The future of brand experience is not getting written in a deck.
It is happening in a pet wash station in Florida.
In a chocolate piñata you can only crack open tableside.
In a giant shoebox in the middle of New York Fashion Week.
At Sandy Alexander’s Glimpse event in Orlando, I joined an incredible group of marketers to talk about where in person experiences are headed and how digital and AI can support, not replace, the magic of showing up in real life.
The panel
- Betsy Davis, CMO, Sandy Alexander (host)
- Sean Sager, Principal and Creative Director, Set + Stage Creative
- Cat Tusham, Executive Creative Director, AMP Agency
- Mel Bishop, Marketing Director, In Store Planning, Pet Supermarket
- Me, Carolyn Walker, CEO, Response.Agency
Here are the big ideas that stuck with me and how I think brands can put them into practice.
1. Brick and mortar is not dying. Boring is.
There is a narrative that everything is moving online and physical spaces are in trouble. That is not what we are seeing.
Betsy opened with a simple fact. Brands like Ralph Lauren are planning hundreds of new stores. Younger consumers are going back to the mall, not just to buy, but to hang out.
Sean, who designs 3D environments for major retail brands, is seeing more maximalism, not less. Big color. Over the top installs. Windows and environments that are meant to stop you in your tracks and get you to pull out your phone.
Mel talked about pet retail as a true destination. When someone drives to a pet store, they are not just picking up food. They are doing something emotional for a member of their family. That puts pressure on:
- The parking lot and approach
- How the store smells
- How clean the dog wash stations are
- How associates greet and guide customers
- How kids interact with animals in the store
From a restaurant perspective, I feel the same. Takeout and delivery have made it easier than ever to enjoy the food. So if a guest decides to dine in, it has to be worth it.
The best restaurant brands are thinking about:
- The parking lot and exterior
- The welcome from the host
- The playlist and sound level
- The napkin and menu texture
- The bathrooms
Every touchpoint sends a signal about what your brand stands for.
Ask yourself: If someone already gets your product through delivery or ecomm, what is the one thing that can only happen in person that is worth changing their routine for?
2. Design for phones and feelings at the same time
No one is leaving their phone at home. So instead of fighting it, we should design experiences that feel richer because the device is in the guest’s hand.
TikTok is the new front door
For Gen Z, TikTok is not just where they post about restaurants. It is where they discover them. A lot of them are finding places to eat on TikTok more than on Google Maps.
For that group, your social presence is your marketing. If your food, drinks and interiors are not visually compelling, it becomes very easy to scroll past you.
Plating, lighting, wall art, playlists, even how servers present a dish all matter. You are either designing for the lens or you are ignoring how many people make decisions today.
Layering in AR and storytelling
We shared one idea with a client that I love. Use simple augmented reality in the restaurant to unlock stories about the space.
Examples:
- Tap your phone near a custom mural and learn about the artist and the inspiration.
- Scan the menu and see the sustainability story behind the paper or behind the wood that is used on the grill.
These moments are not about tech for tech’s sake. They give guests one more meaningful thing to talk about at the table and another reason to say, “You have to see this place.”
Turning social into store visits
Mel talked about a Summer Road Trip activation at Pet Supermarket. Her team wrapped an ice cream truck, promoted the route on social and then showed up at stores with pup cups, free dog washes, swag and photo moments.
It was not only about driving traffic. It was about creating a memory in the real world that says, “These are my people. This is my pet brand.”
Sean shared something similar. When Set + Stage posts videos of wild window displays and installs, it does more than market their studio. It literally drives people into stores because they want to see the work in person.
Ask yourself: If someone opens their camera in your space, what are the three moments you hope they capture?
3. Use AI to fuel creativity, not replace it
AI is here. The question is how we use it without losing what makes a brand human and distinct.
Cat walked through how her team at AMP is using AI in very practical ways:
- To quickly visualize ideas before committing to full renders
- To explore crossover concepts that would be expensive or hard to prototype right away
The example that stood out to me was an internal B2B event with an Alice in Wonderland theme. They created smart mirrors that used AI and back end tech to turn employee reflections into interactions with story characters.
Here is the important part. The words coming out of those characters were based on real performance feedback and recognition from managers and peers. So an employee would walk up, see the Cheshire Cat and then hear personalized comments about what they did well that year.
That is a great use of AI because it makes recognition more memorable and emotionally resonant, not less.
