Experiential

For the fifth and final installment of the Icon 50 program, which celebrated the Mustang’s 50th anniversary, designer Jonathan Adler teamed up with Ford Motor Company to create a cultural road trip in July, complete with a detailed driving route. The design-centric course featured destinations spanning both coasts. 

Ford hosted a drive experience for media attendees that included an immersive experience throughout Shelter Island as well as lunch at Jonathan Adler’s Shelter Island home. 

All attendees got their own Mustangs for the weekend, along with an itinerary of Shelter Island hot spots, Adler's recommended design destinations, and his must-have road trip accessories, which he curated in honor of the car’s anniversary.

Buick launched its 24-Hour Happiness Test Drive at the Ace Museum in Los Angeles in July with a wellness-inspired program. Buick aligned with top well-being specialists—for instance a yoga instructor, masseur, and happiness expert—to curate tips on how to enhance the driving and passenger experience. The brand showcased these insights through in-car experiences and wellness routines at the event. JNProduction produced the event, and ideation and management came from communications and PR agency John Doe.

In 2013, Lincoln Motor Company hosted an 11-city Hello Again marketing tour centered on its new MKZ. The program included a series of experiences for drivers to see their home cities from behind the wheel of the cars. In each city, guests signed up online for a tour time, then checked in at a venue known as the Hello Again Hub. They could then choose a car to drive or be chauffeured for a tour, led by a brand rep in a front car who provided directions by way of walkie-talkies in each car. 

The brand partnered with local artists, influencers, and organizations in each city to serve as local stops. For instance, in Miami, guests watched a cigar-rolling demonstration at the Wynwood Cigar Factory, and the Washington stop included a drive through of an art gallery. Each Hello Again Hub also provided cultural programming.

In its first go as a sponsor of the Wimbledon tennis tournament earlier this summer, Jaguar rolled out its #FeelWimbledon campaign, which intended to give fans around the world a way to experience the event at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. The brand gave out biometric wristbands to about 20 people each day. The bands tracked the wearer’s motion, audio level, geolocation, and heart rate in response to the action on the courts, and iPhones served as beacons to transmit that data in real time. Jaguar used this data among other tools to create visualizations that it posted on its website, shared through social media, and displayed on billboards around London. It was a way to draw global attention to the vehicles and the elite culture surrounding them, without actually putting fans inside cars—though Jaguar also had 170 cars on display at the tennis stadium.

On festival grounds, the Samsung Galaxy Experience provided opportunities to participate in interactive experiences; attendees could also kick back on lounge furniture plied with Samsung-branded pillows. A display case with a see-through cutout of the number six showcased the brand's newest devices, including the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge phones. Bolthouse Productions produced Samsung's festival activations.

Guests who downloaded the Samsung Milk Music app received vouchers for complimentary items from "Chow Town," or Lollapalooza's version of a food court. The brand also employed a Samsung Galaxy Truck, which let Galaxy owners outside of the festival download the app; those who did would receive a voucher for a food truck stationed near Grant Park and could also win prizes including festival tickets.

At the bar in the lounge, guests could order frozen treats using the GS6 Edge device. The flavors were designed to represent different musical tastes. The "R&B" treat had a raspberry-rose flavor, for example, while "Rock" was honeydew-ginger.

The Toyota Music tent also had a stage, where Lollapalooza bands such as Of Monsters and Men performed at intimate shows.

Toyota recently teamed up with VH1 Save the Music to produce a new activation and social media campaign, which launched at Lollapalooza. The activation featured a life-size glowing willow tree. On the tree, festivalgoers hung messages about what music meant to them. One person wrote: "Music is peace," while another message read: "Music helps me sleep." Many messages bore the hashtag of the new campaign: #ToyotaGiving. For every social media post regarding the activation, Toyota donated $1 to VH1 Save the Music. 

In a House of Whatever area called "Local Heroes," street artists sketched guests. There was also a mural depicting superheroes, and guests could strike superhero-inspired poses, snap selfies, and submit their photos to the artists. The artists sketched some of the guests into the mural.

“We wanted to bring the signature elements of the Tough Mudder experience—teamwork, exhilarating obstacles, and a true challenge—to participants in urban locations, while at the same time creating a wholly unique experience that is a reflection of its environment,” said Ben Johnson, global communications director for Tough Mudder and Urban Mudder.

