FIVE THINGS TO KNOW THIS WEEK
This week’s hot takes on hot topics in experiential marketing cover the Hidden Valley Ranch Tiny Restaurant, Juice Force Tankers and pop-up cathedrals.
HIDDEN VALLEY RANCH COOKS UP A TINY RESTAURANT IN THE BIG APPLE
The struggle to cook an elaborate meal inside a studio apartment in NYC is very real. But Hidden Valley Ranch challenged the status quo on Nov. 15 with a pop-up restaurant housed inside a micro-apartment on West 28th Street. The reservation-only Hidden Valley Ranch Tiny Restaurant was created to demonstrate how big living spaces aren’t necessary to prepare great dishes, as long as they’re whipped up with the right seasoning.
At the helm of the mini eatery, which featured three tables for two, was executive chef Kersti Bowser, who curated a ranch-inspired menu that featured items like Original Ranch Spinach Dip and Glazed Ranch Ham, all crafted with simplicity in mind, but designed to deliver a ton of flavor. Beyond the food, the space included details like small, brand-themed artworks, and our favorite—the ranch and rot spot.
FESTIVALGOERS HELP SLING THEIR OWN DRINKS AT THE MIXERY
Owen’s Craft Mixers bellied up to Vans Warped Tour Orlando from Nov. 15-16 with major star power and a strategy that flipped the script on typical spirits activations. The brand enlisted its newly instated Creative Taste Officer, and festival headliner, MGK (fka Machine Gun Kelly) to lend a hand at “The Mixery,” where he poured mocktails and tossed signed cans out to fans before his set, marking the first time the brand-musician partnership came to life IRL.
In addition, Owen’s swapped the typically passive experience of getting a drink at a festival into an interactive moment during which they crafted custom cocktails or mocktails with the help of an on-site mixologist. Fans also struck poses inside a branded photo booth and on top of oversized fruit installations. Personally, you would have found us snapping selfies with a gigantic cutout of the brand’s donkey mascot… Owen the Mule. (Partner: Live Nation)
Photos: Courtesy of Live Nation
THE MARINERS TAKE A SWING AT NEW IN-STADIUM FAN TECHNOLOGY
If you’ve ever left a sporting event wishing you could have seen your reaction to the game’s biggest play, the Seattle Mariners’ new in-stadium technology is right up your alley. A cutting-edge, multicamera system installed at T-Mobile Park is allowing the team to record footage of attendees in every single seat within the arena, and capture everything from responses to home runs to singing during the Seventh Inning Stretch.
After the game, fans can download images of themselves for free in exchange for their name, contact info and birth date, which is used by the Mariners to get a deeper understanding of its fanbase and the behaviors driving it. (There was an average of 1,000 photo downloads per game during the 2025 regular season, according to The Seattle Times).
If it all sounds a little too “Big Brother” for you, remember that anyone can end up on the Jumbotron, whether they like it or not, and that the MLB already has a paragraph notifying ticketholders that the league has rights to attendee images captured in any live or recorded broadcasts of their events. Next season, stay tuned for photos of us somehow spilling ketchup and beer on our pants before the third inning. (Partners: Momento, stadium technology; Stretch PR, p.r.)
A TALLBOY ON WHEELS CRASHES INTO TAILGATES AND FESTIVALS
Imagine quietly driving down the highway when a beer can the size of your car passes by. Such was the case during a fall tailgating tour activated by Voodoo Ranger, which crashed into events in California, Colorado, Texas and Arizona with a 21-foot-long Juice Force Tanker and a mission to empty the vessel before the tour was over, one tallboy at a time.
The “Empty the Tanker” campaign was brought to life at games, festivals and concerts, and featured samples, local bar crawls led by Voodoo Ranger and influencer duo The Pointer Brothers, a chance for consumers to scan the giant can’s QR code for a shot at scoring $5 toward their next tallboy, and a live beer gauge installed on the side of the mobile unit that tracked the tanker’s levels of Juice Force IPA in real time. A strategy worthy of a toast.
Photo: Courtesy of Voodoo Ranger
FANS PRAY FOR SEASON-TWO CLUES AT A POP-UP CATHEDRAL IN NYC
With the second season of the docudrama “Martin Scorsese Presents: The Saints” debuting on Nov. 16, Fox Nation enticed consumers with a pop-up cathedral installation at Fox Square in Midtown Manhattan. From Nov. 11-15, fans and curious passersby could explore the detailed stained-glass structure, which replicated the church from season one, access a free seven-day trial of Fox Nation, and snap photos within a separate, exterior glass installation. Confessions not required. (Partners: Creative Riff, experiential; Enhance A Colour, fabrication)
Photos: Courtesy of Creative Riff
