Delivering Immersive Experiences Through Storytelling, Insights, and Data

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Combining storytelling, data, and insights together can deliver a far greater customer experience than marketers ever thought possible. But what is the secret to delivering immersive experiences?

This was the topic of discussion at a panel we conducted at our first-ever #GROWTH Summit in NYC. 

We sat down with product and marketing experts to see what’s working for them and what their sentiment is about the future of immersive experiences. We were joined by: Jordan Scott (CEO of Cobble), Jessica Simeone (Manager of Digital Marketing at Octapharma Plasma), and Sarah Argus (Product Design Manager at ResortPass). Also, Alex Holub, Head of Machine Learning at mParticle, moderated the panel. 

The panelists did a great job of demonstrating the power of integrating storytelling, data, and insights in the quest to create captivating and immersive experiences for brands. 

4 Key Takeaways From the Session

Takeaway #1. The Definition of Immersive Experience is Modifiable

During the panel discussion, Jordan, Jessica, and Sarah spoke about how they customize their storytelling based on their specific industry and brands:

• Resort Pass is redefining luxury experiences at hotels, making daycations more accessible. The goal is to shift the perception of hotels from being solely for travelers to becoming destinations for everyday luxury. By capturing the essence of daycations—whether they’re relaxing, celebratory, or simply an escape from daily life—Resort Pass creates immersive experiences.
• Octapharma Plasma helps plasma donors understand the positive impact they’re having on individuals. Immersive experiences here involve making donors understand the “why” behind their actions and the magic they create in the world by helping others.
• Cobble assists couples and groups in making decisions for outings. Immersive experiences at Cobble are about guiding customers from the initial dilemma of choice to the excitement of creating memorable moments.

For your brand, you want this defined upfront, so your team knows when the goal is being achieved and what it looks like. 

Takeaway #2. Know the Difference Between Insight and “Thinsight”

Sarah made a great point about the crucial difference between a thin understanding of data (“thinsight”) and a genuine insight that offers meaningful information. 

The former offers a shallow view, while the latter provides a deeper, more comprehensive understanding that caters to the broader customer base.

We have this constant conversation of ‘thinsight’ versus insight. Thinsight is basically “what’s the summary of the data and what is it saying?” But if you’re playing the toddler game of asking “why” 500 times, you’re really getting into that deeper insight.
– Sarah Argus, Product Design Manager at ResortPass  

True insights will come from understanding your customers.

For example, Jessica mentioned her previous work selling a direct-to-consumer women’s healthcare brand and how they had a data issue because all the data they had was on “fit, white women.” This left out other demographics that would have been good to expand into, underlining the importance of re-analyzing the data from a broader perspective. 

Takeaway #3. Balance Gut, Qualitative, and Quantitative Data

Even though it might be based on fewer data points or seem less “scientific,” qualitative data offers deep insights into customers’ emotions, needs, and experiences. And while customer sentiment and demographics are important, sometimes your gut will tell you something that isn’t obvious in the data but is obvious in terms of common sense. Hence, decision-making should be a blend of gut feeling, qualitative data, and quantitative data. 

For example, Jordan talked about how Cobble starts with a gut decision and then uses qualitative and quantitative data to support or disprove those theses.

I definitely think that using your gut first and then letting the qualitative and the quantitative inform that gut decision is a really good way to go about it.  
– Jessica Simeone, Manager of Digital Marketing at Octapharma Plasma 

Takeaway #4. Unlock the Potential of AI in Immersive Experiences

One recurring theme throughout the conversation was the role of AI in enhancing customer experiences. The panelists shared their unique perspectives on how AI has impacted their respective businesses:

• At Cobble, AI has helped predict customer choices, making the decision-making process faster and more enjoyable. 
• At ResortPass, AI has helped create better search experiences for the visually impaired, improving convenience and accessibility.
• At Octopharma, AI has helped the marketing team get first drafts on blogs and other content much more quickly. 

The consensus was that while AI is very useful, it should be balanced with human capital, gradually implemented, and tested based on specific use cases where it won’t impede the intimate feeling of the human-led customer experience.

I think that while AI is incredible, you should never lose the human connection, especially if you’re in a human-driven business. So I think that as long as you are agile enough to work with the AI, I think there’s room for both AI and human-driven content.  
– Jessica Simeone, Manager of Digital Marketing at Octapharma Plasma 

Conclusion 

Immersive experiences are multidimensional, requiring a blend of customization, in-depth insights, a combination of instinct and concrete data, and the strategic implementation of technology like AI.  

While the potential of AI in shaping these experiences is evident, its deployment should be thoughtful, ensuring that the essence of human connection in storytelling remains undiluted.

That’s all from this insightful panel discussion! Hope you were able to take away some learnings. 

Read more session recaps from other exciting discussions at our #GROWTH Summit in NYC 🚀:

• Customer Journey to Nowhere: The Funny Side of Customer Engagement With Marketoonist

• Driving Customer Engagement With Hyper-Personalization and Automation

• Building the Modern Martech Stack: The Ins and Outs, and Role AI Will Play

• The Digital Evolution of Publishers Clearing House

• The #GROWTH Story of Poshmark