Remember the simple joy of inserting a quarter into a gumball machine and claiming your prize? With the increased popularity of nostalgia at events, it's no surprise that brands have been leaning into gumball machines for years as a way to increase fan engagement and social sharing, as well as to distribute swag.
In 2018, for example, Google made a splash at CES with its voice-activated, 20-foot-tall gumball machines, which were strategically placed throughout Las Vegas. Consumers could interact with the machine by asking a question, which triggered the release of a giant gumball featuring Google-branded prizes and gift cards. Adidas adopted a similar idea at ComplexCon that same year, placing nine branded gumball machines throughout the convention center.
Another fun idea? In 2012, Baked by Melissa introduced a six-foot-tall gumball machine that dispensed the company’s signature bite-size cupcakes. Yum.
The gumball-inspired trend shows no sign of slowing down, with newer activations from YouTube, Pandora, BÉIS, AT&T, and more popping up in the last couple of years. Scroll down for a look at 14 of our favorite uses of gumball machines at events.
In fall 2023, to celebrate its lab-grown diamond collection, Pandora tapped creative agency CNC (formerly known as Coffee 'n Clothes) to create an engaging, gamified store experience at the brand’s Herald Square and SoHo store locations in New York. Designed to both promote the collection and educate consumers on the value of purchasing a Pandora lab-grown diamond—all of which are grown, cut, and polished using only renewable energy—the event brought guests on an educational journey through Pandora diamond stations. When guests visited the various areas, they earned a stamp in a custom “Pandora passport." After stamps were received at each stop, guests were given a token to use in a giant pink gumball machine, which delivered Pandora products. Attendees were also gifted a cotton candy treat to end the experience.
Photo: Courtesy of CNC
YouTube offered two activations for consumers outside the convention center at VidCon in 2022, both produced by MAS. One was a playful take on a drive-thru experience for YouTube Shorts, where guests stepped onto an amusement-style ride via tricked-out golf carts that took them on a journey to learn about YouTube Shorts, shoot a short in real time, and beat the heat with a refreshing iced slushie.
But the second activation was the real showstopper: a 40-foot-tall gumball machine to promote popular YouTuber MrBeast and his Feastables products of snacks. Fans were able to insert a larger-than-life gold coin, crank the machine up, and watch as a huge, bright yellow gumball rolled down the chute.
But the second activation was the real showstopper: a 40-foot-tall gumball machine to promote popular YouTuber MrBeast and his Feastables products of snacks. Fans were able to insert a larger-than-life gold coin, crank the machine up, and watch as a huge, bright yellow gumball rolled down the chute.
Photo: Courtesy of MAS
Guests then cracked open their gumballs to receive prizes. And in a surprise-and-delight moment, as part of his Wheel of Wins campaign, MrBeast himself also made a guest appearance and presented one winner with a Tesla. See more: VidCon 2022: 35 Clever Ideas for Trade Show Booths and Brand Activations From the Convention's Big Return
Photo: Courtesy of MAS
Travel gear and accessories brand BÉIS launched in 2018 with the idea that every traveler can jet-set in style without breaking the bank. So for its first experiential activation—which popped up in Los Angeles in 2022—a motel theme felt like an appropriate fit. The BÉIS-branded brick-and-mortar space, which was created in partnership with creative agency MKG, was a 270-square-foot pop-up decked out in all things BÉIS. A fun, on-theme touch? A gumball machine filled with white and black gumballs, where guests could spin to win. If they received a black gumball, they could choose a small product of their liking to take home. See more: Vacay State of Mind: Shay Mitchell's BÉIS Hosts Motel Pop-Up in LA
Photo: Marissa Joy Photography
To celebrate the launch of Bumble's first major Canada-only campaign in 2019, the brand held a Valentine's Day event in Toronto that invited users to mingle and play branded icebreaker games. The event featured yellow candy machines that dispensed conversation starters, which suggested first-move lines to attendees if they needed help starting a conversation with another attendee. See more: Seeing Yellow: See Inside Bumble's Activity-Filled IRL Event in Toronto
Photo: Sarjoun Faour
AT&T, in partnership with the NBA, enlisted actress Issa Rae to show appreciation for its customers ahead of the NBA Playoffs in April 2023. The pop-up—a 20-foot gumball-inspired experience at The Grove in Los Angeles—gave AT&T customers the chance to win tickets to the NBA conference finals along with other prizes, including signed NBA player basketballs, Google Pixel devices, and more. (Winners of the AT&T 5G-branded basketballs won a whopping $5,000.) AT&T customers scanned a QR code from their phones, releasing a color-coded basketball that correlated with a certain prize category.
