60% rise in experience spending since 1960
Since 1960, US consumers have increased their share of discretionary spending devoted to experiences by 60%, while spending on goods fell 35%.
Snapshot · The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway
No Mercy / No Malice: World Cup Experience
Explore episode
Jun 27, 2026
Where this was said
Introduction: The Experience Economy Thesis
At 2:45 · chapter starts 1:38
The essay proper begins with Galloway's arresting observation: watching the World Cup, he's seen more men embrace in two weeks than in two years — evidence that football generates a beautiful byproduct: togetherness. From there, he pivots to the macro claim that will anchor the entire piece: the biggest trend of 2026 isn't AI chatbots, it's IRL experiences [1] — George Hahn "The biggest trend of 2026 isn't AI chatbots — it's IRL experiences. From the World Cup to movie theaters to live concerts, people are choos…" 01:40 . To ground this, he reaches back to a 1998 Harvard Business Review article by Joseph Pine and James Gilmore, who coined the term 'experience economy' and argued that economies progressively evolve from commodities to goods to services to experiences, with each stage becoming more personalized, immersive, and emotionally resonant. Their formulation — 'commodities are fungible, goods tangible, services intangible, and experiences memorable' — serves as the conceptual spine for everything that follows.
The Biggest Trend of 2026 Isn't AI — It's IRL Experiences
The biggest trend of 2026 isn't AI chatbots — it's IRL experiences. From the World Cup to movie theaters to live concerts, people are choosing real-world togetherness over digital convenience.
Biggest trend of 2026
Scott Galloway argues the biggest trend of 2026 isn't AI chatbots but IRL, in-person experiences, exemplified by the World Cup.
The Experience Economy: From Pine & Gilmore to the World Cup
In 1998, economists Pine and Gilmore predicted economies would evolve toward staging memorable experiences. Galloway argues digital atomization and pandemic scarcity proved them right — experience is now the ultimate premium.
Similar snapshots
80% of time above the fold
Focus 80% of your landing page design effort on the hero section — the first thing visitors see when they open the website.
Hero section carries full message
The hero section must convey the product's complete value proposition on its own, so visitors instantly understand what it is.
First couple of seconds matter most
Visitors decide whether to stay or leave within just a few seconds, so immediate clarity is essential on any landing page.
Pain-point headline drives conversion
Highlighting time savings, money savings, or a painful problem solved in the headline and subheading is the core conversion lever.
Big CTA essential above the fold
A prominent call-to-action must accompany the headline and subheading in the hero section to capture visitor intent immediately.
$25K/month revenue
Avnish's solopreneur business reached $25,000 per month in revenue using a community-driven, zero-ad-spend marketing strategy.
15 months to $25K/month
Avnish scaled his business from zero to $25K/month in just 15 months using a single core marketing strategy.
Zero marketing spend
Avnish acquired thousands of users without spending any money on marketing, relying entirely on Reddit and Facebook groups.
Single thousands to tens of thousands of users
One specific Reddit or Facebook post was responsible for taking Avnish's user base from single thousands to tens of thousands.