Cat also talked about a heritage Mexican beer brand that used AI to extend the style of a famous illustrator who has been gone for over a century, for Día de los Muertos packaging and displays. AI was used to honor the past and bring it into the present, not to erase it.
On my side, I am a big believer that we need clear guardrails.
Teams should know:
- Which AI tools are approved
- Where the legal and IP lines are
- How to use AI in ways that are consistent with the brand’s values
AI should jumpstart creative thinking and help you move faster. It should not flatten your brand into something generic.
A few questions worth asking every time:
- Does this use of AI make the experience more personal, more fun or more meaningful?
- Is it aligned with our brand story and aesthetic?
- Would we be comfortable explaining it to our guests or customers?
If the answer is no, it is probably not the right execution.
4. Gen Z and Gen Alpha want to help write the story
Younger guests and consumers do not just want to watch. They want to participate.
Across the panel, a few themes came up for Gen Z and Gen Alpha:
- They expect to co create, customize and share.
- They care deeply about sustainability and values.
- They are very good at spotting what is performative.
Mel talked about how different generations use different channels. Millennials might still get a lot from Facebook. Gen Z is more likely on TikTok and Instagram. Many are researching with AI tools before they ever walk into a door.
Her team maps to those habits, but always comes back to one core question. Are we showing that we care about the same things they care about, in ways that feel real?
Cause work that is actually part of the brand
One of my favorite examples from Mel is Pet Supermarket’s “Lend a Paw” platform.
- They fundraise for local shelters and larger organizations.
- Top fundraising teams visit the campus of one partner that trains service and guide dogs.
- Customers get a chance to name a puppy and follow its journey through training.
This is not a one week promotion. It is an ongoing story that reinforces what the brand stands for and invites customers to play a real role.
Ask yourself: Where in your experience could you move from “we do this for you” to “we do this with you”?
5. Rethink what sustainability can mean
When most people hear sustainability, they think about materials. Recycled paper. Eco substrates. Those are important, but they are not the only path.
Sean talked about taking a broader view that I really like, especially for retail environments where budgets can be tight.
His team looks at:
- Sourcing vintage items and giving them new life in displays. For example, old luggage, cameras and microscopes in Banana Republic stores.
- Designing window displays so that elements can move inside the store after a season, then later on to outlet stores.
That is sustainability through reuse and longevity. It is a design problem as much as a materials problem.
He also shared the It’Sugar “lollipop gardens,” where each store got a location specific version, including an underwater fantasy scene in Hawaii with sharks, rays and coral shapes covered in jelly beans and resin.
That approach does three things:
- It gives visitors a reason to stop and explore.
- It shows locals that the brand sees and respects their city.
- It extends the life and relevance of each installation.
6. A dessert that became a signature experience
I shared one case study that is close to my heart, because it captures what a strong in person brand moment can do.
The Chocolate Piñata at Uncle Julio’s started as a simple idea. Could we create a dessert that:
- Exists only in restaurant, not in takeout or delivery
- Is fun to order as a group
- Is naturally shareable on social without begging for posts
We landed on:
- A handmade dark chocolate sphere
- Filled with fresh fruit and churros
- Suspended from a small stand on a platter with sauces and whipped cream
- Served with a mallet so guests can smash it open together
The operational side took work. Training, plating, consistency. But the guest reaction made it all worth it.
People filmed the smash. They tagged friends. Food publishers picked up the story. We saw dessert sales jump, but the bigger win was that the Chocolate Piñata became something only Uncle Julio’s could own.
It is a good reminder. When you design a moment that is fun, distinctive and true to your brand, guests will help you spread it.
How We Think About This At Response
At Response, our job is to help brands create the kinds of experiences people show up for, talk about and want to have again.
The Glimpse conversation reinforced a few beliefs that guide our work:
- The best in person experiences are anchored in a clear brand purpose.
- Every touchpoint, from parking lot to playlist to plate, either earns trust or erodes it.
- Digital and AI should support more human, more memorable interactions, not replace them.
- Signature moments matter. They do not always have to be huge, but they do have to be intentional.
If you are looking at your stores, restaurants, events or channel programs and wondering how to make them more “worth the trip” and “worth talking about,” that is the work we love.
Sometimes that looks like a new guest journey in a restaurant. Sometimes it is a dedicated space inside a retailer for a channel partner like Logitech. Sometimes it is a simple, smart idea that makes an existing experience more surprising and more on brand.
If you want a thought partner on your next in person moment, we are always happy to explore it with you.
And if you want to see the full conversation from Glimpse, you can watch it here: