This industry perspective is by Ella Palmer, culture and strategy manager at Manchester, United Kingdom–based creative agency LOVE.
For years, brand homes—dedicated spaces where consumers can immerse themselves in a brand’s story, values, and products—have prioritized either exclusivity or mass accessibility. Activations have often centered on exclusive ultra-high-net-worth experiences, while easily accessible brand history-focused locations risk veering into tired museum territory—rarely giving visitors a reason to return.
But the next generation isn’t interested in velvet ropes or a dull brand history lesson. Those are the experiential codes of the past. Today’s brand home must speak in a language that chimes with the younger audience it’s trying to captivate.
Embracing a New Aesthetic
Gen Z have finely tuned visual tastes. They’re drawn to the surreal and captivated by AI-powered imagery. For them, everything is subconsciously expected to be ‘aesthetic’ and Instagrammable—even the most functional spaces. ‘Fridgescaping’ videos are on the rise over on TikTok, for example, while Pinterest boards showcase airport security trays artfully arranged with visually pleasing objects.
As the digital generation, Gen Z crave real-life experiences as a form of escapism—but only those wrapped in exceptional execution. A brand home targeting this audience will win by translating Gen Z’s AI-driven visual sensibilities into real-world environments that feel born from an algorithm and built to be shared. Spaces that look like they’re plucked straight out of a social feed.
In 2025, following the success of the Back to Nature rebrand, UK agency, LOVE hit the road (literally) with a joy-packed ‘Snack Stop’ pop up on the California coast—which took snackers on a nostalgic trip to a time when life was simple, and snacks were great. Popping up at the iconic Abbot Kinney, the gas station-inspired space had a bright, bold shop exterior, while a stylized gas pump and pink convertible Cadillac filled with goodies added a cool photo op for both visitors and passers-by. Throughout the space, props tapped into the brand’s tone of voice while providing content for the ‘gram
Back to Nature’s Pop-Up Snack Shop
Fan the FOMO
Harnessing Gen Z’s FOMO will be a critical part of future brand home strategy. We’re hardwired to feel the ‘fear of missing out’ when something—or somewhere—is temporary. Spaces needs to constantly deliver new, time-sensitive news to give people a reason to return.
Gen Z are digital natives, shaped by fast-scrolling, ever-changing feeds—and they crave experiences that mirror this pace. For brand homes, this means crafting permanent spaces with a pop-up mentality: modular, shapeshifting environments that transform with the time of day, season or cultural—environments that lean into the temporary and the fear of missing out. Selfridges’ ‘The Corner Shop’ leads the way—a pioneering retail concept that allows guest brands to creatively take over the space.
This mindset extends to the way Gen Z travels. They sidestep tourist clichés in favor of cultural ‘hidden gems’—places they can discover and share before they hit the mainstream. For brands, this means seeking out locations that feel both relevant and unexpected, and designing them as culturally rooted destinations that reward early adopters. IKEA turning up for a ‘Hack House Party’ in a north London neighborhood, staged ahead of its Oxford Circus store opening, is a great example.
Enable Community and Connection
Another powerful driver is Gen Z’s desire for community. Togetherness and connection should sit at the heart of every brand home brief. This generation looks to brands for a sense of belonging and for cultural moments that feel like a reward for their loyalty. A brand’s cultural involvement with its surrounding community can have a significant impact on a consumer’s purchasing decisions. It reflects a cohort that values creativity and brand-relationships through the lens of connection and self-expression, not status and exclusivity.
The James Beam Distillery offers varied experiences and is a cultural destination in the Clermont Kentucky community with events ranging from bourbon tastings to Kentucky Derby parties.
Gen Z also seek knowledge exchange through creative, enriching spaces. Brand homes should be reframed as cultural hubs and creative playgrounds – places where guests will want to come and stay.
The Guinness Storehouse in Dublin offers an immersive, multi-floor experience at St. James’s Gate
Tapping into our ever-expanding opportunities for entertainment and experience, brand homes are most successful when they are multifaceted, merging art installations, music, food, fashion and performance. Product buy-in will follow. Prada Mode’s travelling club embodies this approach: a destination for contemporary culture, offering guests unique art experiences alongside music, dining and conversation.
So, this is where brand homes are headed. In the future, they must be living, breathing spaces that evolve with shifting tastes and values, keeping pace with a new generation. By blending heightened aesthetics, ever-changing experiences, and a genuine sense of community, brands can create spaces that not only attract visitors, but ignite cultural movements.
Ella Palmer is the culture and strategy manager at Manchester, United Kingdom–based creative agency LOVE., which partners with global brands across the arenas of sport, luxury, food, alcohol and beauty. Guided by the mantra “We see what you won’t,” LOVE. has shaped strategies and campaigns for clients including Heineken, Hendrick’s, JBBDCo., Laithwaites, Lucky Charms, Moët Hennessy, Nike, Penfolds and SK-II. A trend forecaster and strategic thinker, Palmer combines cultural insight with creative curiosity
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