Brands have never invested more in experiences. Across screens, spaces, and platforms, the ambition, and opportunity, is undoubtedly there. But despite all that effort, many experiences risk being forgettable.

The problem isn't a lack of creativity or technology; it's a lack of connection. Today's audiences are feeling overwhelmed. They're constantly being exposed to content - all day, every day - switching between various screens and environments. We hear the term ‘digital fatigue’ a lot, but there's something bigger going on beneath the surface: cognitive overload. When everyone's competing for attention, very little actually sticks. It’s just noise.

This is where experiences matter, and why they're so powerful when they do work. As Consumer Behaviour Expert Dr Amna Khan explains, people have a fundamental need to be and belong. That instinct is rooted in centuries of human tribal living, and it hasn't disappeared just because we live in a hyper-digital world. In fact, the more isolated and high-pressure our lives become, the more we want shared moments that feel meaningful.

Experiences deliver that in a way which content alone simply can't. They create social bonds. They form memories. They become part of how people see themselves and the stories they tell about their lives. But only when they're designed with purpose.

The problem is that too many brands are still planning experiences channel by channel. One team owns social. Another owns OOH. Another owns packaging. Another owns events. Each area may be strong on its own, but when it all comes together, the story falls apart.

Netflix has always been strong at bringing the digital to life but making experiences around shows such as Stranger Things, where they created an immersive world in a secret London location last December to mark the final season. It allowed fans to feel and connect with the show and each other, a clever creative execution by the brand. 

When experiences become noise instead of meaning

We're living and working in what Aaron Butler, Global Design Lead at No7, calls a ‘dopamine-rich’ environment. Attention is short, there's lots of competition, and brands don't have the luxury of a captive 30-second window anymore. Screens are everywhere. They're in our hands, our homes, on the street. But screens alone don't create connection. Plus 95% of brand decisions are made based on emotion, according to Harvard professor Gerald Zaltman.

Multimedia Artist & Award-winning Creative, Graham Fink, says that meaningful experiences need a story. They need to change how people feel, invite people to do something, and leave them with something that's worth talking about. Without that, it doesn't matter how visually impressive you make it, it's still at risk of disappearing into the content abyss.

That's why authenticity is more important than ever before. When audiences sense inconsistency - when the message doesn't match up across the different mediums - trust disappears.

This is also where systems thinking comes in. The hardest part of delivering connected experiences isn't external - it's internal. If teams and systems aren't aligned, your experiences will likely fall apart before they even reach an audience.

Why connection has to span physical and digital

The best experiences don't stay in one place. They move between digital and physical spaces, supporting each other. Live shopping is a good example: formats like TikTok Live work so well because consumers feel "seen" by others in real time.

We see similar things happening in gaming, where immersive digital worlds can drive a desire for a real-life "gamy vacation" and authentic cultural experiences, like in Ghost of Tsushima.

At the end of this year, Rockstar will release Grand Theft Auto VI, a game that has always felt so real to players. It has the potential to transport gamers into another world of escapism, to deliver an elevated experience, if the right elements are addressed and meet for the launch.

We can't forget, though, that amongst all the digital noise, people still want moments of disconnection, too. As digital becomes more immersive, the desire for analogue, physical experiences grow stronger. In an age of AI and deepfakes, being there in person is increasingly becoming proof of reality.

This doesn't mean physical experiences should - and are - replacing digital ones. It just means they need to work together more intentionally.

Screens should act as connectors, not endpoints. They need to guide people into experiences that feel cohesive across every touchpoint.

The brands that stand out won't be the ones doing the most. They'll be the ones doing fewer things better and consistently with a clear narrative, call to action, and excellent understanding of how people actually move through physical and digital spaces.