Experiential and Immersive are two industry buzzwords being dropped into every piece of marketing copy, press release and client pitch. The two are used interchangeably, sometimes even in the same sentence. So lets have a look at what these words actually mean. Is there even a difference between them? When should you use one or the other? Can understanding this difference improve campaigns and events?
I believe that Experiential and Immersive sit on a Spectrum of Engagement. Here I am going to outline how the spectrum functions, and what tools can be used to shift the dial between Experiential and Immersive.
Before we jump into the spectrum, let's get a handle on what we are talking about, and what we are not.
We’ll start with Experiential, as it's the clearer of the two. This refers to something physically experienced, typically IRL. Experiential marketing events usually allow users hands-on experience with a product or brand.
Immersive is a little fuzzier. Most dictionaries and theorists refer to a feeling of deep engagement. Immersive is not so much understood as felt. It is, in short, a Vibe.
Immersive expert Noah J. Nelson of No Proscenium explains Immersion as a kind of “Hyper-Engagement”, and that true immersive work “puts the audience on the same level as the work itself – Inviting them to become co-authors of the work.”
Now a quick note for what we are not talking about. In the world of Tech, immersive does have a more defined definition, whereby it refers to a computer display that completely surrounds the user. This can be achieved through virtual reality, projection mapping and many other methods. While I do think this technical definition of immersive is useful, I do think it is a divergent use of the word and not relevant to our discussion here.
The final caveat is to say that we are talking about Form here, rather than Content. I am speaking about how the Form of an experience can make it more or less immersive. The immersion of Content is more down to the craft and skill of the creatives behind it
Consumption
This is work which is processed and then immediately forgotten with little to no reflection or impact. This is scrolling TikTok on your phone, having music on in the background or ads on TV. Usually all at the same time. All Consumption requires is our Attention.
Passive Spectatorship
This is the standard audience experience. This is sitting down to intentionally listen to music, a podcast or watch a TV show. Like consumption, it is still fundamentally passive, but we change from Attention to Intention.
Active Spectatorship
Here Intention is further elevated by the addition of Liveness and Presence. Liveness is bounded by a place in time, presence is bounded by space. Liveness is going to the pub to watch the World Cup Final. Presence is going to the Louvre to see the Mona Lisa.
Audiences are further engaged by combining Liveness and Presence. Here you go to a live sporting event, music concert or piece of theatre. When Active Spectatorship is at its most engaging, we see Liveness and Presence coalesce into a sense of Community.
Experiential
Experiential takes Presence and Liveness and adds new vital ingredients: Participation and Environment.
Participation is often achieved through Interactivity. This can be simple interactive elements like photo opportunities or interactive exhibits, or high levels of interactivity such as Gamification.
Environment is a key tool of Experiences, which frequently have a higher level of visual-theming, high-end decoration and theatrical sets than the live events seen in Active Spectatorship.
Immersive
Finally, we come to immersive. In as much as Experiential is a gear shift from Active Spectatorship, Immersive is an elevation from Experiential.
Immersive includes all the building blocks we have discussed so far: Liveness, Presence, Community, Participation and Environment. But adds new ones: Worldbuilding, Mask & Responsiveness.
Worldbuilding can be considered an advanced version of Environment. This takes a theatrical environment and makes it wholly convincing, transporting audiences to another reality
the As Worldbuilding is an elevation of Environment, the Mask is an elevation of Participation. The Mask is who the audience is in this new immersive world. The term comes from immersive trailblazers Punchdrunk, who literally place their audience in a mask. The Mask gives the audience an identity, granting them the context to act within this new world. The Mask can be that they are prisoners in Secret Cinema’s Shawshank Prison, or tourists at Phantom Peak.
Worldbuilding and Mask are fundamental to Hyper-Engagement levels. The final tool to creating hyper engagement is the most engaging, and also the most difficult to achieve: Personalisation This is considered by immersive aficionados as the holy grail of Immersion - simply put - a world that responds to the audience's actions. In a Personalised immersive world, you are not just a character, but the Protagonist. Your decisions shape the immersive world around you, meaning no two experiences are ever alike. Few experiences have achieved this, but those that do live in the public imagination. There is a reason that, despite not having performed for 10 years, people still talk about You Me Bum Bum Train.
The comments above are not meant to be a definitive list of explanations and tools or a strict code of definition, just my take from over a decade of industry experience. It is most useful to see the Immersive vs Experiential debate as a sliding scale of briefs and objectives. We can think of these different forms as sitting on a spectrum of engagement, from low to hyper-engagement.
When creating your next activation or branded event, ask what level of engagement does your brand need from your audience? And if your goal is Hyper-Engagement, then the tools of Immersive might be your answer.
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Dean Rodgers is the Head of Immersive at award winning creative experience agency Bearded Kitten. Dean is a creator and producer behind several hit immersive experiences including HEIST, Time Run and The Perfect Crime. He was the co-founder and creative director of The Crystal Maze Live Experience. In his current role, Dean creates immersive experiences for brands such as Disney, Netflix, Warner Bros. & LEGO.