Vishesh Sahni on Redefining Experiential Marketing in 2025

As the experiential marketing landscape evolves rapidly, Vishesh Sahni, Founder and CEO, White, sheds light on the trends and challenges shaping the industry in 2025. With a keen understanding of the dynamic nature of experiential campaigns and their growing integration with digital ecosystems, Sahni discusses the expansion of the term "experiential," the rise of indigenous pride in brand narratives, and the growing emphasis on storyliving over storytelling.

He also delves into challenges such as the homogeneity of activations driven by fleeting trends and the critical importance of authenticity in creating memorable brand experiences. In this interaction, Sahni offers valuable insights into navigating this transformative phase and how brands can craft meaningful connections with their audiences.

What are the key transformations and trends that you see dominating the industry in 2025? How do you see them impacting the industry?

In the experiential space, 2025 will witness and evolve a few trends that are already set in motion; and also break ground for some new and interesting ones.

The term “experiential” itself has already begun and will continue expanding. Up until recently, “experiential” has typically been associated just with events. Now, as brands demand a more integrated approach for their campaigns; experiential indicates a larger ecosystem of which events are a part. With the blurring of lines between digital and physical, experiential will capture not just the on-ground interaction with a customer; but also, the virtual perception of the interaction, online.
In context to India particularly, indigenous pride will take spotlight. Creators, labels, independent artists and thought leaders whose work reflect a strong affiliation to Indian roots will play an integral role in brand campaigns. This holds true not just for Indian, but also global brands; as more and more international brands make their India-presence felt with campaigns that touch upon cultural appreciation and nuance.
Storyliving over storytelling – audiences want to been spoken to and not passively talked at. The element of immersion and active interaction is a pre-requisite, not a USP of an experiential campaign. This stems from a need of accessing experiences that are both communal and shareable.
Intimate, curated and focused gatherings will become a more popular format over larger-scale experiences - particularly for premium lifestyle brands who seek to form a meaningful bond with their top-tier clientele. Private previews, festive or milestone celebrations, more personal, hosted gatherings will translate into a far more memorable recall for the clientele; over experiences that can feel grand and splashy but detached and indifferent.
Retail stores will ammo up with experiential elements and live immersions to enhance the customer’s in-store experience. From concierge services to bespoke personalization offerings, in-store entertainment, engaging activities and beyond – the new marker for success would not just be the number of footfalls in the store – but also the duration spent in the store.

What are the challenges that await us in 2025?

One of the significant challenges on the rise in one of homogeneity. In the lifestyle space particularly, the urgency to chase what will “go viral”, what is trending and instagrammable sometimes supersedes the value of originality and meaning. Consequently, what the consumer witnesses is a sea of similar activations picked off Pinterest boards which are superficially resonant and fail to translate as recall or loyalty.

To combat this challenge, it is more vital than ever to prioritise not just the brand’s narrative and authenticity; but also introspect upon the emotion the brand wants to evoke from their audience via the activation. Extending this thought, the conversation should continue beyond the initial activation and translate into meaningful discourse for a truly integrated and memorable experience.