In a world where attention spans are shrinking and content fatigue is at an all-time high, Tulsi Dhar stands out as one of the clearest voices redefining what modern brand engagement should look like. As Business Partner at Page3 Entertainments—and recently recognised as ET Panache Women of the Year 2025 at WOW Awards Asia 2025—Tulsi has become synonymous with experience-led innovation.
Her work is rooted in a belief that people no longer seek to just “see” a brand; they want to feel it, belong to it, and co-create with it. With this ethos, she has helped transform large-scale brand interactions into movements, memories, and moments of personal connection.
In this conversation, Tulsi cuts through the noise to decode why experiential marketing is no longer just a trend—it is the new language of influence.
1. Tulsi, we’re seeing a shift from traditional ads to experience-led marketing. From your perspective, what has driven this change, and why are audiences today more influenced by live experiences than by messaging alone?
Over the years, I’ve seen audiences evolve from passive receivers to active participants. The world is oversaturated with information—notifications, reels, banners, algorithms—yet undernourished emotionally. People don’t want to be spoken at; they want to be seen, involved, and moved.
Live experiences answer that human need. They create memory, connection, and community. When someone participates, achieves, celebrates, or belongs, the brand becomes personal. That’s why experience-led marketing isn’t a tactic anymore—it is the new language of influence.
2. How does Page3 design campaigns that go beyond promotions to create memorable experiences, and can you share an example where storytelling and human connection were key?
At Page3, our philosophy is to design for the heart first, brand second. We begin with human truths—pride, aspiration, nostalgia, identity—and build an experience narrative around them.
An example is the Agentforce World Tour, a partner-first event for the marketing division. Instead of treating it as a typical business gathering, we built it as a stage for ambition, community and shared purpose. Every touchpoint—design, content, interaction—reinforced the idea of partnership as celebration.
Similarly, Lead Women, an all-women leadership conference, was not just an event—it was a movement. The storytelling centred on upliftment, courage, and sisterhood. Women didn’t just attend; they saw themselves represented and supported. That emotional ownership is what creates recall, loyalty and advocacy.
One example I hold close is Salesforce Run. We didn’t simply execute a race; we built a movement. The story was about resilience, belonging and celebration. Participants didn’t just attend—they felt part of something bigger.
3. With consumers trusting experiences and user-generated content more than ads, how do you ensure your activations feel authentic, engaging, and shareable?
Authenticity isn’t created—it’s enabled. We don’t tell people to share; we give them something worth sharing.
We design for participation, co-creation and personal expression—whether through meaningful rituals, impact-driven conversations, photo-worthy spaces, or recognitions that celebrate people rather than brands. When an experience honours the audience, sharing becomes instinctive. That’s why our projects consistently convert participants into storytellers.
4. How do you measure the success of experiential campaigns beyond impressions or reach, and how do these experiences build long-term brand equity?
Impressions are short-term, but impact is long-term.
We evaluate:
• Dwell time & repeat engagement
• Emotional and behavioural shifts
• Advocacy, belonging and post-event participation
• Content generated organically
• Conversion and retention months later
Experiences build equity because they create trust and meaning. A person may forget an ad but will never forget how an experience made them feel valued. That memory becomes a relationship—and relationships are the strongest form of brand currency.
5. Experiences are often local and bespoke; how does Page3 balance creativity with scalability, and how are emerging technologies like AR, VR, or AI enhancing this?
Scalability lies in modular thinking—consistent frameworks with locally flavoured execution.
We build systems, not just events: adaptable formats, replicable processes, and agile partner networks. Technology elevates this—AR adds magic, VR brings remote presence, and AI personalisation allows every individual to have a unique journey even within a mass audience.
The future is hybrid: tech amplifies creativity, not replaces it.
6. Looking ahead, how do you see experience-led marketing evolving for Gen Z & Gen Alpha, and what advice would you give brands transitioning from ads to experiences?
Gen Z and Alpha don’t consume brands—they interact with them. They demand purpose, participation and culture. The next five years will see:
• Community-based experiences over mass events
• Micro moments over mega messaging
• Personalisation at scale
• Sustainability and inclusion becoming non-negotiable
• Experiences acting as ongoing ecosystems, not one-day shows
My advice to brands is simple: stop performing at your audience—host them. Give them voice, involvement, identity and meaning. When people feel like they are the story, loyalty follows naturally.
The Future Belongs to the Experiential Native
As Tulsi Dhar emphasises, brands are no longer competing for attention—they are competing for emotion, memory, and meaning. For a generation that craves authenticity and connection, Tulsi’s vision offers a blueprint: Create spaces where people feel seen, stories that feel shared, and moments that become part of who they are. In that transformation lies the true power of experiential marketing—and Tulsi is one of the voices shaping what that future looks like.
