Editorial
The Gist
- Immersion drives loyalty. AR, VR and MR deepen emotional connections and boost long-term brand advocacy.
- Culture meets tech. Fortune’s VR-led Rath Yatra campaign shows how spirituality and technology can align for powerful CX.
- Experience over exposure. Modern activations prioritize emotional engagement and cultural resonance over generic outreach.
Table of Contents
- The Immersion Imperative: Why Brands Are Going Virtual
- The Emotional Equation: Building Loyalty Beyond Logic
- The Tech Behind the Magic: How AR, VR and MR Reshape Experiences
- Devotion Meets Disruption: Fortune Oil’s VR-led Rath Yatra Activation
- Inside the Experience: How Fortune Created a Spiritual Tech Journey
- What Made Fortune’s Campaign Click: 5 Emotional Drivers
- More Brands, More Belief: Rath Yatra 2025 Becomes a Marketing Hotspot
- The Takeaway: When Tech Serves Culture, Brands Win
The Immersion Imperative: Why Brands Are Going Virtual
Brands are turning to immersive technologies like AR, VR and MR to cut through the digital noise. These platforms don’t just display messages—they invite consumers to experience them. The result? Deeper engagement, stronger recall and emotional resonance that goes beyond screen time.
Why Emotional Value Outweighs Satisfaction
According to a Harvard Business Review study titled “The New Science of Customer Emotions”, emotionally connected customers are 52% more valuable than those who are merely satisfied. This cohort not only purchases more frequently but is also less price-sensitive and more likely to act as brand advocates.
The Emotional Equation: Building Loyalty Beyond Logic
Emotional connection is no longer a nice-to-have—it’s central to lasting brand loyalty. It fosters trust, amplifies satisfaction and often outweighs rational decision-making in influencing consumer behavior. True loyalty goes beyond transactional convenience and price considerations; it is an intangible bond that motivates customers to choose a particular brand even when alternatives are available.
Emotional factors play a stronger role than rational ones in shaping decisions like brand preference. Emotionally engaged customers spend up to twice as much as others—and become natural brand advocates, amplifying reach through word-of-mouth and social media.
Additionally, a large majority of these customers actively promote the brand to family and friends, and many advocate for it on social media. Immersive technologies in customer experience help users feel more recognized and appreciated, ultimately leading to stronger long-term loyalty and emotional engagement. These technologies effectively blend memory and engagement, creating a form of classical conditioning in the customer’s mind.
As a result, whenever the customer interacts with the brand in any context, a positive feeling is triggered by earlier positive experiences—giving the brand a lasting competitive advantage.
Related Article: Customer Sentiment Analysis: Reading Emotions, Redefining Relationships
The Tech Behind the Magic: How AR, VR and MR Reshape Experiences
Immersive tech doesn’t just simulate reality—it stimulates it. By activating multiple senses and creating presence, immersion and interactivity, it enables users to feel like they’re part of the story.
Immersion as a Loyalty Multiplier
As highlighted in recent research, immersive experiences are created on three foundational principles" presence, immersion and interactivity. Together, these elements foster a feeling of "being there"—deepening emotional involvement and cognitive engagement. Unlike passive viewing, immersive environments activate multiple senses and encourage active exploration, which enhances memory retention and emotional resonance. This multisensory engagement transforms brand interactions into meaningful experiences, laying the groundwork for deeper customer trust and long-term loyal customers.
Devotion Meets Disruption: Fortune Oil’s VR-led Rath Yatra Activation
Brand activations during religious festivals are witnessing significant growth. From Kumbh Mela to Ganesh Chaturthi, these events are offering brands innovative platforms to connect with their audiences. The natural emotional connection and strong brand recall associated with religious festivals have inspired brands to blend tradition with modern engagement techniques.
The Three Pillars of Immersive Experience
Drawing from its successful Maha Kumbh initiative, Fortune—India’s edible oil giant—unveiled an immersive on-ground experience at Rath Yatra 2025 in Puri. By blending spirituality with innovation, the brand aimed to evolve its strategy toward a more localized and emotionally resonant experience. This reflects a broader trend in customer experience: shifting from generic outreach to hyper-localized, culturally embedded engagement.
Related Article: How Century-Old Indian Brands Are Winning With AI, AI and Immersive Experiences
Inside the Experience: How Fortune Created a Spiritual Tech Journey
Fortune’s campaign broke new ground by blending sacred ritual with cutting-edge technology. Devotees could virtually step into the Bhog preparation process—an act of worship rarely witnessed so intimately. In the immersive experience zone near the Gundicha Temple in Puri, devotees engaged in a virtual Bhog-making ritual using Oculus VR headsets. Devotees were guided through the sacred process in a fully simulated environment.
Fortune’s Festival Strategy in Action
By layering visuals with sensory cues—like food aromas—it created an emotional and spiritual atmosphere rarely achieved in brand activations. More than just a brand activation, the campaign became a spiritual journey that connected with people’s beliefs, memories and senses. The immersive campaign during Rath Yatra 2025 is a strong example of how brands can use technology to build emotional connections in culturally rich settings.
What Made Fortune’s Campaign Click: 5 Emotional Drivers
The campaign reflects several key elements that make virtual brand experiences truly impactful:
- User Engagement & Experience: A smooth, intuitive interface allowed users to easily explore the VR Bhog experience, lowering barriers and maximizing impact.
- Emotional & Trust Factors: The spiritual tone lent authenticity and respect, fostering trust and emotional bonding with the brand.
- Cognitive Processing & Decision Making: Immersive storytelling helped consumers better understand the brand’s values, shaping both perception and recall.
- Authenticity & Realism: Ritual accuracy and cultural sensitivity made the experience feel genuine—critical in religious settings.
- Virtual Interaction & Immersion: Active participation enhanced the sense of presence, reinforcing brand memory and emotional engagement.
Sensory Layers Deepen Spiritual Connection
By blending tradition with immersive technology, Fortune Oil demonstrated how brands can move from generic outreach to hyper-localized, emotionally resonant experiences. In culturally significant moments like religious festivals, such strategies not only enhance brand recall but also foster long-term loyalty through emotional connection.
The immersive experience influences not just how consumers feel and think, but also how they act. Emotional and cognitive responses—such as enjoyment, trust, and product understanding—lead to behavioral outcomes like increased customer engagement, advocacy and preference for immersive shopping platforms. This emotional conditioning creates a lasting competitive advantage for brands.
More Brands, More Belief: Rath Yatra 2025 Becomes a Marketing Hotspot
But it wasn’t alone—other brands also embraced the cultural significance of Rath Yatra 2025 with innovative approaches.
How Other Brands Joined the Celebration
Coca-Cola cooled down pilgrims with mist fans and hydration zones, linking relief to refreshment. ITC brought its brands alive through sampling and interactive stalls, blending convenience with connection. Polycab turned infrastructure into storytelling with decorative lighting. Omnigel addressed pilgrims’ physical needs through free on-ground pain relief. POGO brought play into the pilgrimage by setting up fun zones for children—making the festival more inclusive.
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The Takeaway: When Tech Serves Culture, Brands Win
These activations mark a paradigm shift—from passive visibility to experiential relevance. Technology isn’t just a tool—it’s a bridge between culture and commerce. As immersive technologies continue to evolve, the question is: how will brands further innovate to create meaningful connections rooted in culture, emotion and experience?
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