Bringing Global Trends Home

David Boon
Oct 27
5 min read

Updated: Oct 31

How Exp Agency Translates International Trends and Innovation into African Brand Success

Exp Agency recently had the privilege of attending the Event Marketer Summit in the USA, where the 2025 Ex Awards celebrated the pinnacle of innovation in our industry. It was an insightful trip, surrounded by trailblazers who are pushing the boundaries of consumer engagement through immersive, memorable experiences.

While the winners hailed from diverse markets, the core lessons—focusing on sensory immersion, tech integration, and authentic connections—resonate deeply with what we, at Exp Agency, do every day: bringing brands to life as consumer engagement experts across live and digital solutions.

Our agency has always championed consumer engagement that blends physical interactions with digital amplification to create lasting impact, whether it's a high-energy product launch or a community-driven festival. Listening to the speakers at EMS'25 and seeing the Ex Awards winners reinforced how these strategies can be adapted for African audiences, where cultural vibrancy, mobile-first behaviours, and community ties offer unique opportunities.

Here are a few key takeaways, distilled into actionable insights for clients looking to elevate their brand experiences.

Gamification and Interactivity:

Turning Passive Viewers into Active Participants

One standout in this area was IBM's "Calling the Shots" activation, a gamified table tennis experience powered by AI commentary from IBM watsonx. It transformed a booth into an interactive hub, making complex tech feel fun and accessible while sparking conversations about real-world applications.

This mirrors what we've seen succeed in Africa and I'm thinking of our exclusive interactive video solution which Exp Agency Zambia used as part of a Budweiser activation, where we fused Brand storytelling into the interactive video journey to engage consumers and drive sales.

There's also Exp Agency Nigeria’s BAT Rema & Flytime Plug-In Event, where the activation transformed a typical concert environment into a dynamic, interactive B&H brand arena. Attendees engaged with interactive screens, adventure gaming consoles, and PS5 challenges that were designed to drive product curiosity and engagement through play, competition, and reward.

The insight? Gamification isn't just entertainment; it's a bridge to deeper brand understanding.

For clients in competitive sectors like telecom or beverages, incorporating elements like AI-driven challenges or custom digital experiences can boost dwell time and social sharing. In our Live+Digital approach, Exp Agency can layer this with things like our exclusive Photo-AI tech for post-event engagement, turning one-off interactions into ongoing loyalty.

Sensory Immersion:

Crafting Multi-Dimensional Brand Worlds

Waymo's "The Future is Now" experience brought autonomous vehicles to life through prototypes, real-world demos, and a focus on mobility's future. Attendees didn't just see the tech—they felt its potential through hands-on exploration, showing us that this Ex Award winner went beyond static visuals: incorporating scents, textures, and sounds to evoke emotion.

This sensory depth is gold for brand activations and events and we excel at these hybrids, as per the recent example by Exp Agency Kenya for Carrefour at the Standard Chartered marathon, which was set in and around the iconic Carrefour Lion shopping bag. Attendees could step inside a giant shopping bag for a unique Carrefour experience that included racing through a digital trolley dash for instant wins.

Exp Agency Nigeria also executed the Gin Mare Mediterranean Launch that saw them bring the event to life with botanical aroma stations, citrus-toned décor, ambient blue lighting, and live mixology rituals featuring Gin Mare’s core botanicals — rosemary, thyme, olive, and basil. Guests savoured bespoke cocktails paired with Mediterranean canapés, serenaded by acoustic rhythms that mirrored the brand’s coastal origins.

Building Trust Through Purpose

In the Activation categories of this year Ex Awards, Pepsico's Tostitos Cantina won Best Cause/Community Program by creating a Super Bowl-themed space for fans to enjoy interviews, personalised invites, and community vibes. It wasn't just promotion; it fostered genuine connections around shared celebrations.

This aligns perfectly with our Exp Agency work on campaigns like Royco 'Cubes Ku String', where Exp Agency Uganda executed a live mobile kitchen with a professional chef preparing a sumptuous Royco meal, highlighting a packaging change but reinforcing that the brand is still the same great taste.

The takeaway? Purposeful activations resonate, especially in Africa where community is king. Clients can leverage this by tying products to local causes—like sustainability in beer festivals or health in family events—while digitising for broader impact via user-generated content.

Our Exp Agency Live+Digital toolkit ensures these stories live on, driving advocacy and sales.

Tech-Enhanced Storytelling:

Blending Physical and Digital Seamlessly

Samsung's "Rendezvous: Olympic Pavilion" took gold at the Ex Awards for Best Olympic Activation, using interactive AI demos, games, and athlete meet-ups to celebrate the Games' spirit. It showcased how tech can amplify emotional connections.

This echoes what our Exp Agency Kenya did for Safaricom, where we used a humanoid robot to deliver the sustainable business report. The robot handled scripted highlights, interacted with the MC and cued key content moments, highlighting the power of hybrid experiences that demonstrated Safaricom as a purpose-led technology company.

In Africa, with high mobile penetration, integrating AI for personalised interactions—like chatbots at events or AR filters for social media—can scale reach exponentially. For brands, this means creating "phygital" moments that feel inclusive, whether attendees are on-site or online.

Event Marketing:

Fostering Collaboration and Sparking Innovation

Canva's "Canva Create" at this year’s Cannes Festival, took home the Best B2B Conference Ex Award, transforming into a dynamic showcase of workplace tools with hands-on studios and customer storytelling. This event underscored how thoughtfully designed experiences can foster collaboration and spark innovation among diverse participants.

This resonates deeply with our role at Exp Agency as event architects, where we craft experiences that bring people together to co-create and innovate. We see the power of events to unite stakeholders—be it clients, partners, or communities—in a shared purpose, like what:

Exp Agency Ghana did for Nestle at their Maggi Double Chop Promo event that was designed as a flavourful celebration of Ghanaian culture and community, reflecting innovation in the kitchen and Maggi’s deep connection with everyday cooking moments.
Exp Agency Tanzania did for Schweppes at their recent 'Brunch" event, where the aim was to bring a refreshing twist to everyday lifestyle experiences.
Exp Agency Zambia did for MOSI Lager at this years Oktobafest where they created an immersive brand village that tapped into nostalgia and national pride to celebrate MOSI's 50th anniversary. The setup included a retro lounge, vintage car display, gaming zone, merchandise stand, and a live DJ playing 90s classics - all designed to evoke emotional connections and celebrate Mosi’s legacy in a way that resonated with consumers’ memories and cultural identity.

Imagine a tech brand leveraging an interactive workshop where local innovators test new products, with real-time digital feedback shaping future iterations. As consumer engagement experts, we can design these platforms, blending live sessions with digital tools like virtual whiteboards or AI-driven insights to amplify collaboration across geographies.

For clients, this approach not only builds brand loyalty but also positions them as leaders in innovation, with Exp Agency orchestrating every detail to ensure seamless execution and measurable impact.

In closing

This years Summit wasn't just about awards; it was a reminder that experiential marketing thrives on innovation that puts consumers at the heart. At Exp Agency, these global trends inspire us to push further, competing on the world stage with activations that resonate locally and which have a measurable effect on the target audiences we engage.

If you're ready to transform your brand into an unforgettable experience, let's connect—our team of consumer engagement experts are geared up to deliver Live+Digital solutions tailored to your Brands challenges and goals.