WRITTEN BY // TAYLAH CROME
PUBLISHED: OCTOBER 2025
With rapid advancements in technology and the growing influence of AI across the phygital experiences landscape, it’s more crucial than ever for brands to stay ahead by embedding digital tools into their experiential marketing strategies.
Brand activations remain one of the most powerful ways to drive meaningful engagement and foster lasting brand advocacy. By leveraging cutting-edge technology, brands can elevate their next activation—enhancing efficiency, extending reach, and delivering immersive, memorable experiences that keep audiences coming back for more.
From social media integrations to immersive phygital experiences, digital tools are redefining brand activations Harnessing these technologies not only boosts campaign impact but lays a strong foundation for long-term success.
Lisa Cachia, General Manager – Marketing at DisplayWise explains:
“Ultimately brands need to invest in both an online and offline channel strategy to build awareness and encourage purchasing decisions. Each has their role, and while online channels are easy to measure and faster to implement, the importance of offline marketing should not be discounted. Offline marketing always has and will continue to play a major role in building awareness, credibility and trust.”
From QR to NFC: Smarter Ways to Engage
Over the past five years, brands have increasingly adopted QR codes, NFC scanners, and Wi-Fi sensors to connect physical activations with digital engagement creating phygital experiences.
Thoughtfully positioned QR codes on displays, packaging, or print can drive more scans when paired with exclusive offers or unique experiences, turning a simple interaction into a powerful conversion tool. Similarly, NFC scanners provide a seamless tap-and- go experience for instant access to content, demos, or downloads, helping brands create frictionless connections with their audience.
Wi-Fi sensors take things further by enabling proximity marketing and analytics, offering insights into foot traffic, dwell times, and repeat visits. By combining these technologies with smart incentives, brands can transform static displays into dynamic, data-driven touchpoints. Whether your goal is to drive website traffic, boost online sales, or generate leads, digital technologies offer a simple yet powerful way to connect with your audience and increase conversions through phygital experiences.
Interactive Outdoor Displays
Despite the evolution of digital media, outdoor billboard advertising remains exceptionally effective in 2025. Recent data shows that OOH (out-of-home) campaigns deliver an average ROI of approximately 5.7 times the initial spend, with some campaigns exceeding 15 times return. Digital displays have also been proven to boost brand recall by 47% and attract 30% more attention than static ads.
Whether you’re launching a new product, building brand awareness, or looking to scale impact across multiple locations, outdoor activations are one of the smartest ways to meet your audience where they already are, and where they’re ready to engage.
Integrating tech like animated displays, video content or real-time messaging, into your activations can help your brand capture more attention, track performance and ROI. Want to level-up your next display project? Check out 6 ways to integrate next- generation LED panels because we’ve got the tech, all you need to do is bring your brand story to create an amazing phygital experience.
The Future is AR, VR and AI
In 2025, immersive tech is no longer emerging, it’s expected. AR and VR are transforming brand activations, creating virtual worlds that go far beyond virtual try- ons. Think fully immersive experiences that showcase products, tell stories, and drive deeper engagement. We’re now in the phygital experience era, where digital and physical experiences merge to create a unified, interactive environment for audiences.
Meanwhile, AI powers smarter, more personalised brand journeys, from 24/7 virtual assistants to data-driven predictions that convert browsers into buyers. For any forward-thinking brand, integrating AR, VR, and AI. This isn’t optional, it’s essential. Check our latest article on how you can prove your phyitgal experience moved the needle when you design with tracking and measurement in mind from day one.
PROJECT SPOTLIGHT: PIM Group for YSL Beauty – Love Game
Over two days, the YSL Beauty Love Game takeover with DisplayWise and PIM Group delivered high consumer engagement. From personalised makeup artist touch-ups, and interactive games through to live masterclasses, this pop up was the perfect blend of phygital experiences – all set within a fully bespoke fit-out that reflected YSL’s bold and luxurious DNA.
To celebrate the launch of the new Loveshine Plumping Lip Oil Gloss, guests registered via a free digital ticketing system that not only enhanced the sense of exclusivity but also acted as an effective lead capture tool. Inside the activation, DisplayWise manufactured the structures that brought the phygital experiences to life —including the “Love, Match, Win” digital memory game and the interactive “Love Wheel”, where participants pressed a button to light up the wheel and reveal their prize. Every guest received a product sample, creating an instant moment of delight and deeper brand connection through surprise and reward.
Want to see how the phygital experiences came together in action? Check out our case study on the YSL Beauty Love Game pop up and discover how a phygital approach can inspire your next brand experience.
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Don’t Ignore the Inbox in 2026
Email marketing is far from outdated, in fact, it’s more powerful than ever. In today’s privacy-focused digital landscape, owned channels like email offer brands direct, data- rich access to their audiences without relying on shifting social algorithms (which are now impossible to stay-up to date with!).
Email is a key player in activation strategy: use it to gather feedback, promote events, drive VIP engagement, and unlock exclusive experiences for your most loyal customers. By integrating smart email automation and segmentation into your campaign, you turn your database into a performance engine, fueling everything from event buzz to post-activation conversion.
PROJECT SPOTLIGHT: Lancome Genifique Ultimate Science Lab
Long-standing agency partner Bastion, approached Display Wise with a brief to construct an outdoor pop up that embodied Lancome’s brand DNA while creating a futuristic space evoking the feeling of a high-tech spacecraft.
Positioned in Sydney’s Pitt Street Mall, Lancôme’s first-ever Skin Science Club invited guests to explore the brand’s scientific skincare innovations through a free, ticketed event. This exclusive booking system not only created a sense of prestige but also served as a key data touchpoint — enabling personalised follow-ups and ongoing customer engagement beyond the event itself.
Inside the space, guests experienced personalised consultations using Lancôme’s A.I.- powered skin analysis tool, with results instantly displayed on iPads and then conveniently emailed directly to them. This digital integration bridged the gap between the physical and digital, providing consumers with tailored skincare insights while capturing valuable data for future communication. Each visitor also received acustomised skincare kit aligned with their results — a thoughtful moment of connection that turned an in-person consultation into a lasting brand relationship.
Thinking about taking your brand outdoors? Get in touch with DisplayWise and we’ll help you create an activation that blends creativity, tech, and craftsmanship to truly engage your audience.
As the digital landscape evolves, your brand activation strategy should too. In 2026, the brands that stand out are the ones blending tech, creativity, and connection to create phygital experiences. From AR and VR to QR codes, AI, and smart email campaigns, every touchpoint can be immersive, measurable, and unforgettable. Because when you combine online and offline strategies, brands don’t just drive sign-ups or sales—they create loyal fans, spark buzz, and deliver experiences that keep audiences coming back for more.
A multichannel approach ensures your brand stays top of mind across both physical and digital touchpoints, creating phygital experience — throughout the entire customer journey.
Let’s create something extraordinary—get in touch with our team today.
