Without in-person events, can experiential marketing still have a positive effect on brand perceptions and consumer spending?

When we reflect on 2020 and 2021, what will we remember? Chances are, it’s the very lack of being out in the world encountering people, places, and things; engaging with friends, family, and colleagues in social and work environments. In-person interactions quickly transformed, and we entered a virtual world.

What did this new paradigm mean for brands? Brand experiences, which connect the right place or event with the right people and the right products, is essentially what experiential marketing looks like. What are beer companies without live sporting events? Cars without auto shows? Energy bars without marathons and 10Ks?