I grew up right next to Earls Court and close to Olympia exhibition centre. Sadly it is no longer there and being turned into a big residential area but as a kid growing up I used to love going to see the Motor Show, The Royal Tournament, Ideal Home Show, The Boat Show, Eurogamer and many others.
Not to mention all the brilliant live acts I saw there over the years from Metallica, Iron Maiden, Eric Clapton, U2, Phil Collins and the Red Hot Chili Pepper to name but a few.
To be able to walk up the road and experience things in real life was a real treat, something that I think we often put in second order to things such as digital, social, gaming and beyond.
The point being in my 13 year old self, physical attendance at events was far more exciting than any video game at the time. In fact, I remember standing in line for Live 96 and being on the first in the UK to play a Nintendo 64 months before it went on general release. The experience to immerse yourself in a physical representation of Nintendo’s world in real life was special then.
Right before covid I worked at a major agency and helped lead a significant experiential project for big brands. Their focus was to use experiential as a way to encouraging organic social sharing and participation.
Experience is a way to root digital in the physical
In a word of AI slop, fake posts and creators optimising for clicks it can all come off as a bit exhausting for people. Brands or IP that can extend this experience into the real world where fans can film, take photos or creators can make content about it roots the output in shared culture, experience and what is real.
Merlin and their launch of Paw Patrol land is a brilliant example. My daughter is a super fan and for SpinMaster to extend this IP in creative ways in partnership with Merlin is a masterstroke.
Another is Universal Studios and their collaboration with Nintendo to bring the iconic characters, theming and fresh experiences to fans in Japan and Orlando parks at scale.
Back in the 1990s there was no internet really, yes it existed but it was limited and print, TV, radio and the Movies were king. Experiential really was a great way to cut through.
Alien War was an amazing example of ways of being creative with IP and giving an unforgettable experience to fans of the franchise
A classic example of someone having the vision to bring IP into the real world was in the 1990’s with Alien IP. Alien War was an authentic re-creation of James Cameron’s Aliens all in central London right under the Trocadero.
They did not dilute the experience either, for a young fan it was about as close as you could get to LV426 without going into hyper sleep. It had a wholly original storyline, characters and it was truly terrifying at the time.
Sometimes it is tempting to get transfixed on the feed, screens, dwell time, click through rates. I believe if you create something truly entertaining and differentiated in real locations people can immerse themselves in then the organic content and fan distribution across social platforms can deliver massive return on investment.
In 2026 Little Lion Entertainment and their collaborations with Eidos for Tomb Raider Live. Bandai Namco for PAC Man experience are great examples. Also F1 Arcade is another great example of IP thinking deeper about meaningful ways for fans to immerse themselves with others into the sport.
As time goes on Experiential will become much more important for brands and IP to cut through
We live in an almost infinite supply of social video, blogs, YouTube shorts and now with the advent of AI this is likely over time to spill onto movies, games and other areas. In the physical world, supply and demand is more more balanced. Also as fans become fatigued of screens and AI thinking creatively about how your IP or brand can extend into the real world in fun, engaging and inclusive ways should be something on your agenda.
Food for thought…
Half of new online articles are now AI-generated. Graphite's analysis found newly published English-language web articles hit near parity by Q1 2026 49.9% AI-generated vs 50.1% human.
79% of 18-to-35-year-olds plan to attend more live events in 2026 Eventbrite's Social Study, which calls the shift the "Reset to Real": after years of curated feeds, people want unrepeatable moments, and they're 44% more likely to pay up when the venue is unique.
Brands spent $90.3 billion on B2C experiential in 2024, up 10.3% year-on-year, outpacing overall marketing budget growth. Proof the money is already moving; this is reallocation, not experiment.
It is tempting to think about channels in isolation - gaming, social, performance, sponsorship etc. I think it has never been a better time to for an IP to shape its own destiny and bring fans into the fun for real via experiential. This can also be done is ways that are light and in collaboration with other companies. It does not always need to mean you are creating a whole ride or themed attraction.
That is the type of work we do at Imagicana. To think about ways to bring value to your IP, existing and new fans in ways that cut through and are not boring. Please do get in touch if you would like to find out more.