With the emergence of e-commerce giants and online competition, a new breed of future-thinking retailers has emerged. ANA’s 2019 Future of Retail Report notes that “The future involves having the right culture, using innovative approaches and technologies and a having a willingness and the skills to use data to learn from customers.” Future-thinking retailers, who can no longer rely on old strategies built on convenience and variety of product, are seeking to immerse their customers within tech-infused and value-added experiences.

These brands strive to attract and inspire consumers through in-store experiences, and must carefully consider how to bridge together offline and online, digital and physical—a delicate balance through which forward-thinking retailers stand to build equity through innovation and differentiation.

When users register to race at the in-store kiosk, for example, they’re offered the chance to provide a handful of information to personalize their racing experience. From inputting their name and chosen country to represent, to uploading a photo of their face overlaid with a custom helmet rendered much like an AR selfie filter, participants can immediately imagine themselves in the racing cockpit. After selecting a team to race with, they get to “meet” their coach: racers Max Verstappen (Red Bull team) and Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-Benz AMG), who offer advice before the race on a seamlessly integrated mobile site and even react to users’ performance afterward.

Of course, in a competitive experience like this, people want bragging rights, so real-time performance results are key. These are offered in metrics like the user’s driving speed and time around each lap. “Racers can take the data from the race and compare how well they did against other people, providing additional insight to their takeaway video,” says Kenmore, referencing the video users receive after completing a race. This personalized takeaway portrays highlights from the race, allowing them to remember the experience or share out to friends.

From pumping up participants as they prepare for the race to offering personalized feedback reactive to their unique performance, the NYCGP experience is built around inspiring a drive for performance and success within a friendly competitive environment—and that’s where the story behind the brand shines through. It’s through these moments that the new flagship store effectively tells the brand story to an audience that might be unfamiliar and unaware, building a strong personal connection in the process.

Puma set out to achieve precisely this in opening its first North American flagship store last week on 5th Avenue, New York City’s premier shopping street. Aiming to immerse shoppers in a seamless mix of technology, art and creativity, the store offers several opportunities for shoppers to engage directly with the brand through apparel customization, in-store classes on printing with streetwear brand Chinatown Market, and smart mirrors that help shoppers browse alternative colors and styles.

“This serves not only as a platform for getting product across, but also as a visualization or embodiment of our presence in this market, and New York in particular,” Adam Petrick, Puma’s Global Director of Brand and Marketing, told The Drum. In that respect, the store isn’t simply about selling products, but providing a space for consumers to engage with and better understand the brand.

Perhaps the most interesting way the store achieves is through its motorsport experience, the NYCGP. The NYCGP invites consumers to (virtually) suit up, strap in and race through the surrounding streets of New York City in professional-grade F1 simulators developed by Evotek—the same simulators that real racers use. MediaMonks supported the experience by developing mobile sites for onboarding and offboarding, personalized registration via in-store kiosks and providing custom code to translate users’ racing performance from the simulator into a global leaderboard, updated in real time.

Build Awareness Through Brand Storytelling

The description above either excites you because you’re an F1 fan, or has you scratching your head asking: F-what? F1 racing isn’t as popular to North Americans as it is to the brand’s home in Germany and elsewhere in Europe, though the motorsport experience aims to change that in a personalized and exhilarating way. “Part of the drive behind Puma’s NYCGP motorsport experience was to help North America recognize F1 the way Europe does,” says Paige Kenmore, Experiential Sr. Producer at MediaMonks.

It also highlights the brand’s longstanding dedication to the sport through its racewear apparel and sponsorship of top teams like Red Bull and Mercedes-AMG, both of which are represented in the motorsport experience via brand ambassadors Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. “[Brand] awareness is high, but actual understanding of all the things we’re doing on a daily basis isn’t as high as I’d like it to be,” Petrick told The Drum. By opening the conversation around the brand’s support for the sport, the motorsport experience serves as a great example for how to get those messages across.

“What’s really special about this experience is that this is brand ambassador focused, bringing the team celebrities into the experience to play a significant narrative role,” says Jessica Norton, Executive Producer at MediaMonks. “You’re engaging directly with the team members, and this gives the experience an added layer.”

And this gets at the heart of what makes the experience—and by proxy, the store itself—really special: it eases shoppers into a world that might be new to them in a way that showcases what sets the brand apart from other athletic wear brands. “The NYCGP makes the experience personal and intimate to New York City itself, placing it in a landscape that they’re familiar with,” says Kenmore. In fact, racers and spectators will see the Puma store right there on the circuit track, among other recognizable landmarks like Radio City Music Hall, Central Park, Columbus Circle and more.

Despite the focus on NYC as a locality, the experience isn’t designed just for New Yorkers in mind. “Outside of just the business opportunity that exists here, we’re really excited about the visibility that this store brings, not just in New York but the international contingent,” Puma North America CEO Bob Philion to FN. The NYCGP supports its international visitors by letting racers select a country to represent, resulting in a global competition that reinforces the brand’s presence around the world.

Make a Connection Through Personalization

A strength of retail has historically been its service and attentiveness to consumers. While modern online shopping has enabled great improvements in relevance of product recommendations, in-store experiences infused with innovative tech provide a great opportunity to connect with consumers through emotionally driven experiences that build brand love.

