What You’ll Learn in This Episode: 

• What the future looks like for brick-and-mortar retail experiences now that all eyes are on e-commerce  
• How brands are getting today’s audiences involved through co-creation of experiences 
• How brands can determine whether or not it’s worthwhile to jump into trends such as the metaverse

Are we on the verge of an experiential renaissance in retail? That’s what we posited in our annual Red Sky Predictions Report — that 2022 is the year brands will fully merge experiential and retail to reimagine the shopping experience. By turning a store into a destination, brands can ensure that brick-and-mortar shops not only remain relevant, but that they complement e-commerce efforts to more fully bring a brand to life.  

In this month’s episode, Red Havas’ Linda Descano, CFA^® is joined by fellow Redsters Steve Fontanot, Michael Ozard, Kana Phung and Courtney Myers to discuss the new Red Sky Thinking white paper they co-authored, “A New Lens on Brand Experience.”

In conversation, they dig deeper into the factors reshaping the brand experience landscape in 2022. 

“BLENDING PHYSICAL AND DIGITAL” 

The conversation begins with a look at the future of brick-and-mortar retail experiences amid a surge in social media selling and shifting e-commerce trends. 

“The idea of blending physical and digital elements together has become incredibly critical,” says Steve, Managing Director, Red Havas AU & Havas Blvd. “I think good brands have found ways to blend those together.” 

“Social is playing a pivotal role in e-commerce, and platforms like TikTok have really turned this concept on its head,” says Michael, Group Brand Experience Director at Red Havas AU and Havas Blvd. “But with so much focus on e-commerce and social, there’s a real opportunity for brands to differentiate themselves by providing unique in-store experiences that add value through deeper and more connected moments in a way that digital cannot.” 

CO-CREATED BRAND EXPERIENCES 

The conversation then shifts to the topic of co-creation between brands and audiences. 

“We’re being introduced to this evolved category of brand collaborations, called co-creations,” says Kana, Senor Producer, Brand Experience and Events at Havas Blvd. “I think we can see that the mindset is really shifting from creating campaigns for audiences, to creating campaigns with the communities that we value. Essentially, the rewards are greater if we can understand how audiences can be part of the creation process.” 

Says Courtney, SVP and Head of Experiential at Red Havas US, “Amid unprecedented employee turnover, organizations are increasingly recognizing that people are their greatest assets. As we reimagine our hybrid ways of working, brands should start viewing employees as co-creators to help create engaging employee experiences in both physical and virtual environments.” 

NAVIGATING THE FUTURE OF BRAND EXPERIENCES 

Finally, our guests share their thoughts on brand experiences moving forward and how to decide whether or not to take a leap into new digital experiences such as the metaverse. 

“I think we’ve already seen some immersive multimedia experiences that really play on the metaverse in its current form,” says Michael. “It’s really important for brands to look at ways that they can collaborate with the existing digital platforms to tap into these new and far-reaching audiences and next level communities.” 

“Sometimes brands can jump into trends without even knowing if their customers or their employees are there,” says Courtney. “I think the first things you need to understand are who your audience is, where they are engaging, whether they’re interested in this, and if it is the right way to reach them.” 

Says Kana, “In contrast to the mass marketing strategy, it’s okay to take a step back and see how the bespoke elements and meaningful brand experiences of the past have evolved in their own ways. There’s a huge space for speaking to individual needs and offering a unique experience through micro events.” 

Closing out our discussion, Steve offers his final thoughts on the matter: “Overall, the focus should be on creating meaningful brand experiences. But it’s important for brands to understand that what they think is meaningful, might not be meaningful to their consumers. Spend time thinking about what your holistic brand experience is, because too often we’ve seen brands invest time and resources into great things just to be let down by one small thing.” 

“GETTING THE MESSAGE OUT” WITH MEL PANABI 

The episode wraps with Red Havas VP of Content Ellen Mallernee Barnes and our Red Questionnaire guest Mel Panabi, business director at Red Havas Philippines, for a conversation spanning many topics, including his go-to podcasts (“The Black Tapes” and “The Magnus Archives”), his guilty pleasures (his expansive collection of CDs, perfumes, and action figures), and how he describes his job to his children. 

“Companies and brands want to get their message out, and some of them need help doing that,” says Mel on the latter. “My job is to make sure that whatever it is that they want to say is accurate and has an impact on their target audience.” 

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