There’s a difference between seeing a campaign and taking part in it. A striking image might catch someone’s eye, but an experience that invites them to play, explore or discover can give them a reason to stay. For businesses planning a product launch, exhibition stand, retail activation or live event, interactive content can add fun and engagement to marketing opportunities.
The best interactive ideas are not technology for technology’s sake. They connect a clear campaign goal to something your audience actually wants to do. Here are five ways to make that happen, from quick participation on a phone to memorable moments in a physical space.
Table of Contents
1. Turn a product reveal into a hologram moment
When bringing the real thing to an event is impractical, a hologram-style display can create a compelling way to introduce it. Imagine a detailed 360 product appearing to float in front of visitors, with its features revealed one by one as a presenter tells the story. For regulated and complex industries in particular, visual interactivity can make difficult details easier to notice and discuss. Position it where sightlines, lighting and footfall support the effect, and test the installation under actual venue conditions.
Remember when Hugo Boss used holograms of Gisele Bundchen and Lee Minho? Check it out!
2. Make participation easy with games and quizzes
Interactive games and quizzes give people an immediate reason to interact. A short quiz can help prospective customers find the right product for their needs, a timed challenge can bring energy to an event stand, and a simple game can reinforce a campaign message without feeling like a sales pitch. The format works because the audience has a role in what happens next.
Keep the entry point obvious and the first action effortless. If someone has only two minutes between conference sessions, a long registration form or complicated rules will lose them. If you collect contact details, explain why and make that choice separate and clear.
Games and quizzes are perfect for events because, let’s face it, they can be boring, repetitive and very rigid. Give your attendees something fun to do! Use games and quizzes in strategic ways – they’re excellent brand awareness and recognition tools.
3. Let audiences experience more with AR and VR
Augmented reality (AR) adds interactive digital content to someone’s view of the world, while virtual reality (VR) places them inside a digitally created environment. Both can help a business show something that is difficult to explain on a poster or fit inside an exhibition hall. An AR experience might let customers view a product in their own space. A VR experience might take event visitors through a proposed venue, a process or a destination.
Choose the format according to the job. AR can be a practical choice when people need to compare options in context, often using their own phones. VR is better suited to a guided, immersive experience where a headset and a little more time are available. A brilliant experience only works as a campaign tool if your intended audience can actually use it.
Check out more about AR and VR if you’re in the healthcare space by reading our blog: 4 Powerful Uses of AR & VR in Healthcare!
4. Get people moving with an AR treasure hunt
An AR treasure hunt turns a venue, shopping centre or event footprint into part of the story. Visitors follow clues, scan markers or discover digital objects at different locations, building towards a reward or final reveal. For businesses, it can guide people towards overlooked areas, introduce several products in sequence or encourage exploration across multiple stands and spaces.
Make every stop worth the journey. A clue could reveal a useful feature, unlock a behind-the-scenes story or give participants a reason to speak to a member of your team.
Take a peek at the AR treasure hunt we did for The Business Day event back in 2024!
5. Bring the shop floor to life with in-store displays
Interactive displays can make the moment of consideration more purposeful. A touchscreen might help shoppers compare product specifications, explore colours or see how items work together. A display triggered by a product pick-up could show a short demonstration or answer a common question. The customer gets information when it matters, while staff have a natural opening for a more relevant conversation.
Start with the questions people already ask in store and design the interaction around answering them. Think about placement too: a display should support the shopping journey, not block it. For a pop-up or event activation, the same principle applies – give visitors something helpful to explore while creating a natural bridge to your team.
Choose the interaction that serves your campaign
You do not need every format in one campaign. Start with your objective: do you want to attract attention, explain a complex offer, encourage exploration or help people choose? Then consider where your audience will be, how much time they have and what action you want them to take afterwards. Set measures that fit the goal, such as completed experiences, meaningful conversations or product enquiries, not just the number of people who walked past.
As a creative media agency, we can help turn that starting point into an experience people want to join. Whether your next campaign calls for a show-stopping reveal or a simple, useful interaction, let’s explore an idea that fits your audience, your space and your goals. Get in touch today by emailing [email protected]!