Photo: Getty Images
The Amex Gold Card Pop-Up Diner came to Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Brooklyn in 2021. The traveling outdoor restaurant experience brought together chefs from top Resy restaurants, all of whom put their own spins on classic diner dishes. American Express Gold Card Members—either diner guests or even passersby—could play The Goldball Machine, a six-foot, five-inch-tall gumball machine filled with gold balls.
Photo: Jaclyn Rivas
Inside each ball was a ticket denoting a prize, ranging from diner merchandise to the grand prize available in each city: a $1,000 Delta gift card. Additional prizes in each city included an $800 Hilton gift card, a $500 Emily & Ashley Jewelry gift card, a $300 American Express gift card, and more.
Photo: Sam Waxman
At 2016’s Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago, sparkling water brand Perrier’s eye-catching activation featured the "Perrier bubble ball,” which dispensed prizes including fisheye camera-lens clips, flash tattoos, earplugs, and earbud headphones. It took the form of a green-and-white-striped hot air balloon; other whimsical touches at the activation included a bubble machine that sent hundreds of bubbles floating into the air. See more: Pitchfork Music Festival: 15 Ideas for Throwback-Style Brand Activations
Photo: Barry Brecheisen for BizBash
At New York Fashion Week in 2019, Maybelline launched a new limited-edition makeup collection with NYFW artist-in-residence Ashley Longshore. At Spring Studios, the beauty brand designed a build-out, complete with a giant gumball machine that dispensed the new products. See more: 19 Sponsor Highlights From New York Fashion Week
Photo: Anna Webber/Getty Images for IMG
Sometimes, a standard, old-school gumball machine can infuse some color and playfulness into an event—like this fundraiser for the nonprofit It’s A Thing, which raises awareness for head and neck cancer. The nonprofit teamed up with graffiti artist Mr. Brainwash to drive awareness via a 10,000-square-foot experience in New York in 2018, which featured a gallery of original pieces of art that celebrated body functions that are made possible by the head and neck. There was also an interactive, Instagram-friendly exhibit and retail space that included a branded gumball machine surrounded by colorful, oversize beach balls. See more: How Do You Raise Awareness For a Cancer No One Has Heard Of?
Photo: Vikram Valluri/BFA.com
The U.S. launch event for watch brand Q&Q, held in New York in 2014, encouraged social sharing in a unique way: Guests who posed for pictures in the photo booth—against a backdrop of oversize images of the watches—received a custom coin to insert into a gumball machine that dispensed watches. See more: See How a Product Launch Boosted a Brand's Social Presence
Photo: Kent Miller Studios
At the 2018 edition of Refinery29’s 29Rooms, shoe brand Aldo hosted the “Aldo Artcade.” Visitors could play video games, shoot hoops, and admire shoes held in display cases. There were also transparent gumball machines that held fortunes. See more: See What You Missed at Refinery29’s 29Rooms
Photo: Taylor McIntyre/BizBash
Playing off the idea that food is fuel, Daily Harvest—a direct-to-consumer brand that delivers organic, plant-based meals on a subscription basis—pumped out smoothies and other goodies at its retro-style gas station, which popped up in New York in 2018. The Refueling Station by Daily Harvest pop-up was produced by The Gathery; it allowed visitors to sample smoothies from “gas pumps,” take a ride on a giant avocado slice, and stop by an ATM that distributed cookies. Visitors could also score swag from a custom gumball machine. See more: Why This Brand Served Smoothies From a Gas Pump
Photo: Vladimir Weinstein/BFA
