Immersive Brand Experiences

No matter the shopping channel, brand success depends on the basic principle of consumers buying products. And brands have learned that by developing a deeper connection with consumers and nurturing a relationship, a continuous purchasing cycle can be achieved. This relationship development has uncovered the importance of delivering memorable brand experiences. Even pre-pandemic, brands were working with creative teams and forming unique collaborative partnerships to curate immersive experiences to surprise and delight shoppers. From pop-up shops to new DTC retail spaces, CPG brands are seeing the power of directly connecting with shoppers to gain market share and create a brand fan base.

“We continuously see the push toward direct-to-consumer relationships. You are seeing that more and more in the CPG world and seeing a lot of experiential things happening, even pre-pandemic,” says Melissa Gonzalez, CEO and chief strategist of The Lionesque Group, an MG2 company. “It’s about creating that emotional connection with the brand and taking it beyond the product on the shelf. Companies are investing in creating deeper connections that entrench the consumer in the lifestyle and value proposition of the brand.” 

While astute brands have been leveraging the online experience and connecting with consumers wherever they are, especially since COVID-19 hit, physical retail and in-person experiences deepen the brand-consumer relationship. Shoppers are craving opportunities for exploration and discovery — to get out of the house, be inspired and feel a sense of community. From ritualizing a daily event to offering personalization and customization, immersive experiences open consumers’ eyes to the possibilities of a product and increase the lifetime value of the brand.

“With the overwhelming adoption of online exploration and transaction, designing compelling brand experiences across the entire omnichannel landscape is more important than ever,” says Nick Burdett, Digital Director EMEA for Landor & Fitch. “Experience is the brand’s opportunity to truly differentiate in the marketplace, and to build affinity and preference with customers. And since the last best experience that anyone has anywhere becomes the minimum expectation for the experiences they want everywhere, brands must push the envelope to create relevant, intuitive and engaging experiences.”

Considering the sea of choices in the CPG world, Gonzalez challenges brands to think about what is going to make a product stand out in a deeper way. She believes notable immersive experiences educate, demystify, inspire and empower consumers, achieving the emotional connection that helps a brand stand out. “If the brand can successfully do all of those things, I think they have a powerful opportunity to increase brand loyalty,” says Gonzalez.

Read on to see how M&M’s, KitKat, 5 Element Food Therapy, Cuyana, Business & Pleasure Co. and Old Spice are bringing the lifestyle and value proposition of their brands to life in immersive experiences that surprise and delight shoppers.

M&M’s Berlin

In October 2021, M&M’s introduced an immersive flagship retail experience in Berlin. The brand experience celebrates M&M’s commitment “to creating a world where everyone feels they belong.”

“At M&M’s, our aim is to always elevate and evolve our fans’ experiences with the brand. Creating immersive experiences like our newest Flagship M&M’s Berlin is a continued step forward in reaching the M&M’s fans in a meaningfully unique and dynamic way,” says Patrick McIntyre, director of global retail at Mars Retail Group. “M&M’s Berlin is our first store in continental Europe allowing Berliners and travelers alike to experience M&M’s in a way they haven’t had the opportunity to before across all five senses.”

The approximately 32,000-square-foot immersive retail experience exudes the vibrant energy and artistic roots of Berlin. The colorful space includes experiential highlights such as an M&M’s Cafe, offering M&M’s beverages, cookies and ice cream, as well as photo moments at the Karaoke Garden — a tribute to Berlin’s karaoke culture. At M&M’s Street Art, fans can visit a graffiti wall inspired by the Berlin Wall. Visitors can also shop M&M’s Berlin merchandise at the “I <3 Spati Shop,” which is a nod to the area’s distinct convenience shops, the Berlin Spati.

“We’re really proud of how the brand’s commitment to creating a world where everyone feels they belong shines through in every element of the store,” says McIntyre. “Experiences in the store like the Karaoke Garden and M&M’s Street Art — both unique to the M&M’s Berlin store — are designed to encourage fans to celebrate and express their individual and creative true selves, something we strive to achieve in everything we do.”

The KitKat Chocolatory 

Located in Sao Paulo, Nestle’s KitKat Chocolatory is a permanent retail  flagship designed to “premiumize” the brand in South America, the largest confectionery market in the world, explains Nick Burdett, digital director EMEA at Landor & Fitch, which worked with the brand to develop the experience. The intent was to elevate the product through an experience centered around KitKat’s “Have a Break” tagline and connect with the local Gen Z market.

