Marble’s Event Producer Zanna Gibson discusses the need for the frequently requested ‘Instagrammable moment’ vs the consumer’s experiential journey, and the lasting impression.

Instagrammable Moments’ vs Experience

One of the growing challenges in branded experience is working out how to translate the event experience onto Instagram. We all know that Instagram is a great platform for casting a wide net of free marketing and exposure, but when does it cross the line from genuine experience to a generational fad?

We’re seeing a trend where Instagrammable moments are being swapped for Instagramable events or ‘journeys’.

It’s not surprising that brands and clients are now looking to see the event industry create 360° Instagrammable events (‘Mamma Mia the Party’ springs to mind), but is being seen to ‘be there’ still more important than the actual experience and event story? We like to think not. However, creating ‘transformative’ events can often lead to them being marketed and classified as ‘immersive experiences’, implying that something is happening at them. But what if the experience being sold is solely to be Instagram-worthy? Not much of a party if you ask us.

This is when events become unmemorable and lose their voice. We don’t care how photogenic millennial pink is, creating Instagram moments for Instagram’s sake is where we take issue. Understand your mission and tell your story – don’t let the ‘gram dictate the narrative. Alternatively, perhaps we ought to adopt Secret Cinema’s ‘no phone’ policy and let curiosity do the talking. In essence, it’s time to enjoy an experience for what it is and reminisce about the memories – not the social content.