After the COVID-19 crisis, where will the cutting edge of experiential tech be?

After a year of Zoom meetings, virtual conferences and innovation, creating a virtual world to make up for lost in-person connection during COVID-19, the world feels like a very different place.

Many corporate offices have yet to return to their workspaces, or are considering hybrid workforces with increased remote work, super-commuters and reimagined collaboration. And yet, the amount of digital transformation that our world has undergone still stops short of some of the prognostications about the advent of VR and the future of online connection. We’re not yet to the point where everyone has a VR headset in their home.

So how are smart communicators and marketers using technology to connect to audiences—and what does technology’s cutting edge offer for brands looking to fill the gaps as in-person interaction slowly returns later in 2021?

Ryan Schmidt, head of technology at Landor & Fitch, warns against going for what he calls “shiny object syndrome.” Instead, he recommends starting with a goal about self-presentation. A question his team asks whenever starting a new project: “How does this fulfill or exceed the expectation of how a customer or brand wants to present themselves in the world?”