“The goal of the experience was to truly differentiate KitKat in the marketplace with a flagship experience that was unlike any retail experience in the region,” describes Burdett. “We were guided by bringing to life a selection of experience principles (the experience DNA) that focused in on “product,” “play” and “community.” We were guided by these principles to design an experience that was engaging, truly immersive and inherently social.”

The experience includes activations such as a virtual reality game in which consumers participate in the creation of a newly released product line while exploring a virtual KitKat world. Through social augmented reality, an in-store “treasure hunt” experience encourages consumers to engage with KitKat filters and interactive shareable content. Interactive kiosks also allow consumers to order products and even customize their own confectionery.

“This move to automation empowers customers to order product without the need for a staff member present,” says Burdett. “The very deliberate push to integrate technology-enabled experiences also allows the brand to track performance and uptake in real time. Store managers can view the performance of each area of the store with absolute accuracy that allows them to test and learn and make incremental changes to improve overall performance for each square foot of the store.”

According to Burdett, the experience has been a success since its launch with demand for product almost surpassing product availability. “The local community has viewed the retail space as a destination to hang out and socialize with their friends in a fun environment,” he adds. “And the online platform has seen a large uptake in the region with its innovative take on the purchase funnel.”

The new retail format is planned to be rolled out across Brazil and South America as the brand grows market share.

In early 2021, Landor & Fitch helped Nestle Brazil with an ecommerce solution as a follow up to the successful, award-winning physical retail experience. This was an opportunity for the brand and business to scale across the region despite COVID-19 impacting additional physical retail launches. 

“The concept was to create a virtual expression of the physical concept to provide a common design language and experience concept across all customer touchpoints in the region,” describes Burdett. “Think of it as a KitKat Chocolatory universe, common across all touchpoints.”

5 Element Food Therapy

Sharon Felice Tuggle learned about the benefits of fresh pet food and Chinese herbs through a personal experience— the cancer care of her Boxer-Rottweiler mix Hoochie. In 2016, she partnered with the doctor who helped her and Hoochie on their cancer journey, Certified Holistic Vet Dr. Anne Reed. They introduced 5 Element Food Therapy: a line of pet food supplements based in traditional Chinese veterinary medicine. 

Their mission to “Feed What They Need – Love Them Longer” began online with an array of products created to “help readjust and maintain balance in your pet’s system through supplements to their regular diet.” The business model required a lot of refrigeration and storage space, and Tuggle knew the education around the products could benefit from face-to-face interactions with pet parents, which led to her opening a 439-square-foot retail space in Oakland, California, in March 2021. 

“We typically sell wholesale, but with COVID-19 and people out walking their dogs, I thought it might be a great opportunity to connect with pet owners,” Tuggle says. “Adding a small retail area to support the storage space seemed like the best of both worlds.”

Tuggle says retail sales have far exceeded online sales. Second quarter 2021 has yielded 125% growth compared to 2020. “The retail experience for my canine customer is one of complete delight,” she adds. “I have a Bone Broth Bar and Snack Bar, so the dogs rush in for free tastings.”

While the retail space allows Tuggle to connect with and educate pet owners on the benefits of fresh food and supplements, it also provides opportunities to bolster the brand’s community ties. From honoring National Pet Grieving Day to playing off the area’s cherished culinary tradition of chicken and waffles (with Chicken & Woofles treats on Sundays), she is creating moments of surprise and delight for shoppers to engage with the brand on a deeper level.

5 Element Food Therapy continues to ship nationwide through its online store, with many loyal customers on the East Coast. “I absolutely have plans for future locations,” says Tuggle. “We are currently scouting the East Bay where our commercial kitchen is located. Ultimately, we would like to expand to cities like San Diego, Austin and Denver.”

Cuyana

San Francisco-based Cuyana is an innovative and sustainable fashion brand founded by Karla Gallardo and Shilpa Shah based on a “fewer, better” philosophy. The brand promotes the practice of purchasing fewer, but better, quality pieces. In celebration of the company’s 10-year anniversary, the brand partnered with Toyota to launch a unique pop-up retail experience — Cuyana In Motion: A Traveling Showroom. 

