Interactive Consumer Insights

Trend - Brands are creating passive pop-ups, such as billboards or signposts, that beget consumers to engage with only a brief action. These are more engaging than regular billboards while not requiring much time from consumers. Additionally, brands do not need to staff these pop-ups, thus reducing costs.

Insight - The average person living in a major city faces hundreds of advertisements a day. To this extent, most simply filter out regular ads, leading to brands not leaving a lasting impression. While some brands try to launch full-scale pop-up events that invite consumers to explore a detailed activation, not all consumers have spare time for such activities, leading to brands finding a middle ground for pop-ups that beget enough interaction to leave an impression, but do not intrude on daily schedules.

Trend - Postcard-making workshops are becoming a popular feature at pop-up events, offering guests a creative, hands-on way to connect with the brand. These interactive sessions allow participants to create a tangible, personalized product that delivers a message and introduces a new brand to the recipient.

Insight - Consumers seeking unique shopping experiences are increasingly drawn to events that facilitate personal connections with brands and encourage sharing the experience with loved ones. In response, brands are designing pop-ups that allow consumers to create personalized keepsakes for those in their lives and invite these individuals to experience the brand. By focusing on consumers' desire for shareable moments, brands can attract an audience that values community throughout the product journey.

Trend - Brands are launching platforms that automate media and customer outreach campaigns with AI. These platforms streamline lead detection, determine the optimal method to reach out, and send the message at an effective time. These enable AI marketing for brands without technical backgrounds.

Insight - Digital marketing continues to grow in competitiveness each year, with more businesses, channels, and voices reaching out to customers each day. In this competitive sector, businesses continually search for a tool that can give them an advantage over competitors. Businesses prioritize freeing up worker time for more intricate tasks, automation of simpler tasks, and reduction of expenses. These businesses are gravitating towards AI platforms to automate a large range of marketing tasks.

Trend - As metaverse platforms gain popularity, various brands are integrating virtual out-of-home (VOOH) ads into their campaigns. Like traditional out-of-home advertising, VOOH formats consist of billboards and signage. However, with VOOH, these ads are on display in completely virtual worlds.

Insight - While the metaverse provides new opportunities for direct-to-you marketing, the kind of ads associated with these strategies can feel invasive and overwhelming for consumers. Because of this, brands are testing out VOOH ads, as these formats mimic the passive style of real-life billboards and signage. In doing so, they are catering to consumers' desire for less intrusive digital advertising while introducing a novel — and appropriately "meta" — tactic for capturing attention.

Trend - Streamers are experimenting with Connected TV technology (CTV), which leverages QR codes, content overlays, and second-screen prompts to allow viewers to instantaneously shop the products that they see on screen. This includes products seen in commercials as well as those featured in actual shows.

Insight - Across industries, e-commerce integrations are becoming the norm, making efficient online shopping near ubiquitous. Not surprisingly, consumers now expect similarly streamlined solutions within the TV space. In particular, those that enable them to own the products that they see on screen and do so in as little time as possible. As a result, streamers are introducing interactive ads that cater to consumer expectations while also offering brands a low-funnel marketing tactic for driving conversions.

Trend - Cannabis companies are adding interactive, gamified elements to their branding and product offerings to increase their approachability in the new market. These gamified elements create a sense of playfulness and add entertainment value to cannabis products.

Insight - The cannabis industry is gaining traction among young consumers, including Gen Z and Millennials. The two tech-savvy generations are increasingly searching for products with interactive and entertainment-based products. In response to the consumer desire for gamified entertainment, cannabis brands are including interactive components in their products and business models.

Trend - Brands are turning to content subscription services like OnlyFans to market their products during the stay-at-home era. While popular with creators and influencers, fashion brands, media publishers and others are just entering the game with exclusive behind-the-scenes footage and more.

Insight - Consumers are spending more time at home now more than ever due to the ongoing global pandemic and this is causing many to increase their online consumption. Turning to the Internet for anything from shopping and entertainment to socialization and work, many are becoming aware of the ubiquitous and accessible nature of digital platforms. Nostalgic for the exclusive experiences that they might have been privy to prior to the pandemic, consumers are looking to feel special by demanding limited content.

Trend - Viewing sports in-person at the arena, stadium, or track is still largely off-limits for most leagues. These restrictions have significantly reduced many brands' ability to reach consumers, prompting a surge of branded at-home experiences that replicate the live events. These include tailgating kits, home stadium experiences, and arena-specific food delivery options.

Insight - The rituals of attending a sports game are often seen as a crucial element of enjoying the experience, and many loyal fans are looking for ways to preserve these practices while at home. These rituals are viewed as important to the consumer as it allows them to create emotional connections with their peers and maintain their social identity. Brands that offer products and services that replicate the traditions of fandom in a way that can be shared on social media enable consumers to maintain—and promote—their cultural identity.

Trend - Many companies are tapping drag queen entertainers as a way to engage consumers at home during COVID-19. Either launched as an interactive experience or a live performance, these activations serve to celebrate Pride and to uplift one's spirits, while also taking the spotlight away from Pride-themed goods.

Insight - Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, live events and large gatherings in many countries are either cancelled or highly restricted and as a result, consumers are looking to stay entertained at home while abiding by their government's lockdown rules. As many are experiencing nostalgia for live performances from their favourite personalities, individuals are looking to diversify their content intake by opting-in for real-time shows or interactive experiences. In addition to being entertaining, these activations allow individuals to feel closer to the real thing.

Trend - In a bid to verify the authenticity of a product, as well as to increase transparency between the brand and its consumers, alcohol companies are incorporating blockchain technology into the experience. Through scanning a code on a bottle, closure, or label, consumers can access a ledger with information about the product, its quality, how it was manufactured, and so on.

Insight - Conscious consumers are interested in selecting goods based on quality, ethics, and sustainability and as a result, a premium is placed on brand authenticity. This creates a demand for the accessible transfer of knowledge between brands and consumers as individuals want to make informed decisions based on things like production practices and the quality of ingredients. This transparency allows consumers to have trust in a company, ultimately contributing to their loyalty.