How to Create a Brand Experience People Will Remember

How many times have you walked away from a brand activation thinking “that was cool,” only to completely forget about it two weeks later? The answer you murmured in your head reveals why experiential marketing budgets keep growing while brand recall stays flat.

While entertainment might get someone in the door, it’s the emotional memory that makes them stay. 

What Telstra pulled off with its award-winning “Better on a Better Network” campaign showed a quieter kind of effectiveness. Twenty-six micro stop-motion films, each with its own quirky storyline, all subtly reinforcing the same message. Just an honest, crafted approach that stuck because it entertained and communicated something specific about the brand.

That kind of precision isn’t always easy to achieve, but more teams are starting to aim for it. According to a recent Gradient press release, 80% of companies have increased their experiential budgets, with many now dedicating 10–30% of their overall marketing spend to this area. 

That said, a bigger budget doesn’t necessarily guarantee that people will care. Let’s take a nuanced look at what makes a brand experience memorable beyond format or trend and how to orchestrate one that rightfully earns a place in someone’s mind.

Start With Where People Already Are

Social media spending tells one story while memory retention tells another. Companies will pump $95.70 billion into social media advertising in 2025 alone, with projections showing annual growth of 9.75% through 2029. That puts the market at nearly $139 billion by decade’s end.

The money flows because social platforms promise direct audience access. Yet scroll through your feed right now. How many brand posts from last week do you actually remember?

Little Caesar’s 2023 “Burn the Burns” campaign demonstrates what happens when brands stop playing it safe. They recruited “Disaster Girl” from the famous internet meme to literally burn negative comments about their pizza. The TikTok campaign didn’t just get attention—it made people reconsider their assumptions about the brand.

McDonald’s “As Featured In” menu takes a different approach. They connected current products to nostalgic movie moments from Richie Rich and Space Jam. The campaign included AR experiences through Snapchat, where customers scan QR codes to unlock Marvel Studios content. The experience layers created multiple touchpoints that reinforce memory formation.

Both campaigns share something most social media efforts miss. They give people something to talk about beyond the initial post. Little Caesar’s turned brand criticism into participatory comedy. McDonald’s transformed ordering into nostalgic discovery. The conversation continues long after the scroll.

Perfect the Event Memory Formula

Live events offer a level of immersion that digital channels cannot replicate. In recent years, they’ve evolved into carefully designed experiences that combine brand storytelling with direct engagement, frequently serving as the most tangible expression of what a brand stands for.

Take Adobe MAX 2024, for example. The annual creativity conference combined product announcements, interactive workshops, and informal networking sessions in a way that felt cohesive and purposeful. 

In the event, the attendees got to be part of an environment built around shared values instead of being mere spectators. The consistency in tone, programming, and physical setup contributed to a lasting impression.

However, the success of such events does not rely on content alone. The venue plays an equally critical role.

Locations like New York City naturally attract a more diverse and engaged audience, particularly in industries where media visibility and cultural capital matter. Creatives, entrepreneurs, and decision-makers are more likely to attend events held in central, high-traffic areas compared to less connected locations.

That said, securing the right venue in such cities can be challenging. So, when you are vetting corporate event space in NYC or any major city, make sure to assess more than just size and availability.

As explained by The Farm Soho, a well-equipped venue should offer:

• An Experienced, Onsite Team: Look for spaces that provide event support from planning through execution, rather than leaving logistics entirely in your hands.
  
• Reliable Facilities and Technical Setup: AV infrastructure such as projectors, microphones, and screens should be readily available and fully functional.
  
• Flexible Food and Beverage Arrangements: Venues that allow either in-house catering or external options give organisers more control over the guest experience and budget.

When these elements are in place, the event is more likely to run smoothly, feel cohesive, and reflect the brand with the level of consistency that people remember.

Influencer Collaborations as Scaled Brand Touchpoints

Influencer marketing has matured into a core part of brand experience strategy. In the U.S., spending in this category is projected to exceed $10 billion in 2025, underscoring its growing role in shaping perception and recall. Today, the value lies less in reach alone and more in context, i.e., how the brand is presented, and by whom.

A clear example in recent years came from beauty brands like Sephora and Huda Beauty relying on micro-influencers in each city to lead in-store experiences. These creators shared walk-throughs, answered questions, and gave firsthand product impressions across social platforms.

The content tends to be casual in format but tightly aligned with the brand voice: approachable, personal, and community-focused. More than promotion, it’s meant to become an extension of the experience. 

When executed correctly, influencer partnerships can translate brand values into interactions that feel personal, credible, and easy to remember.

Let the Experience Speak for You

People rarely recall taglines or product specs. What tends to stay is how a brand made them feel in a specific moment. When design, message, and delivery align, the impression is harder to shake. It doesn’t require big gestures – just consistency and intent suffice most of the time. The more a brand feels like itself across touchpoints, the easier it becomes for others to recognise and remember it.