In an age of AI and constant innovation, how do you actually get people to care?

According to VML research, 64% of people expect digital and virtual experiences to engage all their senses. A promo video just doesn’t cut it. To earn trust and spark excitement, forward-thinking tech brands are moving from explanation to emotion, helping people feel the value of what they create.

Instead of leading with specs, they’re turning to immersive, playful and sensory activations that bring the innovations to life.

Pinterest’s annual advertiser summit, Pinvision, broke the rules of B2B. Forget slides. Instead, hundreds of advertisers and agencies were guided through a multi-sensory journey into the inner workings of the platform.

Across five theatrical spaces, Pinterest dramatised its end-to-end user journey, from discovery to decision. In the Discovery Den, data was brought to life through a buzzy game-show set. In the Pin Boardroom, a holographic Gen Z user narrated his Pinterest path, connecting search behaviour with product intent.

The Mind offered a slower moment of floral calm, revealing Pinterest’s vision for a more responsive internet. Guests ended their journey in The Pin Emporium, a boutique-style space with trend-themed products to scan, shop or simply enjoy, paired with a drink at The Break-out Bar.

What could’ve been a dry tools update became a full-body experience. Pinterest’s performance strategy moved from something to be explained to something to be explored.

Samsung’s Galaxy Experience Spaces delivered a similar philosophy: make innovation human. Spread across major cities, the spaces broke down the Galaxy S24’s AI capabilities through zones designed to spark curiosity.

Rather than overwhelm visitors with features, Samsung focused on interaction. In the Everyday AI zone, guests played with real-time translation and live transcription. The New Way to Create space let visitors remix selfies using Galaxy’s photo tools, made more playful through a collaboration with Sticky Monster Lab. The New Way to Play served up a competitive gaming setup that proved the phone’s performance in action.

Each area brought the tech to life in ways that felt intuitive, fun and surprising. It wasn’t a demo. It was an invitation to discover.

Over in New York, Google took a quieter, more conversational route. At its Gemini Live Sandbox, within the Google Store in Chelsea, the brand invited visitors into a gently lit space designed for dialogue. The experience centred on voice-led interactions with Gemini, Google’s new AI assistant.

Visitors could hum a melody and have Gemini compose it. They could take a photo and ask it contextual questions. The interface? Just your voice. The experience? Calm and thoughtful.

Instead of explaining the tech, Google allowed people to interact with it in a way that made it intuitive and real. The experience showed how technology could support ideas as naturally as a conversation.

Strategic Actions

• Lead with feeling, not features
  Focus on how the technology makes people feel or what it helps them achieve, rather than listing out technical details.
• Craft a narrative journey
  Structure experiences around a clear arc. Let people move through ideas in a way that feels purposeful and connected.
• Design for curiosity
  Encourage interaction, exploration and play. When people can ask, remix or create, ideas stick longer.
• Engage all the senses
  Use light, sound, texture and movement to express what words and screens can’t.
• Create moments of pause
  Not every activation needs to be high-energy. Slower, reflective moments help build emotional depth and trust.

The most powerful tech experiences today don’t explain innovation, they invite people to feel it. In a world driven by attention, emotion and trust, sensory storytelling isn’t a gimmick. It’s a strategy.

Retail design + brand experience inspiration from StudioXAG

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