How brands engage with customers is the first port of call when thinking about a successful marketing strategy for a business. Yet, conventional advertising has become a saturated market through boring campaigns featuring on the same old channels. The UK public has become overwhelmed with adverts, viewing between 50 and 400 ads a day. With no thanks to apps like TikTok for making our attention spans shorter, it’s harder than ever for brands to grab consumers' sustained attention and stand out against competitors. Connected experiences, a blend of technology and creativity that goes beyond traditional advertising methods, are my answer for doing so. But you may wonder – what is a connected experience, and why is it becoming such a powerful tool for brands?

Firstly – what is a connected experience?

At its core, a connected experience acts as a bridge between the ‘physical’ and the ‘digital’. Using technologies like QR codes and NFC tags, they create direct interactions between a brand and its customers. When a customer scans a QR code on a beer mat or taps an NFC-enabled package for example, they unlock a personalised journey that goes beyond the shelf.

Think of the journey for a regular bottle of wine - buy it, drink it, discard it. Nothing more. With connected experiences, customers can use their smartphone to scan a label to discover the story behind the vineyard and gain access to tailored recipe recommendations or exclusive promotions – similar to our work with Rabble Wines. Only this technology can transform the ‘everyday’ products into interactive platforms, delivering an experience that builds on a brand's post-purchase presence.

So, why does this matter? In a world where customers are fed a consistent stream of generic ads, a connected experience offers something different. Instead of a brand begging for engagement, the customer actively seeks for a brand to give them attention. With connected packaging, the product itself becomes an interactive media channel, opening up new opportunities for brands to tell their story, gather data insights and build a deeper connection with their customers. Using the right technology, businesses can drive dynamic, contextual content based on the time of day, location, and even the weather for that specific user - all whilst collecting first-party data that was previously unattainable.

The value of post-purchase data collection lies in the fact that most brands have to conduct commissioned research for such information on their consumers. Through connected experiences, brands can uncover insights about how and where a product is being used and for how long – vital data for investments in CDP and CRM.

Just another channel or a business solution?

Frequently, connected experiences are misconceived as just another channel alongside more traditional options like email and paid media. But a connected experience is much more than that. It creates your very own new media channel, one of which you have complete control, and is used by consumers actively seeking out your brand often at the point of purchase or usage. This gives you a wealth of unique options beyond the usual marketing strategy.

Take Just For Men for example. The brand has a strong reputation – it’s iconic for most men but wasn’t resonating with a younger, modern audience. Using connected packaging, Just For Men was transformed into more than just a product, it became a tool that empowers their customers. By scanning packaging, users can access tailored grooming tips, product tutorials, and an interactive product selector showing specific facial hair options on themselves, delivering a personalised experience that speaks directly to the individual's needs - completely outside the realms of traditional channels.

Similarly, Madri Exceptional tapped into the power of connected experiences to deepen customer engagement. An NFC-enabled campaign invited users to interact with the Madri brand in a creative way whilst generating existing customer loyalty. By scanning the packaging, beer enthusiasts unlocked a digital hub that provided not only a history of the brand but also recipes, music playlists, and exclusive content that enhanced their overall drinking experience. Meanwhile - Madri learned more about when and where their customers enjoy their beer.

Connected experiences transform how customers perceive and interact with a brand. Rather than just providing a product, these brands offer an ongoing dialogue. One that builds loyalty, generates valuable insights and drives repeat engagement.

The future of connected experiences

With privacy continuing to rise as a consumer concern, cookies still in limbo, and data insights now the most sought after element of digital advertising there is no doubt that connected experiences will be at the core of brands strategies.

Through offering contextually relevant and hyper-tailored content, tips, and gamified rewards brands can build even stronger loyalty, leading to repeat purchases, improving recall, and promoting word-of-mouth marketing.

Each time one of your customers scans the QR code or activates the NFC chip, you’re gathering additional customer data, levelling up your understanding of that individual customer whilst being able to overlay these insights into wider audience trends. This, in turn, will allow you to maximise future campaigns.

Connected experiences turn products into digital touchpoints, creating a new and unique media channel for your brand. They’re not just a marketing tool, something fun to play with, they’re a business solution that can address customer concerns, drive sales and much more.