Discover what brands can learn from this shift.
Author:
Adrian Dinsdale, Strategy Director
Originally published by The Drum, February 9, 2026
As the magic of Christmas continues to fade and we face the harsh realities of a typical wet British winter, a spark is still being kept alive in our household by my young son, who continues to talk about his visit to Lapland UK, an immersive winter wonderland that sets up camp every year in a forest just outside Ascot (and now has a second location near Manchester too).
Such is the slick professionalism of the place that even the most sceptical parent begins to wonder whether that really is the real Father Christmas you get to meet at the end of a fun-filled three hours of activities amongst snow-covered pines. Every detail is considered and the experience unfolds in a way that strikes the right balance between guided interactions and independent discovery.
As you return to the mundane surroundings of a traffic-clogged A322, it’s easy to see why we are increasingly swapping everyday life for experiences that transport us somewhere else, especially when a liberal sprinkling of Christmas magic is thrown in for good measure. Immersive experiences offer a temporary escape, but more importantly, they offer a sense of being inside the action, rather than simply observing it.
So, what is driving the success of immersive experiences, and what can we learn from them as experiential marketers?
If we look at the wider media landscape, the answers are clear. Gaming culture has trained audiences to expect agency and choice. Television formats such as ‘The Traitors’ invite viewers to play along, analyse outcomes, and imagine alternative paths. Most importantly, the daily interactivity we experience through apps, platforms and digital services means we are rarely passive participants anymore. All of this has shaped a clear expectation: experiences should grant us some degree of influence over our journey.
Audiences want agency, interaction, and the feeling that their involvement matters. They want to affect the narrative rather than simply consume it.
Research supports this shift. When Gensler and the Immersive Experience Institute asked people what they value most in immersive environments, the responses consistently emphasized high levels of interactivity, including encounters with live actors, as one of the most important elements. In other words, immersion is not about scale or spectacle alone, it’s about human connection and meaningful participation.
As our digital lives continue to offer ever-increasing degrees of control and responsiveness, it’s no wonder that immersive experiences are being created to meet similar expectations when we enter leisure, cultural, retail, or branded environments. This growing trend is one we’ve highlighted in this year’s Experiential Trends Report.
Of course, with every trend comes a set of watch-outs.
We are increasingly seeing experiences branded as ‘immersive’ that simply aren’t. Putting up a static installation that provides a fleeting ‘Insta moment’ does not cut the mustard. A backdrop, no matter how visually striking, does not invite participation. Asking an audience to stand in front of something is fundamentally different from inviting them to step inside a narrative.
In fact, this approach may become even less effective as social media continues to evolve. Given that platforms are moving further towards broadcast models that favour AI-generated content and passive consumption, audiences are likely to shift away from documenting every part of an experience and instead seek moments where they can be fully present. Experiences that rely solely on photo opportunities risk feeling hollow.
Woe betide the brand that overpromises and underdelivers in this scenario. When brands promise immersion and deliver a photo opportunity, the disconnect is immediately felt. Audiences are savvy, particularly in B2B environments where time is limited and attention is hard-won. Trust, once lost, is difficult to regain.
This isn’t an argument for complexity for its own sake. Not every activation needs to be high-tech or theatrical to be effective. Some of the most compelling immersive experiences are built on simple ideas executed with clarity and intent. But when we describe an experience as immersive, we should be clear about what that actually means.
Immersion is about participation. It’s about giving people a role, however small, within the experience and rewarding them for engaging with it.
As experiential marketing continues to evolve, the opportunity for brands is clear: move beyond the backdrop. Build experiences that people don’t just photograph but feel part of and talk about long after they’ve stepped back into the everyday world.
Just like my son.
