Despite the rise of touch screens and other sophisticated gaze and gesture technologies, experiential brands this year are choosing analog-style mechanisms for their activations. Think: Push buttons and turn dials that feel purposeful, participatory and nostalgic.
But let’s push pause for a moment, and look back at one place where the trend bubbled up. Reddit’s Grand-Ex winning Explorers Club activation at Cannes Lions 2023 featured chunky installations and a massive welcome billboard of real-time “Comments from Cannes” from Redditors. Passersby pressed oversized physical buttons underneath to either up or down vote the comments. Talk about voting with confidence.
And like Reddit, digital platform Pinterest is taking an analog approach to its experiences with touch-worthy scenic and activations that have audiences going beyond the swipe and scroll, and transforming curation into something visceral and personal. At Cannes Lions 2025, the brand created The Pinterest Manifestival, featuring a host of activations including the Pinterest Patisserie, gamified with physical dials and levers and that dished out a custom dessert based on those actions and preferences.
As Judy Lee, senior director-global brand experiences at Pinterest, told us this week: “I’m working on leaving behind the ‘reel life’ and being an active participant in ‘real life.’ It’s easy to become isolated when my devices are the main way I connect with people. I’m very curious about the ‘going analog’ trend and getting back to things that I love doing that don’t require a device.”
At CES 2026, game show-style push buttons could be found in booths all across the show floors. Inside AARP’s AgeTech Collaborative booth, striking digital content could be manipulated by turn dials, while a survey at the end of the experience powered by push buttons helped reinforce the messaging. Abbott Laboratories similarly sparked conversations about its partner innovations with a push-button quiz moment manned by a product expert. Mind-body connection? No-fuss accessibility? We’re pressing play on this one.
Featured image credit: Rachel Boucher, Event Marketer
