Playmaker Experiential: Brands must combine AI with human interaction to fully engage consumers
Following OBE Worldwide’s acquisition of London-based Playmaker Experiential, Playmaker MD, James Hogben (pictured left), highlights the value of combining artificial intelligence (AI) and digital with in-person interaction...
In a tech-first world that can often feel overwhelming as it evolves at an ever-increasing pace, the value of in-person interaction has never been more important.
We are currently immersed in an underlying tech narrative dominated by the opportunity vs threat of AI and constant connectivity. From this, there emerges a profound need to reaffirm our purpose through real-world connections.
So, whilst many find themselves scrambling to capitalise on the abundant digital opportunities; brands possess a unique opportunity to bridge the gap between digital and physical, fulfilling essential human needs and reaping the rewards of genuine engagement.
It is all too easy to get swept up by the appeal of digital-only interactions, helping to secure measurable call-to-action and results without the constraints of time or space. Yet, as our lives become increasingly dominated by screens, brands risk becoming white noise.
As is evident with the current demand for experiential work we’re currently undertaking with brands such as the NFL and J.P. Morgan, it is clear that consumers continue to strive to see, touch and feel the products and services they’re engaging with. That is not to rail against digital advancement, but instead to embrace and adopt new technology. The real art of the experiential industry is the ability to fuse digital concepts with authentic in person experience. Winning in this space is Nike with its NRC and NTC apps and Disney with its Disneyland App as they respectively build on real life experiences, enhance personalised consumer value and make physical and digital dependent on each other.
Clearly, economic factors are also forcing the issue. Many brands are relocating their physical presence into digital environments with sophisticated AI efficiencies replacing creativity and the need to connect one to one. Leaving the challenge faced by brands as to where and how can they authentically and effectively continue to show up in their customers’ lives.
It is through these in person encounters that we experience the full spectrum of a brand’s personality, it’s culture and DNA. In return, brands and their makers learn as much about their customer, their desires and needs. The combination of shared experience allows for a longer and more meaningful two-way relationship with these interactions not only validating our human need for belonging and understanding but also serving as the antidote to the potentially isolating effects of technology.
Never before have organisations had a better opportunity to differentiate themselves in a crowded marketplace and, ironically, it’s by showing up in a crowded place. Understanding how to repurpose retail environments to be consumer playgrounds, aligning to cultural moments that customers care about and fuelling the opportunities for audiences to realise their potential.
Get it right and then turn on the digital afterburners. Watch your real-life impact flood social feeds, bask in earned media and then put budget into paid. See how the insights outperform AI consumer understanding, showcase your positive action, build a genuine sense of community and membership; all in the knowledge that people want to be there and willingly engage.
As ever, the future of brand marketing is complex and the mix is now a portfolio of risk management and spread betting. But of all the dials, experiential marketing is now a must for brands to make the impersonal, personal. It’s time to transcend the transition and overcome the cynicism of digital consumerism.
The warning? You have to get it right. Excuse the cheap shot, but Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Experience is an excruciatingly awkward consumer encounter that achieved scale for all the wrong reasons. The lesson? There are no short cuts. If used properly, digital and the unending power of AI has an abundance of uses for the experiential sector, but the input and output is a human interaction.
In a world where the lines between the digital and physical blur ever more with each passing day, the value of in-person interaction stands as a beacon of authenticity. As brands navigate this brave new artificial world, they have a unique opportunity to fill a void in the human experience, offering not just products or services but genuine moments of connection and belonging. In so doing, they not only stand to reap the rewards of customer loyalty and advocacy, but also contribute to a richer, more meaningful journey of human interaction.
