I read a couple pieces this past weekend that shared a lot of the same insights and takeaways (Why brands need to fuel a life, not fill a feed by Pinterest, Rise of the IRL influencer by Nancy Walecki) …. Obviously different experiences and perspectives but all kind of getting to the same conclusion about the blurred lines of IRL, experiences, and the way brands show up to complement.
Context: we (marketers) have spent YEARS talking about how folks are looking for distraction and a non-screened outlet. We just HAD to get out of the house post-COVID. We’ll go anywhere, do anything. Please, brand, build something, whatever it is, we’ll go. We were so tired of being lonely and in our screened-silos, we kind of just did everything. And some of that is still true, but this has also evolved.Insight: People are no longer anti-digital/desperate for offline. They, instead, want their online to actually go somewhere meaningful and additive to their life. Offline is now expected to be a premium experience, not just somewhere to go. And it needs to connect nicely back to a pre and post digital experience. It's all connected to each other and ultimately connected to the person. A tailored DM that turns into a thoughtful dinner. A curated, interest-heavy feed mobilizes into a run club. A week's worth of in-app conversations turn into a Tuesday night with strangers who stop being strangers (hello Tinder).
Problem(s): Most online experiences aren’t built for this. They’re built to keep people scrolling. Making the connect into offline feel... well, disconnected. And when brands are activating IRL, their experiences don't feel connected to the person.
Brand Solution(s): The online to off and back on ecosystem needs to be thoughtful and meaningful. The online needs to build into the off and then actually land. To do this, interest communities and brand communities stop running side by side and become one thing. People don’t come for your product. They come for the life your product helps them live. So my contention is to stop with the distinction between brand and lifestyle. We’re turning branded into brand-supported, it all working as an ecosystem that you play a part in but don’t exclusively own. So the brief for brands is changing. Your experiences aren’t really the destination anymore. You’re more a bridge, a conductor, a conduit (whatever metaphor you want to use) that connects and elevates what they’re already doing or didn’t know they needed to do, against what they already love, the things they're already engaging in online and off.
Proof it’s already happening:
👍 Tinder is running its own IRL experiences (and a lot of them, everywhere) - setting it up and getting out of the way
👍 Community builders are becoming promoters of sponsored meetups and networking events
👍 Creators are moving their followers off Instagram into recurring in-person social events
👍 Brands “infiltrating" book clubs, knitting circles, Mahjong meetups
