Five Things to Know This Week
This week’s hot takes on hot topics in experiential marketing cover the Pit Stain Pit Stop tour, a multisensory OGXperience and the new tour vehicle on the block, the Wedgemobile.
HBO Max Casts a Spell on Superfans with a ‘Back to Hogwarts’ Activation
Potterheads around the globe gather every Sept. 1 for Back to Hogwarts Day festivities, most notably at London’s King’s Cross station.
But this year, as fans mark the 25th anniversary of the first film’s release, and HBO touts “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone,” its upcoming original series based on the first novel, the celebration was moved over to Old Billingsgate. There, the brand’s “Back to Hogwarts: The HBO Max Platform 9¾ Fan Experience” teased the adaptation and dropped fans into the franchise’s magical universe.
With attendees organized into time slots, each group first gathered around a clocktower installation surrounded by Hogwarts acceptance letters. At precisely “11 a.m.” by the clock’s count (when the Hogwarts Express departs for school, of course) the letters were released into the air for fans to snatch and open up. At the same time, fog effects blasted around them in a nod to the steam engine train.
Inside the venue, fans interacted with a digital Sorting Hat experience, explored Hogwarts House-themed vignettes and installations, posed for curated content moments, jumped aboard a replica of the Hogwarts Express and engaged in activations delivered by HBO partners, like Lego.
We would’ve coughed up a whole lot of Galleons to attend this one. (Agency: NVE Experience Agency)
Video credit: HBO
This Wedge-Shaped Tour Vehicle is Totally a Laughing Matter
Pull over, Wienermobile and NUTmobile. There’s a new kid wheeling into town: The Laughing Cow’s Wedgemobile, a triangular vehicle that precisely replicates the brand’s signature cheese wedges, right down to the foil wrapper.
Indeed, The Laughing Cow and its traveling billboard stopped at festivals, events and retail locations in Minneapolis, MN, and Bentonville, AR, in August, followed by two stops in Nashville from Sept. 4-5, to give consumers a taste of its spreadable cheese products’ versatility.
Consumers could sample cheese wedges and snacks infused with the product to showcase unexpected ways to incorporate it into daily snacks and recipes, spin a prize wheel and stick around for surprise-and-delight moments, like appearances from the brand’s cow mascot. (Agency: Havas Chicago)
‘Hope You Still Like Green:’ Oatly Goes Monochromatic in Europe
Oatly is quite the unserious brand (in the best way possible), so it was right on-cue when the company activated a “Monochrome by Oatly pop-up” from Aug. 25-29 in Berlin, Germany, that was somewhere between a sampling event, gift shop and bizarre art gallery. (The adventure continues in London, where the activation is being replicated from Sept. 3-13 in partnership with Goodhood.)
After Oatly decided on a monochromatic design scheme, there was clearly no straying from that vision. From the walls and flooring, to vignettes, signage, merch, beverages (like Jasmine Matcha, Earl Grey Matcha and Lemongrass Matcha soda) and photo ops, green was the only color for as far as the eye could see.
That’s not all. Green socks, churro candlestick holders, toothbrushes and a vintage car with a trunk full of samples were all available for purchase, while matcha-infused bites, a green candy station, a photo op with Oatly Matcha Latte cartons, and matcha-themed swag were also part of the mix.
Meanwhile, the pop-up in London is offering a conveyor belt serving up drinks, and the Colour Matching Matcha Bar, an appointment-only touchpoint during which a color analyst recommends a personalized shade of green, and a barista matches the color in a custom drink. Color us intrigued. (Agencies: Cee Cee Creative, Berlin pop-up; Positive Experiences, London pop-up)
At The OGXperience, Beauty Fans Untangle a 4D Haircare Journey
If a beauty brand has any shot at earning consumers’ attention in a wildly overcrowded category, there needs to be a value exchange. And from Aug. 26-27, OGX delivered with The OGXperience, a multisensory pop-up that attracted nearly 3,500 people to New York’s Rockefeller Center.
Since the effects of haircare regimens are typically “invisible,” OGX hosted the trippy, six-part journey to highlight what actually happens as its repair-focused products work their magic. (Coincidentally, Olay hosted a repair-themed fitness event one day beforehand to position its new skincare collection as “strength training for your moisture barrier.”)
Things kicked off in a scented tunnel, as attendees were tasked with identifying the smell of OGX’s Argan Oil of Morocco from the lineup. And over at a scent-and-memory station, where brainwave tech was utilized to show how fragrance is linked to mood and memory, visitors selected an aroma that spoke to them.
The tour then led to a space featuring a reflective floor and overhead projections that were designed to transport attendees to outer space (according to OGX, it was the most popular touchpoint, hands down). And then it was over to a shareable 360-degree photo op.
Next, participants were enveloped in an ASMR-inspired soundscape featuring the familiar noises of hair spritzing, rinsing and the opening and closing of products. And finally, the brand’s dual-action repair technology was on display in the form of an art installation.
Before heading home, attendees headed to the gift bar and chose one of three bundles to take with them. We’d call that a good hair day. (Agency: Havas Red)
Pit Stains Prevail Along Vita Coco’s Summer Sampling Tour
On sweltering days, most people aren’t pondering the chemical makeup of their blood. But that’s exactly what Vita Coco wanted consumers to do while battling the heat over the summer.
Since sweating is a sign that the body is losing electrolytes, and Vita Coco’s beverages reportedly have 3.5-times more electrolytes than the leading sports drink, the brand decided it was time for some hydration education, and launched the Pit Stain Pit Stop tour. And to ensure its message was a memorable one, Vita anchored the experience in a 10-foot-tall t-shirt installation featuring sweaty armpits.
The tour kicked off in July in NYC, where more than 2,000 Vita Coco samples were distributed in the first two hours of the event, which featured an appearance by New York Knicks star Josh Hart. The experience then made its way to Chicago (Aug. 1); Miami (Aug. 8); Denver (Aug. 15) and L.A. (Aug. 22).
The highlight at each stop was, of course, the head-turning installation. Attendees could stand next to the “armpits” to get cooled off with a refreshing mist, and learn how sweating is equivalent to losing electrolytes. They also had a chance to capture content, grab a free Coconut Water and catch character appearances.
Next summer, we vote for a sweaty collab between Vita Coco and Dove Whole Body Deo. (Agency: Gradient)
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