A pair of coast-to-coast activations in partnership with Paramount Pictures brought the zaniness and eccentricity of Zoolander 2 straight to the consumer. Timed to the February 12 release of the film, pop-ups from Kiehl's in New York and Samsung in Los Angeles each found a unique way to celebrate different aspects of the movie as well as their own products.
From February 9 through 13, beauty and grooming brand Kiehl’s opened a Derek Zoolander Center for People Who Don’t Age Good, a “state-of-the-art, anti-aging center” in the meatpacking district. Kiehl’s used the opportunity to introduce two limited-edition box anti-aging kits. Inside, the public was invited to experience the center’s patented 6.5 Step "youthification" program. Among the more outrageous features was a special room that promised the rejuvenation of one’s lungs by breathing air from Mount Everest through oxygen masks.
In Los Angeles, Samsung sought to showcase its technological prowess with a modeling-theme experience at shopping center the Grove. At the Zoolander School of Modeling, consumers were invited to show the world “how ridiculously good looking they are” by using the electronics maker’s technology, including the Galaxy S6, which featured Zoolander 2-theme content. Among the dedicated model training stations were the Blue Steel Selfie, Model Walk-Off, and Model Graduation, each playing off gags and concepts from the movie.
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To commemorate its partnership with Zoolander 2, Kiehl's debuted a five-day pop-up in the meatpacking district from February 9 through 13 appropriately titled the Derek Zoolander Center for People Who Don't Age Good and accompanied by the zany hashtag #DZCFPWDAG. Open to the public, the activation aimed to introduce consumers to the Kiehl's assortment of anti-aging products.
Produced by MKG in collaboration with Night Agency and public relations firm Sunshine Sachs, the invitation-only ribbon-cutting featured a small army of male models dressed as various iterations of Derek Zoolander. At once cheeky and irreverent, the kooky presentation required the temporary closing of the right-hand turning lane on Eighth Avenue at 14th Street to accommodate guests and photographers.
Inside the venue, a space once home to the Nickel Spa, male models vamped for Instagram-worthy moments, doing their best imitation of the Blue Steel look from the movie—or, in this case, their very best "Blue Kiehl."
Available for immediate purchase at the pop-up, as well as at Kiehl's stores and online, were two special limited-edition anti-aging collections: the Ridiculously Youthful and the Blue Kiehl. Each featured special box packaging featuring Derek Zoolander, as played by Ben Stiller.
As part of a playful 6.5 Step program, guests were welcomed to the center by a pair of male models and asked to step on the aging scale to determine if they are one of the 100 percent of human beings suffering from this terrible condition.
Inside the decontamination chamber, male models in hazmat suits were stationed behind a protective acrylic wall with only their arms reaching through to give guests the choice of anti-aging decontamination: a topical ointment or spray.
Step 3 (pictured, far right) included ScentsAbility, where guests were taken through aromatherapy training to distinguish between young and old scents (i.e. Coachella and meatloaf, respectively). Step 3.5 (pictured, center) featured P.T.N.R., or Pants to Nipple Ratio.
Male model runway experts coached guests for their big turn down the designer finger catwalk. Security by Marty Barnes ensured there were no catfights while rationed bite-size foods from Yum Yum were served in jest.
Debuting nearly simultaneously in Los Angeles was a Samsung activation in partnership with Zoolander 2 that ran February 11 through 15. Consumers were invited to participate in an immersive modeling-theme experience produced by PMK-BNC at the Grove shopping center and dubbed the Zoolander School of Modeling. As part of the model walk-off, fans could strut down a catwalk positioned next to Samsung SUHD TVs.
Each activation involved Samsung technology. At one station, aspiring models learned to perfect their signature model look, inspired by Derek Zoolander's Blue Steel and Magnum.
In Samsung's "Elite Model Lingo" section guests were taught model talk using a dubbing recorded booth powered by Samsung devices. All guests who complete the interactive courses were deemed “Ridiculously Good Looking” enough to graduate and receive a graduation gift from the Zoolander School of Modeling.
