshape and adapt our programme.
We’ve also been thinking a lot more about empathy and mood. We know that following people’s lockdown experiences, there’s been ongoing research into the positive effects of viewing imagery and audio from natural settings on our mood. One way to respond to the way experiences are evolving is to find new ways to deliver empathy to connect better with our audiences.
We’ve been exploring this with clients. For example, one approach could be delivering mini-experiences – breaking an experience into little ‘tastes’ that you add together to create a whole – that will be different for everyone. The visually oriented will construct a story based on imagery; the audio-minded people will build a story based on what it sounds like. The user benefits by getting a richer idea of the experience, while the client benefits from insights into how people use and relate to the content.
We could also offer parts of an experience in a form that people can use where they are, like making the sound of a real, serene beach available as a noise-cancelling soundtrack for use at work. Or we could use the virtual space to create stories without storytellers – allowing people to weave their own narrative, given a collection of content.
Some ways to use this to create or guide experiences would be to structure it around:
• Logic: Things to experience, landmarks and points of interest.
• Emotion: What it’s like to be there, through sounds or drawing attention to what you notice that’s different.
• Delivering a curated story: Similar to the way we do things now, where someone gives you a ‘guided’ itinerary. These are just a few examples of ways we’re working with new tools to deliver more engaging experiences. At Uno Loco, we’re genuinely excited about the opportunities these open up for us and our clients to communicate more effectively with audiences both physically and virtually.
CEO and co-owner of event specialists Uno Loco, Blair Glubb is known for his leadership roles in digital, strategy and marketing. For more on how Uno Loco can help your business, visit unoloco.co.nz