Is "Experience Fatigue" a Thing?

Why everything is Experiential - and Why that’s a Problem

Experiences like the Museum of Ice Cream have both heightened our interest and awareness of immersive experiences - while also diluting their power and potential.

A woman stands outside an Irish Pub in NY, shouting “Come on in for an immersive and interactive experience!”

A couple stops and asks “Wow, what’s that?”

“Easy” she says, ” When you enter you'll be immersed in an authentic NYC Irish pub”

 “Ok” the couple nod. “But how is that interactive?” Woman smiles and replies,

“Our bartender will serve you drinks and you can talk with the other patrons. That’s interactive.”

Today, it seems, every marketing experience is immersive or interactive. A few weeks ago at the Southstreet seaport museum, a woman kept insisting it was an interactive experience. When asked how it was interactive, she explained I could pull on some ropes and pretend I was on a boat (I paraphrase).

What is the "X" Factor to make experiences worth...experiencing??

In recent posts I have decried the many expensive, vacuous and poorly-executed "experiences" popping up across NY like weeds (does the world really need another sprinkle pool?) Even the more elegant projection art of recent weeks popping up across NYC with their dark rooms, blaring music and kaleidoscopic imagery flashing against the walls, white balloons floating around as crowds lie in silent awe. Another opens the following week. This one has no balloons or beanbags – but it does have an AR bar. Only no one downloads the app. Some have performances that you can follow (or not).

So what is the "X" factor in all of these that make an experience worth, well, experiencing? We can all go back to the trope about “storytelling” (it’s the story, stupid!) but is it?

Some stories are easier to tell than others.

The best stories are those you already know. Not "Home Alone 46" – I’m thinking about TV franchises. The best consumer examples I have seen have a devoted public who LOVE the story, are attached and care about the characters, and want to enter their world. This enables producers to create a whole magical experience with the franchise, inviting sponsors and partners to enhance the experience to develop merchandising, maximize the social reach, drive traffic and lower costs. This is why The Void chose StarWars as its main story vehicle.

But how can you create branded moments without a story?

Creating Powerful Branded Experiences

Here, I encourage you to think beyond the pink (or projection) wall.

What does the brand stand for, what do people who love the brand really care about? We live in interesting times, and I’m not sure I mean that in a good way. Socially, there are a lot of “issues” we want to address and there is no reason why brands shouldn’t connect with values to create something more meaningful.

As a final note, anything that helps us grow and learn about ourselves and the world and genuinely connect with others - that's the priceless bit. Hit that, and you'll have found the "sweet spot" no amount of plastic sprinkles can achieve.

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