Audiences are turning away from traditional advertising, no longer persuaded by repetition and slogans but by what they experience directly with a brand.
Research shows that this turn is driven by a search for relevance and authenticity, with people placing greater trust in encounters they can take part in rather than messages delivered to them. Online casinos have become early adopters of this change in the UK, using interactive design and loyalty-driving features such as generous bonuses, VIP rewards, and personalised offers all detailed by PokerScout UK, as proof that branding through experience can outperform traditional advertising. This example is part of a wider movement visible across industries, where companies invest in creating encounters that feel personal, memorable, and credible.
The rise of these strategies signals that brand identity today is built less on exposure and more on how people live the brand in practice.
From persuasion to participation
For decades, advertising was built on persuasion. Repetition of the same message across billboards, television, and print created familiarity, and businesses counted on recognition to convert into sales. That approach is losing power. Audiences have become sceptical of one-way messages, filtering them out as background noise. They want more than a slogan; they want to be part of the story.
Studies show that consumers clearly prefer brand experiences over traditional advertising, with 69 % choosing experiences and only 25 % finding ads relevant. Brand experiences are more in demand because they allow people to interact, not just observe. This is more than a cultural preference – it is a business signal. Participation generates relevance, and relevance generates loyalty. The numbers underline the point: 56 % of people say they feel emotionally connected through experiences, while only 16 % feel the same about traditional ads. Companies that open space for interaction are not simply communicating – they are creating emotional ties that advertising alone can no longer guarantee.
What “brand experience” means in practice
Brand experience covers every touchpoint between a business and its audience. It is what people feel when they use a product, how they are treated when they contact customer service, and the impression left by a company’s digital presence. Unlike a traditional advert that only transmits a claim, experience works through action.
In retail, experience can mean stores where customers try products in a setting that reflects real use, rather than just browsing aisles. In hospitality, hotels add value through packages that bring food or activities into the stay, making the visit distinct. In the digital economy, platforms design apps so that the interface itself feels like part of the brand. Research adds weight to these examples: companies that lead on customer experience grow revenue about 80 % faster than competitors who lag behind. Each example shows how storytelling and attention to detail transform a transaction into an ongoing relationship, one that continues after the purchase is made.
Measuring value: why experiences outperform ads
Decision-makers need evidence, and the data is clear and shows that experiences consistently outperform exposure-based advertising when measured by return on investment and lead generation. When people engage directly with a brand, they are more likely to remember it, talk about it, and return for more.
This is why data on campaign performance matters. Studies confirm that experiential campaigns prove more effective than advertising, often delivering three to five times the return on investment and making people far more likely to remember the brand than if they had only seen an advert. The depth of the effect is visible in wider research: 85 % of consumers say they are more likely to buy after taking part in a brand event, and 70 % of those who attend become repeat customers. Unlike exposure, which fades once a campaign ends, experiences leave a lasting impression. They create memory, and memory drives loyalty. For leaders under pressure to show results, experience-based strategies are increasingly seen as the more reliable investment.
Sectors showing the way forward
The move from exposure to experience is not confined to one field. Retail brands now stage in-store events where people can try products as they would use them in daily life. Hotels design packages that combine accommodation with food or activities, ensuring a stay that feels distinct rather than standardised. Technology firms build apps with interactive challenges and rewards to keep users actively involved.
Online casinos show this approach at its most advanced. These platforms add themes and characters that guide play, creating a sense of progression, and they host live games with real dealers to make interaction feel authentic. What might have been a routine online activity becomes an unfolding experience. The lesson is clear: when industries commit to building encounters people want to return to, loyalty grows in ways advertising cannot match.
In Case You Missed it:
The challenges of experience-led branding
Building experiences is not simple or inexpensive. It requires more than creative ideas – it demands integration across departments, investment in staff training, and consistency across every customer touchpoint. A single weak link, such as poor service or a flawed digital interaction, can undermine the whole effect.
There is also the risk of gimmicks since experiences that feel forced or insincere may alienate rather than attract. For this reason, businesses must ensure that the encounters they design reflect their brand truthfully and deliver real value. The companies that succeed are those that treat experience not as a spectacle, but as a coherent expression of their identity. That is where authenticity meets strategy, and where trust begins.
Conclusion
Experience has become the new currency of brand growth. This means that what once relied on the reach of advertising now depends on the credibility of encounters that customers find worth remembering. The message for companies is not just to follow a trend but to recognise that strategies built on experience reshape budgets, performance metrics, and competitive advantage. Those prepared to treat every interaction as part of their brand will not only win loyalty but also build resilience in markets where attention is harder to capture and easier to lose.
