5 Memorable Advertising Activations
Advertising has taken a decidedly experiential turn, as the brains behind the campaigns continue to push the boundaries of creativity to cement emotional bonds between brands and consumers.
Advertising has taken a decidedly experiential turn, as the brains behind the campaigns continue to push the boundaries of creativity to cement emotional bonds between brands and consumers.
Below we take a look at five innovative advertising activations that we believe push creative boundaries and help each respective brand better connect with their customers.
Beautyrest’s “Sleep” Activation
At SXSW this year, Beautyrest recruited 150 festival attendees to sleep on twin beds arranged on a concert stage while listening to composer Max Richter’s eight-hour lullaby, “Sleep.” The video, below, gives you a peek inside the activation:
“This was successful in terms of creating an event that not only stood out in a brand-relevant way, but also went beyond being a one-and-done event via all of the positive earned media from social sharing on Instagram and Snapchat during the experience,” said Michelle Montgomery, VP of marketing communications for Beautyrest at Serta Simmons Bedding.
Intel’s Olympic Drone Lightshow
Few will ever forget the Pyeong Chang 2018 Olympics opening ceremony, when Intel’s drone lightshow was broadcasted to 28.3 million viewers around the world. Talk about building brand awareness: The high-tech company flew 1,200 drones simultaneously, breaking its own world record. The drones were programmed to take the shape of a snowboarder, a dove, and then the Olympic rings. Mesmerizing barely skims the surface:
Sephora Tent At Coachella
As the official beauty sponsor of Coachella this year, Sephora placed a tent right in the middle of all the festival action. The air-conditioned, Wi-Fi-enabled tent contained various stations to get attendees festival-ready. Some of the services offered inside: holographic makeup application, a braid bar, a DIY temporary hair dye station, and a sparkly space ball hair-styling station. Fans loved it. Who doesn’t love freebies?
Spotify Honors David Bowie
Spotify paid tribute to English singer, song writer, and actor David Bowie earlier this year with a huge takeover of New York City’s Broadway-Lafayette subway station, which is in the neighborhood that Bowie lived in for more than 20 years. There was a big Bowie portrait on the staircase, as well as artwork featuring his quotes about his love for Manhattan and custom metro cards with images of him during different stages of his career. The tieback to Spotify was especially cool: Each piece of artwork had a unique Spotify code linking to Bowie’s music, which made this activation more impactful.
Adobe Fantastic Voyage
In 2020, with turbulent times across the world, our ad about the importance of creativity takes on even greater meaning. The Fantastic Voyage ad uses the timeless rock music of the Rolling Stones and amazing graphics to show us that anyone can use Photoshop to create. And we can make beautiful things come to life in our everyday lives.