A Look at New, Actionable Strategy Insights
From proving what’s real and choosing to disconnect to building culture after dark and content worth sharing, audiences are becoming more intentional about what earns their attention—and what an experience gives them in return. This month’s trend spotters: Ewan Adams, Kianna Hendricks, Jill Berry, and Caroline Lidz.
Provenance beats polish when nobody can tell
When anything can appear real, brands establish authenticity through tangible proof.
Gartner reports that trust in big brands has fallen to 60% from 70%, making trust–not attention—the scarce resource. AI didn’t invent cynicism. Years of greenwashing, hidden #ads, and clickbait primed audiences to default to suspicion. Now, when people discount everything—even genuine work—marketing shifts from looking authentic to proving origin.
Opting out is becoming the ultimate luxury
As technology becomes more unavoidable, people reclaim connection by living deliberately offline.
Digital detoxing is evolving from personal habit into collective practice. A recent survey found 63% of Gen Z intentionally disconnect from devices, compared with 57% of Millennials, 42% of Gen X and 29% of Boomers. We’ve moved beyond wanting better boundaries with technology. Increasingly, people want spaces that enforce those boundaries for them.
Brands are building cultural relevance after dark
Brands are moving beyond sponsorship to fund, host, and co-create the scenes that bring younger audiences together.
Nightlife has traditionally been a space brands enter through sponsorship. Now, some are taking on the role of the promoter itself. YSL Beauty created its own open-air block party in Ibiza Old Town, while tech brand Nothing’s Club Nothing, created a $40,000 fund to support independent music collectives, and Hyatt launched The Skyline Spin, turning its hotel rooftops into recurring nightlife destinations across the U.S. By taking over nightlife venues, partnering with local DJs, and offering exclusive access, brands embed themselves directly into youth culture and give them something they already want:
Content is the new S.W.A.G
Brands are equipping attendees with shareable assets to grow their presence—and extend post-event conversation in return.
With 98% of consumers creating content at events, brands are building content capture into experiences themselves. Snowflake ran an AI headshot station at their SKO, sending its sales team into the new year LinkedIn-ready, while Tillamook’s pop-up podcast studio at an East Village newsstand let fans record real-time “scoops” for their own feeds. The most valuable giveaway for event attendees may no longer be something they own, but an asset they can post to amplify their own personal brand.
OUT-THERE EXPERIENCES
People, brands and marketers continue to push the boundaries of physical and digital experiences, with new and creative executions popping up across the globe.
Catch up on all our previous Experience Intelligence reports. Or schedule a strategy session with us!
