{"id":11622,"date":"2026-04-06T01:56:38","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T05:56:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kinsta-stag-advertisingweek.md-staging.com\/aw360\/beyond-the-buzz-why-the-future-of-brand-loyalty-is-a-place-called-home\/"},"modified":"2026-04-05T19:02:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T23:02:13","slug":"beyond-the-buzz-why-the-future-of-brand-loyalty-is-a-place-called-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kinsta-stag-advertisingweek.md-staging.com\/aw360\/news\/beyond-the-buzz-why-the-future-of-brand-loyalty-is-a-place-called-home\/11622\/","title":{"rendered":"Beyond the Buzz: Why the Future of Brand Loyalty Is a Place Called Home"},"content":{"rendered":"<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>By Harry Wright, Strategy Director, Imagination<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You walk into a space, and instantly it feels familiar, like it was designed just for you. The music hits the right note, the lights feel welcoming, and every corner invites discovery. It\u2019s not a one-off stunt or a short-lived experience. It\u2019s a place you want to return to, again and again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That\u2019s the shift we\u2019re seeing in experiential marketing. Audiences aren\u2019t just chasing novelty; they\u2019re chasing genuine connection. Research from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.americanexpress.com\/en-us\/newsroom\/articles\/shop-small\/brits-reveal-2025-spending-priorities-in-new-amex-research.html#:~:text=Experience%20Seekers:%20Brits%20are%20looking,Savvy%20spending%20consumers\">American Express<\/a> in 2025 found that 59% of British consumers planned to maintain or increase their spend on experiences, with 38% prioritising those experiences over buying more \u201cstuff.\u201d Success comes to the brands that do more than spark attention. They\u2019re the ones building permanent homes; destinations where audiences can immerse, explore, and belong. Real opportunity lies in creating spaces that leave a lasting imprint on both the heart and the mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The rise of the brand home<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, what exactly is a brand home? It\u2019s the physical manifestation of a brand\u2019s soul. An immersive, permanent destination audiences can experience as many times as they like. We\u2019re seeing these crop up everywhere, from high-concept retail to full-blown cultural hubs that blend storytelling, hospitality, and entertainment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Take the Starbucks Reserve Roasteries in cities like Shanghai and Milan. They\u2019ve effectively turned the morning caffeine fix into &#8220;coffee theatre,\u201d complete with tasting bars and viewing areas for the roasting process. Then there\u2019s Netflix House, which launched in Philadelphia in late 2025. It\u2019s a year-round space where fans don\u2019t just watch their favourite shows; they taste, play, and shop them in real life. Similarly, Secret Cinema has recently revealed its intentions to build a permanent brand home in London this week. Even the beauty world is getting in on the act, with P.Louise opening a permanent store in Manchester this year that feels less like a shop and more like a social club, featuring dance floors and juice bars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These aren&#8217;t just shops with better wallpaper but environments where a brand\u2019s world can unfold at its own pace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>From visits to belonging: The &lsquo;stay-over&rsquo; effect<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The real power of a permanent space lies in what I call the &#8220;stay-over effect.&#8221; A pop-up is a visit; a brand home is an invitation to inhabit the brand\u2019s values. When you have a fixed location, you move from transactional engagement to emotional resonance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Look at the World of Volvo in Gothenburg. Instead of a traditional automotive showroom designed to shift units, it\u2019s a purpose-built cultural destination. It uses exhibitions and public programming to turn a car manufacturer into a facilitator of community and storytelling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At Imagination, we\u2019ve seen this transformation first-hand with the Guinness Open Gate Brewery in London. By creating a working brewery that doubles as a communal space, the brand isn&#8217;t just selling a pint, it\u2019s hosting a conversation. It provides the opportunity for fans to see the &#8220;how&#8221; behind the &#8220;what,\u201d fostering a level of trust and customer loyalty that a temporary bar simply couldn&#8217;t achieve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How to get it right<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Building a brand home is a bold move, and it comes with big opportunities. If you\u2019re thinking about making the leap from temporary to permanent, there are a few things you need to ensure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Remember it\u2019s a destination, not a shop. The best spaces invite exploration, spark curiosity, and give people a reason to linger, not just a place to buy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There needs to be a clear bridge between audiences and their passions. Great brand homes can connect both effectively, whether that\u2019s learning a skill, discovering a community, or simply feeling inspired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the most important things to consider is how the space can evolve. A permanent home shouldn\u2019t mean your brand stays static. The most memorable spaces grow and change alongside the people who visit them, keeping every experience fresh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The future of belonging<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pop-ups will always have their place &#8211; they\u2019re the trailers for our biggest ideas, sparking curiosity and excitement. But the next evolution is clear: the brands shaping the future are the ones creating lasting communities; places where audiences feel they belong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Experiential success will no longer be measured by weekend footfall alone. It will be measured by the connections and culture that flourish within a space. It\u2019s about moving from moments to meaning, inviting people in, letting them stay, and giving them a place to call home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Experiential success will no longer be measured by weekend footfall alone. It will be measured by the connections and culture that flourish within a space.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":11623,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[7,40],"topics":[15],"class_list":["post-11622","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-brands-marketers","tag-experiential","topics-editorial"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kinsta-stag-advertisingweek.md-staging.com\/aw360\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11622","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kinsta-stag-advertisingweek.md-staging.com\/aw360\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kinsta-stag-advertisingweek.md-staging.com\/aw360\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kinsta-stag-advertisingweek.md-staging.com\/aw360\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kinsta-stag-advertisingweek.md-staging.com\/aw360\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11622"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kinsta-stag-advertisingweek.md-staging.com\/aw360\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11622\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11624,"href":"https:\/\/kinsta-stag-advertisingweek.md-staging.com\/aw360\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11622\/revisions\/11624"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kinsta-stag-advertisingweek.md-staging.com\/aw360\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11623"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kinsta-stag-advertisingweek.md-staging.com\/aw360\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11622"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kinsta-stag-advertisingweek.md-staging.com\/aw360\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11622"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kinsta-stag-advertisingweek.md-staging.com\/aw360\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11622"},{"taxonomy":"topics","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kinsta-stag-advertisingweek.md-staging.com\/aw360\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topics?post=11622"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}