Linqia, an influencer marketing agency, announced the launch of IRL, a new solution that enables brands to go beyond digital-only campaigns by creating in-person consumer experiences while simultaneously capturing content for digital channels.

The service combines the agency’s creator partnerships with full production capabilities, allowing brands to develop real-world interactions with target audiences while producing digital content beyond the initial event.

“It is incredibly important to get in front of your customers and provide them with amazing experiences, especially as younger generations are prioritizing experiences over things,” Keith Bendes, Chief Strategy Officer at Linqia, tells Net Influencer. “What makes Linqia’s IRL offering unique is that we combine the power of on-the-ground, real-time consumer experiences with the vast reach and engagement of influencers.”

Brand Experience Options

The IRL solution offers brands three distinct activation approaches. 

Brands can partner with creators at major cultural events such as Coachella, SXSW, and Art Basel, creating immersive pop-ups and influencer-hosted experiences that tap into existing audience gatherings. 

For brands seeking more customized options, Linqia provides end-to-end support for standalone experiential moments, including city-wide scavenger hunts and retail pop-ups tailored to specific marketing objectives. 

Image: Linqia IRL @kirby_j x International Delight at Coachella

Additionally, the “On-The-Street” engagement model connects brands with creators specializing in real-time consumer interviews, generating authentic content and fostering direct consumer interaction.

“There continues to be a hunger for in-person events and experiences,” Keith notes. “We obviously saw a major shift coming out of the pandemic, and it hasn’t slowed down. As we enter festival season, with Coachella being the first big event, we felt it was the right time to bring a more structured, holistic creator experience solution to the market.”

End-to-End Production Support

Complementing these activation strategies, Linqia delivers production services throughout the entire process. Teams handle all on-site production management from initial planning through execution. 

Professional videography and photography teams capture high-quality content during events, while post-production specialists provide rapid editing and finishing work optimized for social media deployment, ensuring brands can maximize content value across channels.

“A major pitfall with experiential marketing investments historically has been the limited reach for the high cost,” explains Keith. “By having influencers be part of the experience, they not only attract more people to the experience itself and make the experience more valuable for attendees, they also create content around their experience and share that with the thousands if not millions of people following them at home.”

Image: Linqia IRL @marcusriosofficial x Oikos

‘On-The-Street’ Content Gains Traction

The announcement builds on the growing demand for “on-the-street” social content. Linqia launched its OTS program last year with 50 creators specializing in this format, typically involving approaching strangers for impromptu interviews on various topics.

According to the company, approximately 500,000 Instagram Reels carry the #OnTheStreet hashtag, while #OnTheStreet and #StreetInterview collectively appear on over 250,000 TikTok videos.

“People inherently want to get together, and brands and creators have a unique opportunity to create experiences that take that community from digital to the real world,” says Keith. “We’re seeing how much more engaging the content is because you’re capturing real people in real-time. There’s nothing scripted—and consumers are loving it.”

According to him, these activations provide an extended content lifecycle, with brands potentially creating months of content from a single shoot through behind-the-scenes footage and blooper reels alongside main campaign videos. 

Keith also highlights the performance of these programs: “We’ve executed more OTS programs in the first quarter of 2025 than all of 2024. The demand is increasing from brands and it’s because the content cuts through the sea of sameness on social media.”

Image: Linqia IRL @mariama x Chrylser

Measuring Effectiveness

While the approach is unique, Linqia applies traditional metrics to measure campaign effectiveness. “In terms of measurement, we’re not reinventing the wheel. We’re looking at engagement, brand lift, sales increases—all the usual stuff,” Keith explains.

He adds that the strategy addresses a long-standing challenge in experiential marketing: “Whereas prior brands could spend hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars on a single brand experience that a few hundred people attend. Now, you can still create a meaningful experience for those hundreds, but reach millions at home through the influencers’ followers.”

All images are from past Linqia IRL campaigns.