Puma’s not alone in this shifting retail landscape. We’ve recently seen this shift occur led by some of the most iconic names in the space. Toys R Us may have shuttered its doors in the United States in 2018, for example, the retailer has bounced back as TRU Kids Brands, with plans for experiential store-within-a-store concept. Macy’s has piloted something similar with its Story concept, in which products featured follow a specific and ever-changing narrative. And of course, no one can forget Apple’s “town square” concept that effectively transforms the store into a community space for learning about how to make the most out of the company’s technology.

The Puma motorsport experience similarly builds connection with consumers because every interaction—from registration to queueing for a race to offboarding—is narrative-driven and infused with personalization. Tying each interaction to the brand promise is key to differentiation, and the NYCGP succeeds in motivating races and building excitement to compete as they await their turn on the circuit.

Growing consumption in digital media has brought an increased need in content through which brands can engage directly with audiences. For forward-thinking brands, the single creative idea and hard-sell approach have both stepped aside in favor of new, varied content strategies that take a more nuanced approach by engaging users through personalized content and experiences.

Such strategies enable brands to differentiate themselves and relate to audiences, either by showcasing their values or providing users with emotional, engaging content. But what all powerful content strategies have in common is a storytelling method that caters to a diverse audience’s interests and contexts. From maintaining brand-consumer relationships over the long-term to adapting to new platforms, we’re diving into a few different ways to tell a good story—and the different goals that they can achieve.

Inspire Consumers Across the Digital Ecosystem

One brand whose focus on storytelling has lent value across all consumer touchpoints is Weber. The grilling company realized that its consumers saw greater value in experiences over products, resulting in its “BBQ Cultures” platform that took them on a journey around the world and its diverse barbeque cultures. Employing gorgeous visuals, we worked with Weber and Uncle Grey to build a campaign and website that seeks to both entertain and inspire both novices and grilling experts alike, teaching them everything they need to know about grilling within an immersive environment. Throughout the experience, a narrative undercurrent rendered through film and cinemagraphs inspires users by placing them within several barbeque scenarios.

But we didn’t end the story there. For Weber, BBQ Cultures was just the first step within a larger mission to integrate stronger storytelling in everything they do. Today, the entire digital Weber ecosystem—including its website, app and social accounts—includes inspirational and aspirational content like tips for improving grilling technique, seasonal recipes, stories behind the content creators themselves and CTAs for users to share their own Weber grilling experiences. It’s a notable example of using storytelling not just to set the brand tone and narrative, but to spread it across the user journey to continually inspire and maintain a consumer relationship.

Another way to showcase a brand’s value is through episodic storytelling—which can be especially helpful for CPG brands hoping to stand out by offering useful, informative content. Feminine care brand Always reached adolescent girls in the UK with its “Girl Talk” YouTube series, which seeks to educate about menstruation in an approachable and engaging way. Featuring quizzes and puzzles solved by a relatable and diverse cast of girls, the series seeks to remedy common questions girls may have about their bodies, and informs them about what to expect as they mature. Brands that wish to take a similar, proactive approach to solving problems or answering questions related to their product or industry require a deep understanding of their audience, supported by data and continual user testing.

Seek New Engagement Opportunities with Innovative Storytelling

A key component to effective storytelling is context; early in the content brainstorming process, brands must think about when and where users will begin considering, buying and using the product they aim to support through a narrative. Identifying these different contexts can open up new opportunities to reach or expand, target audiences.

When it comes to having a content-first focus, Mattel is one best-in-class brand. Speaking with our SVP of Growth Nick Fuller at Brand Innovators’ recent Future of Content Marketing and Storytelling event, Mattel’s Chris Keenan (SVP and EP of Global Content Development and Production) shed some light on the brand’s marketing prowess. The Barbie line of fashion dolls has transformed from child avatar to full-fledged role model—complete with her own editorial voice, helping to keep the brand relevant today. Through various forms of digital content, the character now stands for a set of values through which she aids in child development, enjoyed by both children and parents alike.

One platform where you’ll see this is YouTube, where Barbie has become a popular vlogger delving into important topics, like how to deal with unhappy feelings in a healthy way. By maintaining a consistent presence on a platform where kids spend an increasing amount of time, Mattel directly engages with Barbie’s audience to define the brand’s values.

Mattel isn’t the only brand that has turned a key challenge—competing for attention or relevance with digital platforms and influencers—into new opportunities for narrative engagement. Another toy brand that has adapted especially well to digital platforms is Lego. One particularly innovative experience the brand provides through storytelling is its Quest to Legoland app, made in collaboration with VML and MediaMonks, which takes children on one of four imaginary adventures en route to the Legoland Florida Resort. Powered by Google Maps, the app provides kids with fun facts and content related to over a thousand different landmarks that they might pass along the way, eliminating the age-old “Are we there yet?” family road trip refrain.

Ten different minigames ensure the educational journey feels fresh and fun, offering an experience that clicks well with Lego’s goal to help kids discover the world around them through imagination and play. Featuring characters and themes found throughout the Legoland theme park, the app fills in a crucial white space: the otherwise long, boring drive in anticipation of reaching a destination. With this app, the journey truly becomes the destination itself.

Each of the storytelling examples outlined above sought to innovate or expand into new territory through best-in-class narrative or interactive experiences. While embarking on this marketing adventure may feel intimidating at the outset, a clear understanding of your audience, where they are and what you want them to feel when they engage is key. From there, you can begin applying insights to a content strategy that not seeks to not only convert, but truly inspire.