Experiential marketing, often called engagement marketing, is about creating immersive experiences where consumers actively participate instead of passively receiving a message. Brought to life by Benjamin Franklin’s words and pointed out by Deb Datta, Executive Vice President, McCann Mumbai: “Tell me and I forget, involve me and I learn.” He further notes, “It’s an unexpected interaction that makes you a part of the brand, even if it is for a few minutes. More importantly now, when we are scrolling hundreds of feet of content daily.”
From Sintex’s miniature tanks during Puri Rath Yatra and Pandharpur Wari in Maharashtra, allowing devotees to store holy water, to L’Oreal x Tira Beauty’s Instagram-led Paris Fashion Week glimpse, experiential is as much about cultural connection as it is about innovative formats. Crucially, it is now shedding its reputation as a flashy, high-brow tactic and becoming a strategic lever driving measurable outcomes like reach, conversion, and sales uplift, not just awareness.
Take Vaseline India’s recent product launch: a skydiving activation in Dubai where influencers highlighted the cream’s lightweight nature mid-air, followed by sensory lounges with fragrance bars, texture labs, and touch-and-feel zones. “This launch, being Vaseline’s entry into face moisturizing, had to blend the brand’s trusted heritage with modern sensorial technology,” says Pratik Ved, Vice President – Skin Care, Hindustan Unilever. “We wanted to create a moment that’s as memorable and uplifting as the product itself,” he adds.
The beauty sector is leading the charge. Maybelline New York has invested in pop-ups, OOH installations, and CGI-infused landmarks to encourage trials, footfalls, and social shares. L’Oreal’s tie-up with Tira Beauty through Instagram gave Indian audiences a slice of Paris Fashion Week virtually, demonstrating how experiential can scale across physical and digital touchpoints.
Sunny Vohra, CEO, Madison Turnt & Anugrah, observes a larger shift, “Experiential marketing is immersive, memorable, and builds authentic connections. It doesn’t just sell a product, it allows people to be part of a culture or community. For Gen Z and millennials, who are deeply community-driven, this matters far more than a one-way message.”
Kartik Smetacek, Chief Creative Officer, Saatchi & Saatchi India, notes a related trend: “The rapid proliferation of events — concerts, comic cons, tastings, fashion shows — shows India’s appetite for live experiences. Just about every restaurant, mall, promenade, and multiplex doubles as a venue over the weekend. This is an incredible opportunity for brands to connect directly with audiences. Categories like auto, beauty, and alco-bev are leading the way, using technology to enhance experiences and integrate them seamlessly with digital platforms.”
The home décor domain also showcases this transition. Asian Paints has doubled down on experiential retail with ColourIdeas showrooms and Colour Cube shop-in-shops where customers can physically test textures and aesthetics, reducing hesitation in high-investment categories like home renovation.
In FMCG, ITC’s Aashirvaad Atta activation, ‘Gehu Gehu Hai Vishesh, Har Gehu Mein Hai Ganesh’, during Ganesh Chaturthi distributed 2,000 engraved wheat grains with Lord Ganesha’s idol. Each came in an acrylic display box with a magnifying lens, combining ritual, symbolism, and take-home keepsakes. ITC has consistently used such activations, from Bingo! to Sunfeast Yippee! to Fiama, to blend cultural connection with measurable engagement.
Deb Datta adds that what makes experiential effective is “where culture and emotion collide. Brands today are starting to build experiences that Gen Z and Millennials crave, a world where they connect.” He points to Cannes Lions where brands like Amazon and Netflix created immersive stations, and to Balenciaga’s virtual try-on campaign that delivered a 76% lead generation uplift. “The key,” he says, “is scaling experiential ideas into ecosystems that cumulatively drive discovery, recall, and bonding.”
Indriya’s ‘Aasmaniyat’ campaign also leaned into sensory experience by projecting celestial visuals on cinema ceilings across Mumbai, Delhi, and Hyderabad. Ajay Mehta, Media Solutions, WPP Media, India, explains, “The campaign was designed to cut through the clutter in jewellery marketing by creating a cinematic, immersive experience. Success was measured across three parameters: audience reactions inside theatres, brand recall post-show, and business outcomes including store footfalls and online engagement. It wasn’t just advertising — it was an unforgettable product experience.”
Shantiswarup Panda, Chief Marketing Officer, Indriya adds, “Mankind has been fascinated with the night sky for thousands of years. When this collection was being developed, the design team envisioned it as a galaxy or nebula unfolding, displaying a full spectrum of color across finely crafted diamond jewellery. The celestial metaphor mirrors women’s infinite love for jewellery — that’s why we call it Endless Love. The execution — projecting the galaxy with each earring, necklace, or bracelet on cinema ceilings — made the experience unforgettable and deepened connection with the brand.”
AMFI’s Onam activation at Cochin International Airport featured a 3D installation that reached over 2 lakh travelers, generating 16.5 million impressions and 2.9 million social media engagements (AMFI). “The Onam campaign emotionally connected Kerala residents by linking the cultural essence of Onam with financial security,” says Satyabrata Das, Media Evangelist & CAO, Laqshya Media Group. “By creating an interactive photo opportunity, we measured success not just by impressions but by depth of engagement and conversations.”
Das also underscores the broader significance of experiential campaigns in a cluttered media environment: “Experiential marketing immerses people in a moment that resonates. For AMFI, the rationale was clear: Onam is Kerala’s most celebrated festival, by integrating at Kochi Airport, we tapped into high visibility and festive sentiment, ensuring insurance was not seen as a product, but as a protector of dreams and families, turning awareness into meaningful connection and long-term trust.”
Vishesh Sahni, Founder & CEO, White, adds further context on the broader shift in experiential marketing, “Experiential has almost become a pre-requisite in brand calendars, not merely a ‘nice-to-have.’ It prioritizes long-term loyalty over short-term reach, reimagining engagements as intuitive, personal, and emotionally resonant. Brands are increasingly and strategically showing up in relevant, topical contexts, recognizing the immediate affinity audiences have towards meaningful experiences.”
Measurement is central to experiential’s rise. Vohra explains, “What was once difficult to measure is now highly trackable. Experiential agencies have moved from delivering moments to delivering measurable impact. We often say we build more dashboards for clients than most digital agencies.” His firm has developed an in-house tool, VIs Look, designed for rural campaigns with QR codes and OTP-based lead validation, enabling precise micro-market targeting.
The future of experiential is expected to be marked by hybrid activations blending digital and physical touchpoints, cultural tie-ins with festivals and temple towns, and tech-enabled rural campaigns leveraging QR codes, AI tools, and micro-market targeting. Das puts it, “The real impact comes when campaigns combine cultural essence with measurable results: building trust, recall, and lasting connections.” Data frameworks now go beyond impressions, capturing conversions, retention, and even sentiment, proving that experiential is as much about metrics as it is about memories.
Experiential marketing is no longer ornamental; it's becoming a core discipline. The real question now is: as budgets shift and expectations rise, will more brands embrace experiential as a journey rather than a one-off spectacle? Deb frames it, saying experiential is about ‘culture and emotion.’ And Vohra highlights, it is equally about ‘measurability and community.’ The future of the discipline may well depend on how effectively marketers balance these forces to drive awareness, conversion, and long-term retention, with ROI tracked at every step.
