Wowing the crowds – that’s what successful 21st century branding is all about… it’s not enough any more to simply have an amazing product or service that just sells itself. Yes, of course this will work initially but you’ve got to do all you can to capture people’s attention and keep it… and this is where experiential marketing really comes into its own.

Engaging with people on a different level is a brilliant idea if you want to both build up a loyal following and attract fresh customers. People aren’t keen on being overtly sold to anymore and they’re asking a lot more from brands – which is no bad thing, as it encourages businesses to embrace change and innovation, trying new ideas and treating consumers like real people, rather than just potential avenues for more cold hard cash.

One hot trend being adopted by brands of all shapes and sizes right now is immersive experiences, with brands looking to create illusory environments for their chosen audiences, making them feel as though they’re part of the overall presentation and exploring it with all five senses… an amazing way to really connect with people on a whole new level.

There’s all sorts of technology out there that can help you bring such visions to life, whether you decide to go for virtual reality, augmented reality, projection and LED video walls, or something else.

Take a look at the brand new Van Gogh exhibition that’s just started doing the rounds as a shining example of what can be achieved and how you can engage with people in exciting and meaningful ways.

The exhibition itself is a chance to discover Van Gogh and get to know him and his story via the use of cutting-edge technology, featuring virtual reality, 15,000 square foot screens and 360 degree projections. It’s the chance to actually step right into some of his most famous paintings!

Van Gogh Alive has fast become the most visited immersive multisensory experience in the world, with more than eight million visitors across 70 cities – and it’s now here on UK shores, so it could certainly be worth trying to get tickets to see how you could use technology to your advantage in a similar way.

More than 3,000 images by the artist are featured in the exhibition, with SENSORY4 immersive gallery technology displaying his work in a dazzling array of colour, with a score piped into the space using a 3D sound system – and even the sights, sounds and smells of Provence are featured to really bring the paintings to life.

This is just one amazing example of how LED displays can be used to create immersive, memorable and captivating experiences – and the only real limit is your imagination! What could you come up using this technology to similarly capture the attention of your target market?