#experiential-marketing

#experiential-marketing

There's something beautifully Canadian about this: a legendary fries company teaming up with our Olympic athletes to create a nationwide cheer squad fueled by golden potatoes. McCain Foods just announced a four-year partnership with the Canadian Olympic Committee, becoming the Official French Fry Partner of Team Canada through the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games and the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Summer Games.

To view this video, please enable JavaScript and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Media Summit and Experiential Marketing | Nov 8, 2022 Raja Rajamannar, Chief Marketing Officer of Mastercard (US), explores how the world of marketing is embracing more sensory and experiential approaches. And looks at what all marketers can learn from this broader approach.

Becoming a Bubble ambassador gave me more than free skincare and content opportunities. It offered a firsthand look at how modern marketing works when brands prioritize authenticity, community and trust over traditional influencer metrics. As a student interested in marketing and media, the experience helped bridge the gap between classroom theory and real-world brand strategy. One of the most valuable lessons I learned is the power of community-driven marketing.

At SXSW, everything is exclusive or badge-only and you always need to be on a list or checked-in. Our bus is a very open, communal space. We're really about being open and having a conversation around our audience and that is the brand you see on the channel and you see in our marketing. We're having a conversation with our audience and we want them to feel like they are a part of us, there's are no rules in this space.

The food and beverage industry knows that timing is everything, especially when it comes to seasonal marketing. As we approach 2026, one iconic brand is proving that limited-time offerings can create significant buzz and drive traffic during peak celebration periods. Voodoo Doughnut's latest creation, the Disco Ball Doughnut, represents more than just a festive treat: it's a masterclass in strategic product development and experiential marketing that hospitality leaders can learn from.

The budget-friendly retailer is taking customers on shopping trips in three different cities this month with the help of a holiday-themed double decker bus it calls the "Maxxinista Express." Each leg of the tour includes three stops at TJ Maxx stores, complete with shopping challenges, exclusive merchandise, and plenty of photo moments, according to a press release.

It's been a year defined by rapid innovation, and experiential marketers certainly found new ways to amplify brand moments with technology: a smartwatch that can guide you to a new favorite artwork, better tee shot predictions, an immersive keynote address.

Marketers in 2026 face two priorities: bring back real-world brand experiences and get ready for AI-led discovery, according to the "Signals from the Stage" report from the ANA Masters of Marketing Conference. These strategic tensions reflect a rapidly shifting consumer landscape shaped by digital fatigue, rising expectations for personalization and growing reliance on AI agents to handle day-to-day decisions. In this context, brands must reassess how they engage with audiences, both offline and through intelligent digital intermediaries.

Today's audiences don't just want to buy from a brand. They want an experience to go along with it. And while strategies like transparency and smarter prep for sales calls can go a long way in boosting your sales numbers, the brands that achieve the greatest lasting success often focus on creating an unforgettable experience for their customers. What does an unforgettable experience actually look like?

Upon entering the one-day immersive installation known as GrazaVerse, guests were greeted with a surrealist tableau: a Renaissance-style cherub statue "peeing" olive oil, with bread skewers for dipping, risotto served by a mysterious set of disembodied hands behind a wall, and a soap dispenser filled with olive oil for drizzling on soft serve. As bizarre or offbeat this event, built to introduce olive oil brand Graza's new glass bottles, might sound, it represents a cross-industry trend in which brand creative is getting ... weird.

I'll never forget the first time I saw the power of a group gasp. Years ago, at a Baltimore Ravens game, a film I'd helped create played across the stadium's newly installed LED screens. In the climactic moment (a close-up shot as the kicker's foot struck the ball) the entire crowd seemed to freeze, breath held, before erupting in a wave of energy that swept the stands. That's because the shot was perfectly timed with the real kick-off that started the game.

We sell candy and nuts, and started a popular 'dollar bin' promotion. It began when we found a big stash of Christmas goodies in May - and, well, May isn't exactly peppermint season. So our marketing manager, Adam Walsh, proposed that we put it out for a dollar. It was a hit. Now we pull out the bin whenever we have product we want to move quickly. Everything is clearly labeled if it's near the best-by date or a little broken - kind of like a scratch-and-dent sale, but for candy.

In its aspirational new campaign, the iconic car brand celebrates the dreamers, putting its fans behind the driver's seat in an ingenious new newspaper ad. Print ads have been around for centuries, so trying to reinvent the wheel isn't an easy task. Embracing simple, yet clever design, Mercedes proves that bold visuals can have a big impact and a timeless appeal without the need for flashy digital design.

The companies' announcement specifically mentions "co-branding campaigns," and cites Netflix's increasingly global lineup of programs - Brasil 70 - A Saga do Tri, South Korea's Culinary Class Wars and the U.K.'s The Gentlemen were all mentioned - as one of the factors behind it. As for what people can expect, the press release alludes to "consumer activations, title integrations, limited-edition packaging [and] digital promotions" as possibilities.

The way I think about community, I try to look at it through the lens of what would I be interested in, what do I want to attend?

At World Famous, every truck doubles as a stage, outfitted with cameras, livestreams and even Ring doorbell cameras. Brown, who calls himself "China Man Live" when streaming, oversees five food trucks along with four restaurant locations across Florida and Georgia. Customers don't just line up for food; they put on a show for his cameras. Some dance. Some rap. One woman even played the harmonica. Brown turned those moments into the "Chat with China Man" giveaway, a bracket-style competition where fans compete on camera for a $10,000 prize. The result is part restaurant, part reality show.

The most elusive and most desired members' clubs know that their real business is experience design.Every element - the guest list, the programming, the way a room feels at midnight - is engineered to make their members feel part of an unfolding story. Luxury brands hit the same note when they stop selling products and start creating truly immersive brand worlds that evolve over time.

The spirits industry is witnessing a revolutionary moment as Buffalo Trace Distillery breaks new ground with its first-ever traveling tasting experience. In an unprecedented move that signals a major shift in how premium bourbon brands connect with consumers, the legendary Kentucky distillery is taking its award-winning portfolio on the road this October with "Buffalo Trace Distillery On Tour." For hospitality professionals and beverage industry leaders, this development represents more than just another brand activation: it's a masterclass in experiential marketing that could reshape how premium spirits brands engage with their audiences across the country.

You could feel the energy bursting out of GAP's headquarters in San Francisco; even the city's mayor showed up. "I just spoke to the GAP employees who are back in the office five days a week starting today," said San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie. "GAP - thank you for leading the charge on the back to work San Francisco. Let's go." The white box from the company's latest viral campaign front and center welcoming nearly 2,000 employees back to the office.

"There's an amazing group of fans that might not be such experts in the game of tennis, but just love the culture. And it's a really fun space to be in,"

Spiro's Experiential Marketing Impact Report (EMIR), a proprietary study of over 2,000 consumers attending live CPG and tech events, revealed trust isn't a soft metric. It's one of the strongest predictors of purchase intent: over 90% of attendees who reported increased trust in a brand post-event went on to make a purchase. Where trust didn't increase, purchase intent dropped to just 34%.

Experiential marketing is now recognized as the backbone of connection with consumers, moving from being seen as a garnish in marketing campaigns to a core strategy.