Welcome to the fifth and final instalment of our deep-dive blog series that has been exploring the world of immersive brand experiences and behavioural science.
Throughout this series, we’ve been drawing on expert insights from Arq, our specialist R&D lab. As part of its continued focus on behavioural science, its most recent work has been the STAGE model: a behaviourally informed framework shaped by academic study, expert perspectives and a survey of 550 UK adults. The model identifies five evidence-based levers that give brands and marketers practical ways to design immersive brand experiences that are not only more engaging but more effective.
Extraordinary: deliver awe, surprise and impossible experiences
Self: empower personal identity, ownership and creativity
Transformative: enable growth, meaning, inspiration, or real-world impact
Accessible: ensure ease of use, inclusivity, trust and comfort
Gamified: use play, competition, interactivity and social bonding
As this is our final series entry, you can look back through the archives to get a flavour for all the other levers. We’ve covered ‘Self,’ ‘Transformative,’ ‘Accessible,’and ‘Gamified,’ each of which shows how immersive brand experiences can connect with people on a more personal, emotional and inclusive level.
Now, and at long last, it is time for the final lever: Extraordinary.
What Is ‘Extraordinary’?
Extraordinary is a special entry in the list. Whereas other levers are more practical, personal or psychological, this is all about creating moments of almost childlike wonder. Events that tap into this lever are the kind of immersive brand experiences that feel unique, unusual and viscerally memorable to people; halting you in your tracks and making you stop, stare and share.
In Arq’s STAGE research, participants spoke of encounters that were “full of wonder and surprise,” that showed them “fantastical things never seen before,” that felt “unique, unusual, or different,” and that “transported [them] into a different state of being.” These insights reflect the powerful psychological force of novelty and sensory immersion: when something feels singular and unique, entirely different to anything else they have experienced, then it captures attention, stirs emotion and secures a lasting place in people’s memory. The Extraordinary lever harnesses that potential, offering brands a powerful way to design experiences that move beyond the ordinary and into the unforgettable.
The science of awe: the psychology behind ‘Extraordinary’
Extraordinary experiences work best when they disrupt the ordinary. They reach past the mundanities of the everyday – most particularly the kind of ever-present, generic, often AI-generated slop that people can instinctively tune out these days – and do something genuinely interesting. Extraordinary events grab attention, stir emotion and create a sense of wonder that lingers around long after the moment itself has passed.
Behavioural science tells us that these experiences succeed because they:
Trigger the novelty bias: people are naturally attracted to things that are new, unusual, or unexpected. This draws attention and makes experiences more memorable.
Activate curiosity: humans have an innate drive to explore, discover, and resolve uncertainty. Stimulating curiosity keeps engagement high and encourages deeper learning.
Induce flow: ‘flow’ is a state of deep immersion where challenges and skills are perfectly balanced. In this state, people lose track of time and can often perform at their best.
Create awe: awe is an emotional response to vastness, beauty or something beyond ordinary experience. It can shift perspective and make experiences feel more meaningful.
These kinds of immersive brand experiences are often multi-sensory, visceral and shareable. People want to talk about them, post about them and relive them, which can sometimes lead to what psychologists call ‘unthinking bliss,’ a state where individuals are so utterly immersed in something that they actually let go of conscious thought. It is a suspension of disbelief, or as Charlotte Bunyan, Managing Director at Arq, puts it:
“You can feel that moment of wonder and of surprise because it isn’t real. It is a little like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, fantastical things that don’t exist in real life, and yet you were somehow able to experience.”
In immersive marketing, the Extraordinary lever taps into a deep psychological need for escape, exploration and emotional elevation. It creates moments that are not only memorable but magical.
How brands are pulling the ‘extraordinary’ lever IRL
Extraordinary activations are already shaping how brands connect with their audiences. In 2021, for example, The North Face introduced an innovative in-store VR experience that let customers virtually scale Yosemite’s El Capitan. This immersive activation was a visceral, awe-inducing adventure few would ever attempt in reality, and also reinforced the brand’s commitment to pushing boundaries. By integrating cutting-edge technology into their retail environment, The North Face created a memorable, adventurous and engaging experience that resonated with their audience.
Back In 2020 Ubisoft collaborated with the Smithsonian Institution to create a virtual reality experience that allowed users to explore historic sites that had been damaged or destroyed by conflict. The experience was part of the “Age-Old Cities” exhibition, which showcased six iconic monuments from across the Arab world, including Palmyra, Aleppo and Mosul. By blending education, exploration and emotional resonance, the collaboration offered an extraordinary tool for cultural preservation and public engagement.
Finally, in 2024, Magnum launched its first-ever 3D live-action billboard campaign in the UK to promote its new ice cream flavours, Euphoria and Chill. The campaign featured anamorphic 3D billboards in iconic locations such as Piccadilly Lights in London, creating a surreal, larger-than-life experience that captivated passersby. The centrepiece of the campaign was a 30-second immersive experience aboard the ‘Pleasure Express’ train, which led to a station marked “Wherever Pleasure Takes You,” embodying Magnum’s essence of indulgence and pleasure.
The element of surprise: why extraordinary matters now
In a world saturated with sameness, only the extraordinary events truly cut through. Immersive brand experiences that surprise, delight and immerse audiences can spark genuine curiosity, elevating people’s emotions and offering them moments of escapism. In short, they create bragging rights by turning ordinary interactions into stories worth retelling.
As the STAGE whitepaper highlights, layering ‘Extraordinary’ experiences with other levers (such as ‘Gamified’ or ‘Transformative’ elements) has a compounding effect, maximising an event’s reach, buzz and lasting impact. When experiences are truly extraordinary, they become unforgettable, making them a uniquely powerful tool in immersive marketing.
This is our fifth and final blog exploring the STAGE levers, but there is plenty more in the archives where that came from. Explore our articles on the ‘‘‘Self,’ ‘Transformative,’ ‘Accessible,’and ‘Gamified‘ levers and learn how immersive experiences can connect with people on a more personal, emotional level.
Want to unlock the ‘Extraordinary’ lever in your next immersive brand experience? Email Charlotte to explore how Arq’s STAGE model can sharpen your next activation: charlotte.bunyan@arq-lab.com
Image source: Ubisoft and Smithsonian Institution