Urban Mudder’s set of 12 to 15 obstacles included challenges that required participants to leap and grab their teammates’ outstretched hands; scale the side of a brick wall, hurdle from rooftop platform to platform, and leap off onto a giant airbag below; and contort through a field of lasers without breaking the beam. But there was no mud, unlike most Tough Mudder events.

Heather Lilleston, co-founder of Yoga for Bad People, led a vinyasa class under the sun during the July 11 event in Montauk.

Each attendee scored a C9 by Champion sports bra.

EiR NYC, an organic body care line for men and women, provided a D.I.Y. after-sun oil station for guests to mix up their own blends.

Attendees took home a tote bag loaded with swag, including socks by C9, Kind bars, Captain Blankenship's sea salt spray, S.W. Basics moisturizer, Suntegrity sunscreen, Zarbee's supplements, and Hero Nutritionals' gummy vitamins.

On August 22, celebrity trainer and AKT in Motion founder Anna Kaiser will offer a dance cardio class on the Surf Lodge's waterfront main deck during the series’ last event of the summer.

In February, Reebok worked with Wellthily to organize an early morning yoga class with Reebok ambassador Tara Stiles, owner and founder of Strala Yoga, for Axis trade show attendees on the Refinery Hotel rooftop in New York. “When people leave happy and are in great spirits and feel good, that’s the measure of success,” Wellthily co-founder Suzie Baleson said.

"A successful event is one in which everyone gets an amazing workout and leaves with a smile on their face and feels stronger and more capable than they did when they arrived," said Kari Saitowitz, founder and owner of the Fhitting Room, a high-intensity training boutique fitness studio in New York, whose corporate clients include Twitter, Amazon Fashion, N.B.C., and the N.F.L. The studio also supports outdoor events like the Lolë and Fitist meetup at Hudson River Park and in-store events at retailers such as Lululemon, Bandier, Reebok, Athleta, and Jack Rabbit.

To help guests warm up—and break a sweat—popular fitness studio SoulCycle hosted a pop-up at Sky Lodge at the Sundance Film Festival in January. The activation had 30 bikes, along with classes led by top instructors.

To showcase its juicers, Bella Housewares hosted a smoothie bar at the pop-up.

Topman, the British fashion brand that has a store on Michigan Avenue, brought back its "Live Screen Printing" activation. Guests could customize T-shirts or tote bags with a variety of prints.

As in previous years—and as at other music festivals—guests waited in long lines to receive the custom tote bags and T-shirts.

Several brands used games to engage Pitchfork-goers. Coffee brand Café Bustelo, for example, had a prize wheel at its Café Bustelo Experience. Depending on the section the wheel landed on, guests could take home branded sunglasses, fanny packs, or other goods. The activation was produced by BMF Media Group.

Several brands created interactive photo opportunities. At one such activation, guests stuck their heads into a billboard advertising Lifeway Kefir. Nearby, the brand doled out free samples of its vanilla and green-tea-raspberry frozen Kefir bars.

Whole Foods' photo op let guests pose in bright frames that appeared to grow out of a garden box.

Who knew carpet samples could come in handy at a music festival? Chicago-based carpet company Flor handed out some 5,000 squares of carpet so that guests could make their own carpeted seating areas on the grass. When the weather turned stormy on Saturday, guests used the carpets to cover muddy spots on festival grounds. 

Outside at a mini market, guests could design their own parasols to take along to the festival on the hot, sunny day.

Never mind the skeptics who said Goldenvoice's Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival had overstepped when it made the move to two identical weekends last year. The event returned to the Southern California desert in April with blazing buzz. About 80,000 people a day came to the massive event, and brands followed. Heineken's sponsorship activation included cold storage for cases of festivalgoers' beer, which was tracked using a fingerprint scan and kept cold until guests were ready to imbibe. V Squared Labs also created the visuals for the brand's dome on the festival grounds.

Harper’s Bazaar brought the ShopBazaar pop-up boutique to the desert. Throughout the festival's first weekend, the event took over the Jonathan Adler–designed Parker Palm Springs hotel. Former Elle event chief Caitlin Weiskopf oversaw the event. "All purchases were made on ShopBazaar.com at the MacBooks or iPads in the pop-up, and guests could walk away with clothes to wear to the show that day," Weiskopf said.

