What We’re Leaving Behind in 2025: Outdated Interactive Brand Experience Habits

Not everything deserves to be carried into the new year.

After delivering dozens of retail activations, interactive installs, and campaign builds in 2025, we’ve noticed some patterns. Certain habits keep slowing down projects. Certain formats keep getting forced into briefs. And certain assumptions about what makes a good experience still hang around, even when the results say otherwise. So, here’s what we’re leaving behind.

1. Screens that don’t invite action

A digital screen in a space is not an interactive experience. If it doesn’t respond, involve or adapt based on what people do, it is a sign. Not a solution. We are moving away from passive digital. Every screen now needs to earn its place. It must do something specific, something useful, or something joyful.

2. Building for the video wrap, not the audience

You know the type. The experience that photographs beautifully but feels empty in person.

Designed to be impressive on LinkedIn, not useful in real life. In 2026, we are keeping the focus on how people interact, not how the install looks in a case study. The content should be driven by instinct, not camera angles.

3. Over-complicated user journeys

If it takes more than five seconds to understand how to engage with the experience, it will not get used. We are prioritising clarity. That means fewer steps, fewer prompts, and faster entry into the moment. If the brief requires too much onboarding, we revisit the idea. Not the audience.

4. Gimmicks that don’t hold attention

Novelty gets eyes. But novelty without substance fades fast. We are asking better questions at the start. Why will people want to do this twice? What makes it satisfying? What makes it worth sharing? If we can’t answer clearly, the idea isn’t ready.

5. Interactivity as decoration

Too many projects still treat interactivity as a “nice-to-have.” Something added to make the space feel more modern. We are keeping our work behaviour-led. If there is no clear reason to interact, we remove the layer. Real impact comes from intention, not polish.

What We’re Making More Room For in 2026

• Ideas that are clear, simple and original

• Experiences that reward curiosity and feel personal

• Builds that respond to people, not trends

• Joyful moments that stick

• Metrics that matter: dwell time, shares, return visits, and impact

That is where we are heading. And that is where the work gets good.

Want to build something better in 2026?

We are scoping now. If you want to cut through the noise and make something people genuinely respond to, we would love to be involved.

Send us your problem. We will come back with ideas.

hello@wtsagency.com