A New Lens on Brand Experience: Ep. 23 of Red Sky Fuel for Thought Podcast What You’ll Learn in This Episode:·      What the future looks like for brick-and-mortar retail experiences amid a surge in e-commerce trends·      How brands are getting audiences involved through co-creation of experiences·      How brands can determine whether to jump into new trends such as the metaverseIs 2022 the year of an experiential renaissance in retail? That’s what we posited in our annual Red Sky Predictions report — namely, that 2022 is the year that brands will fully merge experiential and retail to completely reimagine the shopping experience. And, by turning a store into a destination, brands can ensure that brick-and-mortar shops not only remain relevant, but that they complement e-commerce efforts and more fully bring a brand to life.  In this month’s episode, Red Havas’ Linda Descano, CFA® is joined by fellow Redsters Steve Fontanot (https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevefontanot/), Michael Ozard (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mozard/), Kana Phung (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kana-phung-43358a31/) and Courtney Myers (https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtneyhainesmyers/), co-authors of our new white paper, A New Lens on Brand Experience, which explores the factors that are reshaping the brand experience landscape in 2022. The conversation begins with a look at the future of brick-and-mortar retail experiences amid a surge in social media selling and shifting e-commerce trends. “The idea of blending physical and digital elements together has become incredibly critical,” says Steve. “I think good brands have found ways to blend those together. But now that the world is opening up again, how do we ensure physical elements matter just as much as digital?” “Social is playing a pivotal role in e-commerce, and platforms like TikTok have really turned this concept on its head,” says Michael. "But with so much focus on e-commerce and social, there's a real opportunity for brands to differentiate themselves by providing unique in-store experiences that add value through deeper and more connected moments in a way that digital cannot.” The conversation then shifts to the topic of co-creation between brands and audiences. “We're being introduced to this evolved category of brand collaborations, called co-creations,” says Kana. “I think we can see that the mindset is really shifting from creating campaigns for audiences, to creating campaigns with the communities that we value. Essentially, the rewards are greater if we can understand how audiences can be part of the creation process.”Says Courtney, “Amid unprecedented employee turnover, organizations are increasingly recognizing that people are their greatest assets. As we reimagine our hybrid ways of working, brands should start viewing employees as co-creators to help create engaging employee experiences in both physical and virtual environments.” Finally, our guests share their thoughts on brand experiences moving forward, and how to decide whether to take a leap into new digital experiences such as the metaverse.