Intro
Here’s something most marketers are talking about: AI is changing how we create content. But what’s being left out of the conversation is this: AI is chipping away at the fundamental relationship between the message and the audience. The fixation on its speed and scale is distracting from a bigger story.
AI makes so much possible, but it’s shifting people’s belief systems. The relationships with audiences that used to be built on trust in a creative process are now built on doubts about dubious deepfakes. Consequently, virtual audiences are beginning to vanish because they’re starting to question not just a few things, but everything. When brands meet audiences in real environments, it helps solve the AI paradox and create lasting relationships.
Live Events and the AI Paradox
In-person experiences accomplish something virtual ones have never been able to master. They deliver truths that unfold unfiltered because no algorithm exists to tweak content in real time.
At live events, there exist direct relationships between brands and audiences within environments that provide shared experiences. It’s a simple equation:
- Brand + Messaging + Controlled Space = Interaction Without Interference
In our digitally dominant world, the reason these experiences matter more than ever is the authenticity of the ecosystems and spaces they provide for learning, networking, and building community engagement.
Also, the added value of creating a shared experience is that it can be amplified through social media, earned PR, and other owned content channels, thereby ensuring longer-lasting impact. Live experiences should be viewed as content collateral, not just one-off moments.
When almost anything can be faked, the authenticity of a live event allows for interaction without potentially distrustful interference. And for corporate events, those interactions align with business goals.
The Bottom Line: IRL Interactions Matter
Both B2B and B2C events have always been about driving sales. At the same time marketers are having conversations about AI, they also know they still exist in a world where deals close and brands are adopted because of face-to-face interactions. The calendar of conferences, trade shows, and other corporate events equals top-of-the-funnel awareness-raising activities, or mid-funnel consideration that’s done in real life.
Some people wrongly assume that the emerging generations of live event attendees are digital natives who are glued to their phones. But research shows that they actually crave in-person experiences to make them more well-rounded individuals. Following influencers only goes so far, and being present is what actually moves people. It taps into the trust we place in what we see with our own eyes, which is something algorithms can’t replicate.
From Screens to Scenes
Warner Bros. perfectly addressed this paradox with their recent activation for the LA-based press junket for “A Minecraft Movie” this past March. The movie is based on famous digital IP, and bringing it to life meant risking disappointing legions of fans (mostly GenZ audiences) who’ve spent countless hours in its virtual, pixilated worlds.
WB’s marketing team decided to bring the digital into the physical by repurposing modular pieces from the actual movie set for the junket that turned into an open activation at the Century City shopping plaza in LA. Their strategy solved the AI paradox by giving digital natives something tangible to experience and participate in.
They realized that the audience for this brand didn’t just want to consume its content, they want to be part of authentic moments connecting them with it. Maybe they’ll still scroll through influencer posts all day, but driving brand adoption is FIRST being present to capture that moment and THEN share it from their own perspective.
For brands targeting emerging generations, success hinges on creating experiential moments that serve dual purposes. They must take the following steps:
- Provide a space for genuine in-person connection.
- Allow for organic connections to happen.
- Let the audience generate shareable content that extends beyond the event itself.
When your IP lives online but your audience craves real-world validation, the answer isn’t more digital content. The “Minecraft” activation didn’t force audiences to choose between digital and physical. It proved that powerful marketing experiences bridge both worlds when their rooted in a foundation of authenticity.
This concept has elements of nostalgia but doesn’t rely solely on it. It’s innovative in its return to a source of truth that has yet to fail us. There’s absolutely no doubt that AI is going to impact the way brand experiences are created. The tools offered are efficient and will both influence and forever change the roles of brand experiences and live events. And by extension, the way we market them.
Credibility and connection are both fundamental human truths. And through the combination of both, brand experiences that offer opportunities to build relationships and solidify partnerships at live events will eclipse the digital world.
