In addition to hosting an after-hours "Fight Night" party for badge-holders, collectibles company Funko teamed up with apparel and accessories company Loungefly for a Halloween-themed, registration-only shopping experience featuring exclusive collectibles and bags.Photo: Courtesy of Funko
NEW YORK—“I feel reinvigorated about events,” said Brien McDonald, the vice president of sponsorships for ReedPop, in a conversation with BizBash two days after his company finished producing this year's New York Comic Con (NYCC).
“When we walked the floor, we saw people who were really happy, who were in line to take part in an experience that made them excited about the brands," he continued. "And brands went full-force—it seems like everything was corked up over the last couple of years, and it was all back at full strength.”
The massive comic and pop culture convention took over New York's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center from Oct. 6-9. While official attendance numbers haven't yet been released, the show drew about 260,000 fans in 2019—and almost two-thirds of that in 2021 despite pandemic-related capacity and vaccine restrictions. And in addition to buzzy panels and booths from the industry's biggest creators, this year's show was once again a hot spot for creative brand activations.
In his role, McDonald works with a variety of brands to develop their Comic Con presence. He describes it as a truly collaborative process, where the brand and creative agencies typically bring an idea to the table, and his team guides them through the nitty-gritty details. "A lot of the time it’s an open conversation with my team about what’s going to work specifically for the New York Comic Con fan," he explained. "How are we going to make this exhibition or this party or even this panel really ring true for the NYCC crowd?”
While ReedPop—a division of RX, formerly known as Reed Exhibitions—produces pop culture and gaming events year-round, McDonald noted that New York Comic Con is one of the most popular places for brands to activate. “October is a popular launch time for comics, film, and TV series,” he pointed out. “And Halloween coming up makes it more fun too. It all culminates in a big moment for brands.”
The show's massive attendance numbers and even its home city are a draw for brands as well. “It's New York. At any given day, you can do anything you want," McDonald said. "If you're coming to New York Comic Con, you've got to really level up. Brands know that, and this year it really, really showed on the show floor.”
Here are some specific activation trends that McDonald thinks effectively broke through the noise this year...
1. Immersive Moments & Giveaways
Being able to bring fans into your brand's world is the real power of face-to-face brand activations, McDonald explained, particularly for entertainment brands. “If you've come to an event, you want to really be dropped inside a world."
Some of his favorites from this year included a Guardians of the Galaxy experience from Disney Parks, an immersive forest promoting Teen Wolf, and Prime Video's futuristic print shop promoting The Peripheral. “[At the Prime Video booth,] fans went through a 3D printing experience and came out with something that's authentic and one of a kind," he noted.
2. Interesting Facades
“This year I saw a bunch of really cool facades that were really inviting, that made you think ‘I gotta go there, I’ve never seen something like this before,'" added McDonald, noting that quickly catching fans' eyes on the busy show floor was key. “Sometimes a quote-un-quote ‘black box’ is important for what you want to do for the fan—but think what’s outside the black box that grabs them. Is the facade, the size, or something else really intriguing or a bit mysterious?"
3. Instagrammable Moments
Yes, photo ops are still important, said McDonald, who referred to them as "the endpoint of everything, really. [A great photo op] is expected and can be pretty easy to execute. You’re always looking for that big, social footprint that happens when everyone gathers."
4. Unexpected Programming
McDonald also appreciated the brands that showed up in unexpected ways, like food delivery service DoorDash. The brand created Dashville, a fictional city that popped up just outside the convention center. Here, fans were assigned to different comic book characters—called The Dashers—based on a series of challenges.
“DoorDash could have been there promoting like normal, but instead, they handcrafted these Dasher characters that had the look and feel of tried-and-true comic book superheroes," McDonald said. "It was a super cool example of just not promotion, but creating an experience."
5. Pre-Event Awareness
For official brand partners, McDonald stressed the importance of pre-event promotion for their experiences. “We have a lot of ways that we can let fans know what's going on, through the mobile app or through our emails or social," he explained. The goal is to let fans map out their plans long before they arrive at the convention center. If brands are counting on them just wandering and finding their activations, “they're gonna miss out," he said. "We try to work with brands to get the word out in advance, to catch the spotlight before fans even walk in the door.”
6. Convenient Locations
In previous years, brands have popped up throughout the city—but this year, due to a recent Javits Center expansion, the majority of official brand activations were able to take place inside the center’s new, five-level north building. “That's where we do the majority of our panel programming, including our Empire Stage that has all the biggest celebrity panels, and the Pavilion, a party space that hosted events from Funko and Showtime," said McDonald. "Fans were able to visit more with everything so close by."
“Brand activations at large-scale events are back,” he summed up. Want some proof? Scroll down for a look at some more of the coolest booths and activations we spotted at this year’s New York Comic Con.