Back for its fourth year at Coachella was Lacoste, which brought its Lacoste Live Desert Pool Party to a private estate near the festival grounds with production by Made With Elastic. The event included an activity/art installation that invited guests to shoot paint-covered tennis balls at a massive polo shirt called “Polo Gigante.” Beta Creative was behind the setup.

For right-on-trend festival looks, a flower crown station allowed guests to pick up garlands to wear on the spot—in exchange for a posting on social media.

For the fourth consecutive year, H&M was an official sponsor of the festival, but it expanded its presence this year from the festival's polo-field grounds to the 40-acre Merv Griffin Estate. More than 300 guests came for performances by Santigold, DJ Michelle Pesce, and others. Sleek signage in foliage and hedging served as chic, branded photo backdrops for celebrity arrivals.

Selected Instagram photos with the #Bonnaroo hashtag were displayed on the sides of the two main stages between sets. Instagrammers were also encouraged to submit their photos for the official fan documentary, True Roo: Fan Faces of Bonnaroo, by tagging #TrueRoo.

The planetarium, shaped like a character from an Adult Swim show, offered screenings of the channel's content as well as celestial graphics. Adult Swim also sponsored fireworks after headliner Jack Johnson's performance.

The Pageant of the Cosmos offered carnival games with an Adult Swim–inspired twist. For "Balloonicorn in Space," participants donned a unicorn hat and had to pop as many overhead balloons as they could.

UrbanDaddy and Mini Cooper partnered to launch "Mini Night Out," which debuted at Lollapalooza. Through the campaign, guests could reserve a ride in the new Mini Paceman on Friday and Saturday for a "nightlife adventure," which included stops at Lollapalooza parties around town. Media, local influencers, and festival bands such as Imagine Dragons (pictured) sampled the service, which left from the Hard Rock Hotel.

On Saturday of Lollapalooza weekend, Fiji Water and Gilt City hosted the Better-Than-Backstage Rooftop Pool Party. Treats included snow cones made with Fiji Water. The event's main feature is an intimate performance from a Lollapalooza act, and this year's event offered live music from MS MR.

The 2013 South by Southwest music, film, and technology festival wrapped March 17, with an estimated 150,000 people turning out for all or part of the 10-day event in Austin, Texas. Plastic housewares brand Glad and Keep America Beautiful partnered to provide 13 trash, compost, and recycling areas, diverting much of the festival's waste. Adding another layer to the activation, artist Jason Mercier created a mural of America made from SXSW trash, with digital prints of the artwork available for download.

USA Network used a new "video paint" technology to promote its original drama series Graceland. Attendees were invited to a pop-up location in downtown Austin's busy bar strip, where they could use a digital paint-brush roller to project Graceland images on the walls of buildings.

For those who wanted a permanent souvenir of SXSW, the Asos Music Lounge included an on-site tattoo artist for V.I.P. guests. The three-day music venue and restaurant was presented by the British fashion online retailer at the Cedar Door Bar & Grill.

At Samsung's Galaxy Experience, as well as in its Owner's Lounge, guests could interact with the new Samsung Gear VR. The virtual-reality device gave guests an up-close view of the performances on the Samsung Galaxy stage.

On festival grounds, Toyota hosted the Toyota Music tent. With a "psychedelic" theme, the activation was produced by the Anthemic Agency and Reach. One display vehicle was labeled the "Kaleidoscope Corolla." Guests could sit in the car, watch a short video, and then have their photos snapped. The resulting pictures had a kaleidoscopic look.

Bud Light brought its traveling House of Whatever activation to festival grounds. Produced by Mosaic, the activation had a prominently displayed hashtag—which served as a popular photo backdrop—at its entrance.

The activation was open only to guests aged 21 and above, and staffers checked IDs at the gate. Once inside, festivalgoers could purchase cocktails including "Beer-a-Ritas" in flavors such as strawberry and lime.

A live DJ spun in the "Rita Cabana," and guests could play a game that involved fitting a small ring, which was hanging from a string, onto a hook. The difficult game proved addicting for festivalgoers, who played it for several minutes at a time.

The House of Whatever area also contained a "Tattoos and 'Dos" booth decked with colored lights, folding screens, and patterned rugs. Inside, guests could get temporary tattoos.

