We are in the middle of the Salone del Mobile and consequently, Fuorisalone, which in some ways has become more attractive, more interesting, and cooler than the main event over the years. Yes, because the Salone now involves all of Milan which, in its various Design Districts, welcomes thousands of tourists, students, curious people, and industry professionals from all over the world.

And, we know, not everyone is passionate only about furniture and design or more prosaically about cocktails and the latest parties. For a week, Milan becomes the center of an expanded creative world that has expanded to many related sectors including technology, art, and food.

But if I had to find a common denominator, I would say that this river of visitors is desperately looking for experiences.

From here a question arises. How can we make an experience truly relevant?

It is a question of understanding what the public is looking for. What emotional needs do they bring to this event? What memories do they want to take home? Why are they there?

The first step brands need to take is to stimulate emotional connection and the creation of personal memories that will influence attendees long after the event has ended.

Interesting research on the consumer psyche conducted at a global level by GMR, partner of TRO, the international experience agency of the Omnicom Group, has revealed a completely new framework for understanding human emotions within the experiential space and a deeper, better way for brands to create connections that last.

We live in the era of post-truth: people today are skeptical of institutions, companies, media, and, of course, marketing. Only 19% of consumers believe what we marketers tell them about products. They prefer to ignore our messages and experiences in person, relying on the recommendations of friends, family, and influencers. Not always in that order.

In this scenario, the power of physical experience with brands is increasingly relevant. The data on the targets in our possession, to which we often refer, is a help, of course; it tells us about consumers’ behaviours, and what they do, but it doesn’t tell us why. We know age, income, and education, but we know little about the reason why people attend live events.

The result of the research conducted by interviewing 2,000 event participants is that live experiences are about human moments. More precisely, 4 emotional needs were distilled that push us to participate in an event: belonging, identity, enrichment, and liberation.

Belonging is about security, reinforcing a connection with the past or with a network of people who share a common interest. It refers to people’s need to be part of something bigger than themselves.

Identity, while linked to internal needs, cannot exist in solitude, it depends on the recognition of others.

Enrichment is about growth: people seek new things that add new dimensions to their lives and help them evolve toward a future state.

Liberation is an internal need. Freeing ourselves from stress and engaging in simple fun rebalances our reaction systems. It is an important and very common emotional need state.

Consequently, the indication we can draw from this is to humanize the behaviour of brands. The goal is to reach the hearts of the people we are trying to reach. We must increasingly look at them as human beings and not just as consumers.

These emotional needs take shape in passions. Music, sports, travel, cooking, art, etc. are the expression of them. And from a marketing point of view, passions are the meeting ground between the public and the brand.

However, there is another increasingly relevant element to consider: the value of memories.

Each of us is naturally inclined to collect memories. Memories are who we are. So, when people participate in an event, they are not only trying to satisfy the needs mentioned above. They are building memories. That is, the duration of the emotion could last for many years, sometimes for a lifetime! And since for 72% of event participants it is important to see, hear, touch, and experience personally, it is natural that these experiences capture attention and improve the memory process. It is therefore easy to understand why brands are moving in this direction to create sustainable brand experiences over time.

The brands at Fuorisalone are proving capable of intercepting the emotional needs of the public, fueling their passions, and – consequently – building lasting memories, are those that are laying the foundations for a truly authentic and sustainable brand relationship over time.