The sweet spot for experiential marketing usually sits in one of two buckets. The deliberate use of the unexpected to shake your consumers awake; to surprise and delight them, or the deliberate use of existing popular trends to make your experience of the now and captivate the masses who have an appetite for something they just can’t get enough of.

For the latter, Google is one of your most helpful tools. Let’s explore a few of the global search terms that topped the 2023 popularity lists and how they might shape an experience that capitalises on SEO and longstanding consumer interest. Keep in mind though, depending on the size and location(s) of your experience, national search terms versus global may be more informative. Hypothetically, here’s some examples of global relevance.

A popular theme for many experiences in the last year; the concept of gamification isn’t new. That said, how many gamification concepts are based on digitising the consumer product, versus taking style inspiration from the games most popular with consumers already and building your product into a fantastical brand-owned world. Thematically, it’s something to think about. Here’s what games were most searched on Google last year:

1) Hogwarts Legacy

2) The Last of Us

3) Connections

4) Battlegrounds Mobile India

5) Starfield

6) Baldur’s Gate 3

7) スイカ ゲーム

8) Diablo IV

9) Atomic Heart

10) Sons of the Forest

Most searched on Google Maps are these parks. What does this tell us? The footfall and interest already exists so it’s a no brainer that they’d be great experience locations. That said, price and access for businesses aren’t always so simple. So, if you can’t host an experience in the location then the best way to take SEO and play with it would be to situate your experience next to these locations, or, create locations like these parks & use the search times below to describe what your experience is similar to. 

1) Park Güell, Barcelona, Spain

2) Central Park, New York, New York

3) Hyde Park, London, United Kingdom

4) El Retiro Park, Madrid, Spain

5) Villa Borghese, Rome, Italy

6) Nara Park, Nara, Japan

7) Cubbon Park, Bengaluru, India

8) Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre, Morrison, Colorado

9) Parque Ibirapuera, São Paulo, Brazil

10) Bryant Park, New York, New York

Trending recipes tells us two things: serving this food as your culinary option at your experience would be a good move, and immersive experiences teaching people how to make this food would be even better. There are always a ton of great options when selecting an f&b route, but if you can pick any, why not the one that’s already got the attention of potential attendees?

Recipe

1) Bibimbap

2) Espeto

3) Papeda

4) Scooped bagel

5) Pasta e fagioli

6) Coronation quiche

7) Tacacá

8) Black cake

9) Ashure

10) Smelt