The "Tattoos and 'Dos" booth also offered braiding, hair chalking, and other festival-inspired hairstyling services for men and women. All services were complimentary.

Yoga, meditation, scent, positive thinking, massage, and clean living were all components showcased at the event, meant to contribute to a happier overall experience for drivers and passengers. 

During the event, guests heard a panel discussion by Buick’s expert collaborators, as well as music from DJ duo the Misshapes.

In New York in 2011, Italian car company Fiat hosted an event to reintroduce its brand in America after nearly three decades. It hosted a pop-up gallery during the New York International Auto Show, and then, months later, the car maker organized a large consumer campaign that brought a fleet of cars to Times Square and used an enormous screen to create an urban drive-in movie experience. The concept for the activation was to combine traditional American concepts—drive-in theaters and Times Square—with traditional Italian components such as an outdoor café-style setup, with chairs and umbrellas, two coffee bars, and a boccie court.

Ray-Ban and Vice magazine teamed up on an another custom T-shirt activation—but guests could bypass the line by participating in a musical activity. Anyone who stepped into a live recording booth and sang along to Aloe Blacc's "I Need a Dollar" got a pass to step right up to the station.

The T-shirts all said "Speak the Truth," and guests could customize the statements that were printed below. One guest elected to have printed: "I still have stuffed animals," while another chose, "I am in the fast lane following my dreams."

Dark Horse Wine also had a prize wheel at its tent in the V.I.P. area. Guests could win prizes including an entire case of wine.

On the festival's main grounds, the wine brand also had a tent where guests could apply silvery, temporary tattoos featuring Dark Horse's logo.

Local beer company Goose Island made custom periscopes, set back from the main stages, that let guests peer at the festival crowds near the stages.

Whole Foods hosted a miniature market selling fruits and other snacks on festival grounds. There was also a station with complimentary amenities such as sunscreen, hair ties and bobby pins, and scented sprays with labels such as "Mosh Pit Mint." A sign near the station read: "Refresh yourself before you wreck yourself."

Off site but near festival grounds, Soho House Chicago teamed up with food website and mobile app the Infatuation to host an Ice Cream Social for festivalgoers on Friday. The event included a complimentary D.I.Y. sundae bar, where toppings inspired by the hotel's eateries included melon, basil, and bits of apple pie.

More than 80,000 music lovers gathered at the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival on a 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee, from June 13 to 17. In the spirit of garage rock, Ford erected a garage in the middle of the festival for its Fiesta Garage. Bands like Maps & Atlases and the Rubens performed while attendees lounged in mismatched armchairs. Also available were free customized T-shirts, iPads to browse the Internet, and a photo booth station.

This year's Pitchfork Music Festival drew some 50,000 guests to Chicago's Union Park July 19 to 21. As part of the Twinkie marketing campaign that it has dubbed the "sweetest comeback in the history of ever," Hostess brought in a bright red food truck that doled out the recently relaunched treats. By the truck, guests could pose with a plush "Twinkie the Kid" and play a game of bags on a board that read: "Feed Your Cakeface."

Playing off its "Off the Wall" tagline, Vans had a painter create portraits of festivalgoers. The paintings hung on a temporary wall on festival grounds and will be auctioned off at future Goose Island Brewery events. Proceeds will benefit the 606, a local park and trail system set to launch in the fall.

With the hashtag #PopChipsToTheRescue, PopChips sponsored a so-called "rescue hut." Supplied by Tuff Shed, the activation was stocked with items that festivalgoers often need, including cell phone chargers. There were also games, a relaxation area, and an oversize prop frame that guests could use for photos. After the festival, PopChips worked with Habitat for Humanity to donate the hut to the Chicago community.

ZipCar recently partnered with the Chicago Loop Alliance on a pop-up art activation called "Fueling Local Art." At the festival, guests could watch local artist George Berlin treat the car like a canvas; after the event, the vehicle was washed off and returned to the local fleet of ZipCar vehicles.

Lollapalooza brought 300,000 fans and 130 music acts to Grant Park in Chicago from August 2 to 4, and brands vied to get in front of the throngs of media, music fans, and tastemakers. At the "Samsung Galaxy Experience," Samsung offered henna tattoos on festival grounds. Guests could pick a design from photos displayed on the Galaxy S 4 and Galaxy Note 8.0. At another station, flower wreaths were available.