Let’s get “Phygital”
In a recent article, Nike defined “hybrid” by making up a new word…”phygital”. Very clever. The experience you have in a new Nike store is their version of blending the digital and physical experience of the brand. Hence the new word. Here’s how they (just) do it.
When you enter the store, you open your scan software on your phone and are instructed to scan various points/images in the store. As you scan each point an AR figure appears to illustrate the particular product you’re considering. Think the recent baby Yoda character popping up to tell you about your footwear. If you see a shoe you like, you’re then invited to use their AR measurement app to determine your correct shoe size.
In a Footlocker you may also find an Augmented Reality version of Lebron James dunking while wearing his Nike kicks. Very cool.
At the end of your AR-guided tour through the store (you have to stop and scan each AR station to officially complete the tour), an actual human being, carbon-based life form (know as a store clerk) will emerge and hand you a Nike bag with a promotional premium of some sort. You have now experienced “phygital”, the blending of the digital interaction with a physical, sensory experience.
The introduction of this practice in the retail world is not totally new. The San Diego Comic-Con has delivered on this promised experience for years. It is however becoming more prevalent and will eventually find its way into a regular component of the B-to-B community. A phygital experience will become part of the expectation when attending a conference, company meeting, trade show and the like. If someone is willing to now get on a plane and fly to an event, we as producers of these events better deliver more than a free pen or stress ball. The implied promise we make as marketers is that if you schlepp cross-country to a convention hall you better walk away with an experience you’ll remember and one that will move you to an action step after the event. Therein lies the challenge for event marketers and the reason phygital may become THE new 2021 buzzword, attempting to finally explain what hybrid really means.