FIVE THINGS TO KNOW THIS WEEK
This week’s hot takes on hot topics in experiential marketing cover Wendy’s drive-thru Pit Stop Express, Kayali’s fragrant café and the traveling All Conditions Express basecamp.
NASCAR FANS RACE TO WENDY’S DRIVE-THRU PIT STOP IN DAYTONA
Wendy’s invited hungry NASCAR fans to rev their engines for its burgers, chicken sammies and fries over the weekend during the Daytona 500 at its Pit Stop Express experience in Florida. The racing-themed activation took over the drive-thru at the brand’s International Speedway-based restaurant from Feb. 13-15 in celebration of a newly inked three-year partnership with Trackhouse Racing.
Visitors were first greeted with a tire-shaped archway that welcomed them to the Wendy’s Speedway for the “Biggie 500,” as well as a flag stand installation. From there, the replica racetrack experience was complete with stop lights, ambassadors waving flags and a full pit crew that washed fans’ car windshields and shined their tires, delivering the full pit stop treatment.
Once their vehicles were sparkling, visitors were provided with their choice of one of the Biggie Bags featured in Wendy’s new Value Menu, plus branded racing merch. (Agencies: TMA; VML; Spark; Ketchum)
Photos: Courtesy of Wendy’s
Meanwhile, NASCAR itself made history ahead of the big race with an activation in NYC’s Times Square, where the organization achieved the Guinness World Record for the planet’s loudest billboard.
ATHLETES TRAVEL FROM MILAN TO THE ALPS ON THE ALL CONDITIONS EXPRESS
The train takeover trend is chugga-chugging along, and Nike’s newly relaunched All Conditions Gear (ACG) brand is the latest to embrace the tracks.
The “worn to be wild” outdoor performance company made a bright-orange splash in Italy from Feb. 4-8 during the 2026 Winter Olympics with the All Conditions Express, a commuter train that was transformed into a traveling basecamp that carried athletes from Milan to the Alps and back. ACG’s promise? “This is going to be one hell of a wild ride.”
Each of the train cars offered a different experience, from a fully stocked gear room that included a mini model of the All Conditions Express, to elaborate, custom-designed seating compartments, to a recovery unit featuring a log-burning fire and lounge seats equipped with binoculars that gave passengers a closer look at the outdoor scenery. There was also a café serving “All Conditions Espresso,” and offering branded “souvenirs,” like shirts, patches, postcards and bags.
Once athletes made it “into the wild” in the Alps, ACG provided expert-guided trail runs and hiking sessions that demonstrated the effectiveness of the brand’s apparel within the rugged terrain it was designed for. (Agency: In-house)
Image: Courtesy of All Conditions Gear
KAYALI’S POP-UP CAFÉ BREWS BEVERAGES AND BEAUTY SAMPLING
Between Galentine’s Day, Valentine’s Day and New York Fashion Week, Kayali’s charming mobile café, which popped up in Manhattan from Feb. 13-14, was in the right place at the right time. The fragrance brand parked its pink Airstream trailer near a Sephora location in SoHo, where apron-clad ambassadors served beverages inspired by its “gourmand fragrance universe.”
While in line for a beverage, consumers could select one of four top-selling Kayali fragrance samples to ultimately take home. Once they reached the café counter, visitors were treated to perfume sampling and education, a mini layering bar, photo ops and giveaways. Plus, those who received a beverage scored two extra samples for the road. Smells like an experience we wouldn’t mind bumping into. (Agency: Base Beauty)
Photo: Courtesy of Kayali
JACK IN THE BOX’S ANNIVERSARY TOUR IS A HOT MESS
Anything called “The Hot Mess Anniversary Tour” has our attention (and blessing). And that puts Jack in the Box on our radar.
As part of its 75th anniversary celebrations, the fast food brand resurrected its cult-favorite Hot Mess Burger—reportedly the most-requested Jack in the Box item on social media—and gave it a nostalgic “reunion tour” for good measure. The burger originally debuted in 2013 through an ’80s-rockstar-themed ad starring brand mascot Jack (a spot that was reprised for this year’s anniversary campaign).
So with the throwback spirit in mind, Jack in the Box is hosting one-day pop-ups this month in select cities that feature nostalgic touchpoints, exclusive brand swag and, naturally, samples of the Hot Mess Burger itself.
The tour hit Jack in the Box’s hometown of San Diego on Feb. 13, followed by a stop on Feb. 14 in L.A., where streetwear brand The Hundreds was on-site to help hype the first drop in the companies’ co-branded apparel line. The tour wraps in Austin on Feb. 21, Jack’s actual anniversary. Rock on. (Agency: Small Girls PR, p.r.)
Image: Courtesy of Jack in the Box
WASABI’S WONDER WALL INSTALLATION CELEBRATES LUNAR NEW YEAR
The world officially welcomed the Year of the Horse on Feb. 17, and as part of a broader supermarket campaign, Wasabi celebrated Lunar New Year with a stunt in London designed with the holiday’s traditions, such as gifting, in mind.
The activation at Camden Market was anchored by a towering installation of festive red envelopes dubbed the Wasabi Wonder Wall. Whether roaming around the installation or hidden inside it, UK influencer Max Balegde, who’s known for his random gifting, surprised passersby with their very own red envelopes. (Although, at times, a surprise red-gloved hand emerged from the Wonder Wall to assist Balegde.)
Each packet featured a fortune and a number that represented the recipient’s cash prize, and only featured the number eight (as in: £8 or £888), a digit that represents good fortune in many East Asian cultures. (Agencies: All Things; RCP; Unfinished)
