We’ve all had experiences that stuck with us. Moments that stirred something deeper, made us feel part of something bigger, or changed how we saw what was possible. They don’t happen every day. And in business, they happen far too rarely. But when they do? They shift mindsets. They unlock energy. They carry companies forward.
At BCG BrightHouse, we call these powerful moments Breakthrough Experiences. They’re not campaigns. They’re not decks. They’re immersive, emotionally resonant experiences designed to move people—toward belief, toward action, and toward a shared vision of what’s next.
The science behind the breakthrough
Research tells us what intuition already knows: we remember what we feel, especially when it’s new. Humans are biologically wired for this—our brains have a natural mechanism for strengthening emotional memories through high-frequency activity in the amygdala, where emotions are processed, and the hippocampus, which is responsible for learning and memory. Novel stimuli activate multiple systems in our brains, enhancing our perception and action, motivation, exploratory behavior, and learning. New, emotionally charged experiences impact how we think and act moving forward.
So, by combining novelty with emotional resonance, we can create moments that aren’t just scientifically sticky, but catalytic. As anthropologist and BCG BrightHouse Luminary Agustín Fuentes puts it:
When you’re moving in a new direction based on a shared experience or shared commitment, your chances of reaching the breakthrough moment multiply.
Agustín Fuentes
Anthropologist and BCG BrightHouse Luminary
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The implication for leaders is clear: if you want your people—employees, customers, investors—to move with you, they need to feel it first. And to feel it, they need to experience it.
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The anatomy of meaningful moments
Breakthrough Experiences are not one-size-fits-all. They’re carefully designed moments that meet a specific need: to unify a culture, launch a purpose, galvanize a workforce, or shift perception.
They often include:
1. Live launches that make a message felt, not just heard
2. Leadership summits that align and inspire
3. Employee activations that bring culture to life
4. Brand experiences that turn values into loyalty
5. Customer journey reinventions that reshape interaction
6. Investor moments that elevate perception and drive belief
But they all share three effects:
1. They create clarity in complexity
2. They generate connection across silos, levels, and backgrounds
3. They unlock momentum when the business is ready to move
Breakthrough Experiences don’t just communicate change, they accelerate it. And when done right, they can carry a company farther than ever thought possible.
Three real-world breakthroughs
Lufthansa:
Rewriting the story of care from the top down
When Europe’s largest airline faced rising pressure and internal complexity, they needed more than a new message. They needed belief. We helped them define a new purpose, “We Take Off to Take Care,” and launch it in a way that resonated from pilots to passengers. Through immersive leadership events, digital engagement tools, and a powerful aircraft launch moment, we turned purpose into a shared language across the company.
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Their breakthrough moment?
A leadership-powered aircraft unveiling became the catalyst for cultural transformation—signaling a renewed commitment to care and galvanizing employees, investors, and the world around a shared direction.
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Rochester Regional Health:
Turning a brand into a movement
In the wake of the pandemic, Rochester Regional Health (RRH) knew it had to show up differently. We helped them bring their brand anthem “We’re Here for It” to life not with a memo, but with a movement—centered at the Rochester International Jazz Festival. From an interactive dance floor to wellness activations, we transformed a standard sponsorship into a living, breathing brand moment that brought care, culture, and community together.
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Their breakthrough moment?
Hundreds of thousands of attendees experienced the new brand in action, connecting care, community, and culture in a way that felt deeply human. The sponsorship signaled their commitment and a renewed relationship with the community. Or as the brand now puts it: “Where our experience meets yours.”
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Mercedes-Benz:
Reigniting pride and purpose across a global workforce
Crafting a purpose like “First Move the World” is bold. Bringing it to life across a legendary, global brand is something else entirely. We partnered with Mercedes-Benz to launch their purpose in a way that would be felt, through immersive films alongside featuring music played by a live orchestra, and the unifying Star Box experience, where each leader received a personal star in the night sky, contributing to a constellation shaped like the iconic Mercedes-Benz logo, showcasing they are greater than the sum of their parts.
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Their breakthrough moment?
A global internal launch that turned purpose into pride—and invited employees everywhere to be part of something bigger.
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Experiences with breakthrough ROI
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70 %
customer decisions based on emotion
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4.9 x
greater confidence in navigating change
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2.7 x
stronger sense of accountability for quality
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3 x
company returns on assets
70% of customer decisions are based on emotion, not rational factors. That’s why companies that invest in powerful, human-centered experiences don’t just create emotional resonance. They see measurable returns.
This also applies to the workforce. Employees who feel connected to their company’s culture are 4.9x more likely to believe they can meet customer and market change.
Employees who feel strongly connected to their company’s culture are 2.7 times as likely to strongly agree they feel responsibility for the quality of products or services.
And companies in the top quartile for employee experience report 3x the return on assets.
Breakthrough experiences don’t just feel good. They fuel business outcomes.
So when should you create a breakthrough experience?
Breakthrough Experiences are especially powerful when your organization is at a turning point:
Launching purpose, a new vision, or set a strategy
When leadership needs not only alignment, but also belief. These experiences translate strategy into something people can feel and act on.
Reigniting culture after change
In moments of fatigue, restructuring, or leadership transition, a shared experience can reconnect employees to what matters.
Engaging customers in more meaningful ways
When trust is low or competition is high, immersive, human-centered experiences can create loyalty and deepen relationships. And returns are powerful, as Gallup finds fully engaged customers yield a 23% premium across profitability, revenue, and relationship growth.
Inspiring confidence in investors and stakeholders
Elevating investor day messaging into an experience builds conviction and sets your strategy apart.
Marking a milestone
IPOs, anniversaries, and leadership summits deserve more than comms. They need to be lived and remembered, invested in and elevated. As cultural anthropologist Elizabeth Lindsey puts it, “Humans draw on past experiences, emotions, and imaginings to create future realities.”
Breakthrough experiences don’t just deliver strategy—they embody it. They bring people into the story so they can see their role in what comes next. They make purpose tangible. Culture actionable. Change believable.
And for companies that want to go farther, faster, with more clarity and conviction, there’s nothing more powerful than a moment that moves you.
Are you ready to move?
Breakthrough Experiences aren’t one-off stunts. They’re the product of our proven process that combines deep human insight, innovation, and bold creativity. With our decades of experience in strategic storytelling and immersive design, BCG BrightHouse helps companies shape moments that generate traction, align stakeholders, deepen commitments, and set the tone for what comes next. Because these experiences aren’t just memorable—they’re momentum-building.