The year ahead for experience: Australia

In Australia, 2021 tested our collective resilience and defied our expectations of what life might look like in the COVID-19 era. Through surges, snap lockdowns, and closed borders – brands got creative and continued to support Aussies as best they could. Now in 2022, as we look to the future, we have the opportunity to take what we’ve learnt over the year and redefine a new standard for brand experiences.

Prioritise moments of joy

This year, Australians will actively seek uplifting experiences from brands to break away from the monotony of life in the pandemic. It’s no surprise considering that young Aussies escaped to hobbies and embraced new technology to cope with life in the pandemic. Don’t underestimate the power of escapism as a way to find a reprieve from an uncertain world. And now, young Aussies are prioritising health and happiness over burnout. We believe brands can play an integral role here by providing joyful and entertaining experiences that resonate.

Encourage connection

Following the isolation of the pandemic, Australians will also search for new, shared experiences that foster a sense of community and connection. Whether it’s coming together to enjoy live music, cheer on your favourite team, or engage in community programming – Aussies have always prioritised these shared experiences, and now they are ready to do it again safely.

Empower choice

We can also see that in many ways, Aussies are going back to basics and focusing on what they can control in the face of such uncertainty. Providing options and a sense of flexibility empowers your audience to choose how to engage with the experience. Whether that means interacting in-person, logging on virtually or a mix of both by adopting a hybrid approach. In the end, we believe more and more Aussies will favour a hybrid approach as it extends the reach of the experience and allows guests to attend on their terms.

Express brand values

Last year, we saw more and more brands enter the metaverse than ever before. Aussies are embracing the space and looking for brands to join them – from NFTs to virtual gaming worlds, digital fashion, and everything in between. When venturing into the metaverse, brands need to consider how the experience will align with their brand values. We kept this in mind when working with Afterpay on Digi_Couture – expressing the brand’s future of fashion vision by making haute couture more inclusive and accessible through digital fashion technology.

For more information

Check out Amplify's work in Australia HERE.

For Australia enquiries contact please contact Gareth Davies, Managing Partner: gareth@weareamplify.com

For global enquiries please contact Tosh Ohta, Global Head of Client Development: tosh@weareamplify.com