The Cuyana In Motion experience touts itself as “the first expression of the innovative Toyota Agile Space (TAS) concept, the reimagining of the use and provisioning of space for multiple new uses and applications,” according to a media release. The traveling showroom takes advantage of unused space, helping shopping centers monetize non-typical Gross Leasable Space. It provides brands like Cuyana the opportunity to test locations, gain exposure and gather data before making any long-term lease commitments.

The design for this modern mobile shopping concept was a creative collaboration between Cuyana and architecture firm Bohlin Cywinski Jackson. The elevated shopping experience is a modular structure that occupies approximately eight parking spaces. It can be broken down, transported on a flatbed truck and re-constructed within one week.

For Cuyana, the micro-concept translates its IRL experience into a physical showroom that provides a safe shopping environment in a designated location for approximately one month. Customers can purchase items from the curated collection on display as well as the entire brand offering with delivery available direct to their homes. The brand utilizes beacon technology to gather customer information and generate leads.

“We’re incredibly excited to finally debut this concept focused on innovation and design while delivering exceptional service and accessibility,” says Shilpa Shah, co-founder and chief experience officer at Cuyana. “Our goal is to reimagine shopping in the post-pandemic era and bring the Cuyana brand with our fewer, better philosophy directly to our sustainability-minded customers.” 

The Cuyana In Motion pop-up experience features a thoughtfully curated collection of products, including some of its best-selling bags, small leather goods, accessories and jewelry. It launched in June 2021 at The Platform in Culver City, California. Cuyana In Motion was at Fashion Island in Newport Beach, California, through Jan. 19, 2022, with future stops to be confirmed.

Business & Pleasure Co.

Business & Pleasure Co. (B&PCo.) translated its e-commerce experience into a physical expression of its sophisticated beach product brand with the introduction of its first retail store in May 2021. 

Dubbed The Laguna Beach House, the well-appointed space not only allows consumers to touch and feel the exquisite detailing and quality of the products, but it also provides the perfect setting for product testing on the spectacular Laguna Beach just steps away from the store. The brand is finding the physical retail introduction to be a huge success as it provides an opportunity to connect with the customer base to explain quality, pricing and other technical product details.

 “In the beginning, we built our product for e-commerce trade, focusing on state-of-the-art packaging and un-boxing experiences,” says a B&PCo. spokesperson. “We have these little product touches and surprises that most brands cut corners and save costs on. It’s been lovely to see these extra details being noticed in-person.”

 B&PCo. is planning for future locations in key cities around the globe. It is committed to creating brand experiences that reinforce the high quality and timeless appeal of the products and longevity of the brand.

Old Spice Barbershop

In March 2021, Procter & Gamble’s Old Spice introduced a brick-and-mortar barbershop in Columbus, Ohio, playing off its roots as an iconic American grooming brand with an 80-year-plus history offering anti-perspirants, deodorants, body washes, body sprays, shampoos and hair stylers. 

The barbershop is Old Spice’s first and only retail space, and an opportunity to invite customers into an immersive brand experience. The location selection not only connects to the brand’s Ohio roots, but it also targets its core audience — a young, diverse demographic — in the vibrant downtown area. The classic, upscale design of the space sets the stage for the innovative experience.

“Old Spice is turning the traditional barbershop on its head by welcoming guys into the Old Spice universe for a real-life experience with the brand they know and love,” Leif Edgar, Old Spice brand director, said in a media release. “Every single detail from the front desk to the mural in the back of the shop has been created for a truly memorable experience as we help our guys navigate the seas of manhood with the perfect haircut, style and hair grooming products.”

Highlights of this immersive experience include a fully operational content studio, which allows the barbershop to extend its influence across the United States with content such as over-the-top haircuts and celebrity barber tips. The physical space also boasts a barber residency program as a unique draw — weekend residencies feature celebrity barbers styling hair, leading hair information sessions and shooting content spots. The Old Spice Barbershop also provides an opportunity for the brand to share new hair care and styling formulas, as well as a chance to deepen community connections with partnerships, such as serving a co-branded coffee by local Brioso Roastery and Coffee Bar. 

“Looking at what Old Spice did opening a barbershop, it’s not just about a product,” notes The Lionesque Group’s Gonzalez. “It’s a more immersive, comprehensive experience around the culture of what happens in a barbershop, and it organically creates a human connection beyond just what the brand is. That is pretty powerful when that can happen.”