Activation Ideas

August 10, 2015

During the 2014 U.S. Open, Nike created a full-size tennis court in downtown Manhattan and invited fans to sign up to play matches during the day and night.

Photo: Oliver Correa

California-based company the Ave created custom Converse sneakers for Advertising Week attendees in New York in fall 2014 using printing technology and Microsoft’s Surface tablets. The finished shoes were covered in a cityscape design and Microsoft logo.

Photo: Cornelia Stiles/BizBash

The PTTOW Summit, held in May at Southern California’s Terranea Resort, encouraged conference attendees to sit with one another and answer some of life's big questions. A spinning wheel positioned adjacent to a seating group offered a series of topics—like "hate," "doubt," and "purpose"—to break the ice and make the exercise more interesting. The coffee table positioned at the seating group offered a workbook that participants could open to find questions or activities to do together, and the event also offered "conversation cookies,” fortune cookies filled with more conversation topics. JOWY Productions was behind the event’s production.

Photo: Jason Kempin/Getty Images for PTTOW

Similarly, for the TED Conference's simulcast event, TEDActive, held in the Southern California desert last year, about 700 guests gathered for a picnic lunch. The conversation-facilitating twist was that picnic baskets were available not for individuals, but for groups of seven—so each person had to meet six new attendees with whom to eat and talk.

Photo: Marla Aufmuth

Go Local

The Paddy Wagon is a new Boston-area company that provides inflatable Irish pubs. The 30- by 30-foot blow-up bar has a façade resembling a traditional Irish pub with brick walls and a thatched roof; inside there are windows, tables, doors, and a full bar. The company can also provide Irish food, step dancers, and bartenders.

Photo: Courtesy of the Paddy Wagon

Low-Tech Activities: Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival

The Bootsy Bellows estate's party featured a colorful ball pit for adults, backed by the logo and slogan of sponsor McDonald's. The Narrative Group handled media, producing the party with support from ESE Lifestyle.

Photo: Rick Williams

'Wet Hot American Summer' Bus Tour

Netflix and experiential agency Magnetic launched a cross-country bus tour to promote the star-filled miniseries Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, which the streaming service released July 31. Decked out in the series logo with the hashtag #WHASBusTour, the bus came with costumed camp counselors who encouraged passersby to participate in camp games like tug-of-war. The activation also offered show-theme swag like trucker hats, canned veggies, and camp T-shirts, and provided photo ops with cut-outs of the show's characters. The tour launched in New York's Madison Square Park in July and made a stop at the show's world premiere at SVA Theatre. The bus also stopped at locations in Austin and Los Angeles.

Photo: Dave Alloca/Netflix

GoGo Squeez's 'Goodness Machine'

Health-focused on-the-go snack brand GoGo Squeez partnered with MKG for the activation tour of its customized vending machine, dubbed "The Goodness Machine." The structure, built by Square Design, was a giant version of the brand's signature applesauce packet. The tour, which kicked off in New York's Madison Square Park July 23, invited kids to #CatchTheGoGo by pushing a button, which activated a launching mechanism that shot out an applesauce packet attached to a parachute with the brand's label. The activation also incorporated a social media and video element, with a custom video recorder that recorded kids interacting with the machine. The videos were uploaded to the “Goodness Machine” website as 15-second GIFs.

Photo: Dorothy Hong

'Vikings' Longship Promotion

As an off-site promotion at this year's Comic-Con International in San Diego, which took place July 9 to 11, the History channel promoted its period drama Vikings by offering rides in a custom-branded longship. While on board, fans received drinking horns that gave them access to drink specials at select bars throughout the Gaslamp Quarter. The vehicle was also capable of driving on land, where it distributed the horns as well. Civic Entertainment Group produced the promotion.

Photo: Joe Scarnici/Getty Images