FIVE THINGS TO KNOW THIS WEEK
This week’s hot takes on hot topics in experiential marketing cover charitable hair flips, a cross-country scavenger hunt and “Death to Midlife.”
BEAUTY FANS FLIP THEIR HAIR FOR GLAMBOT SHOTS—AND CHARITY
If you watch a lot of red-carpet events, you’re probably familiar with GlamBOT director and celebrity whisperer Cole Walliser, who on Feb. 19 teamed up with K18 to give consumers their own time in the spotlight at an activation in NYC that aimed to break a Guinness World Record.
In support of longtime nonprofit partner HairToStay, the haircare brand took its viral Hair Flip Challenge to Grand Central Terminal, where it aimed to break the record for most hair-flip moments posted on TikTok and Instagram within 24 hours.
Beauty fans, creators and commuters were invited to stop by to get freshened up at glam stations, and pose for their GlamBOT shots, with Walliser and his red-carpet team there to direct and capture their “best hair moment.” Nearby, a roving K18 mascot and oversized hair mask bottle installation helped attract curious consumers.
In the end, K18 didn’t break any world records, but it did accomplish something far more important. For each hair-flip video posted, the brand contributed $20, ultimately donating $100,000 to HairToStay, which provides low-income cancer patients access to treatments that reduce hair loss caused by chemotherapy.
To boot, #HairFlipK18 generated 1.9 million social impressions, while 5,000 K18 hair masks were sampled on-site. That’s how you do hair and care.
Photo: Courtesy of K18
CORONA AND ITS ‘SUN TAGS’ HELP WORKERS RECLAIM THEIR LUNCH BREAKS
As Corona Cero makes a major push for global expansion, the non-alcoholic beer brand is reinforcing its relaxation-focused philosophy with a “Sun Tags” campaign. The new effort is aimed at helping city workers take back their lunch breaks and get some R&R by soaking up the sun, despite the looming buildings that block it.
Across four locations in Argentina, with subsequent launches planned for Japan and South Africa later this month, Corona has turned overlooked public spaces into sunny sanctuaries featuring branded, custom-built tables and resting apparatuses (Sun Tags) that can easily be adjoined to existing city structures, like public railings, staircases and lamp posts.
To help people find their whereabouts, Corona unveiled a microsite that maps out where the sun hits between 12 and 2 p.m., and shows the exact locations of its corresponding Sun Tags. Those who encounter one of the installations can scan its QR code and register to redeem a free Corona Cero at a nearby point of sale, bringing the refreshing lunch break concept full circle.
Photo: Courtesy of Corona Cero
WITH A PUBLIC FUNERAL, HONE HEALTH DECLARES ‘DEATH TO MIDLIFE’
As anyone who’s made it through middle school knows, words can be harmful. In that spirit, Hone Health has declared “Death to Midlife,” and any other outdated terms related to aging. RIP, “Past your prime.”
To drive the new campaign messaging home on Feb. 26, the telehealth brand, which provides services that support hormone health and longevity, hosted a funeral for “midlife” at New York’s Grand Central Terminal. The stunt follows Hone Health’s recent full-page ad in the Sunday edition of The New York Times calling for the symbolic death of the word “midlife.”
The activation encompassed an open casket that featured accents of Hone’s signature yellow hue; a “Bury a Word” station that invited consumers to toss away the age labels they want to see eradicated from the vernacular, like “senior moment”; stand-up comedy routines; a free juice “Shot of Life” that represented vitality; and branded educational touchpoints showcasing how hormones, stressors and metabolism shape the way people age.
The highlight, however, was a eulogy delivered by comedian Whitney Cummings, who did less mourning of passé language, and more roasting of “midlife” and its cohorts.
We’re not sorry for this loss.
Image credit: Hone Health
A NATIONWIDE SCAVENGER HUNT CELEBRATES THE 50th SEASON OF ‘SURVIVOR’
Across its multidecade history, CBS’s “Survivor” has garnered fans from all walks of life, and to mark the show’s milestone 50th season, the network on Jan. 30 launched the Survivor 50 Challenge, a coast-to-coast scavenger hunt that gave members of its widespread audience a chance to uncover “treasure” in their home state.
CBS placed a hidden immunity idol (an amulet from the show that can protect contestants from elimination) in a secret spot in all 50 states, and teased the locations via cryptic riddles and other mysterious puzzles and clues that had to be unraveled. As CBS News Colorado reported, residents discovered that their immunity idol was stowed in Castle Rock by solving a riddle that read:
“Not Manitou, but Just as Steep,
Where Wooden Steps in Silence Creep,
Beneath a Butte, a Castle’s Base,
This Hill Will Test Your Heart and Pace.”
As the challenge unfolded, other immunity idols were revealed to be located in places like a cave in Kentucky, a resort in Idaho, a hotel in New York and a park and preservation area in Arizona—and hundreds of people showed up in the locales for a shot at victory. Photo moments and appearances from past “Survivor” winners were also part of the activation in each state.
The contest wrapped just before the debut of “Survivor’s” 50th season on Feb. 25. And for the grand prize, a winner and their guest will be flown to L.A. on May 20 with all expenses paid to view the live season finale of the show. Everyone else will have to watch from their couches. The tribe has spoken.
Photo credits: CBS; Tamarack Resort
LACTAID STIRS UP THE TASTE BUDS CAFÉ IN MANHATTAN
Who says lactose drinkers get to have all of the café fun? With a new line of lactose-free creamers to promote, Lactaid on Feb. 12 hosted the Taste Buds Café experience in NYC to offer consumers a sip of its latest product innovation. Because if you want to earn New Yorkers’ attention, you might as well start with a free cup of caffeine.
The pop-up spanned hands-on tastings, cold-brew flights featuring drinks with foam art; a claw machine game; a charm bar; curated photo moments, including with an oversized creamer bottle; and an appearance by comedian and brand partner Hannah Berner. Bottoms up. (Agency: Dera Lee Productions)
