10 McDonald's serves up immersive McNuggets experience
McDonald's took their nuggets on tour this summer with a festival activation designed to take advantage of punters' dwell time, designed to look like a McNuggets ShareBox. Inside, consumers could take part in a 360-degree video opportunity that made it appear as if they were tumbling around inside the box trying to dunk their snacks in some dip.
9 Guinness opens a pub that seats only five people
A pub was specially designed by Guinness this Christmas to be just big enough for your nearest and dearest. Research found that 30% of Brits’ favourite festive activity is catching up with friends over a pint and five was deemed the perfect group size for meaningful conversation. The small boozer had a barman who poured the perfect pint of Guinness, topped off with some foam art.
8 Deliveroo dispenses bacon sarnies via an ATM
With no real cure for hangovers, Deliveroo decided some cured bacon might come close to doing the job. It installed a bacon sarnie cashpoint on London's Brushfield Street on "the most hungover day of the year", saving those who had indulged a little too much on those Christmas party drinks.
7 Benefit and Deliveroo dish out beauty experience
Benefit partnered Deliveroo to deliver make-up artists and cakes to beauty lovers' doorsteps. For the "Cake-away" experience, people ordered cupcakes to their home. The cakes then arrived with a senior Benefit make-up artist, who shade-matched consumers before handing over their Boi-ing Cakeless Concealer.
6 Ikea and Sonos unveil immersive theatre experience
"The sound affect" was a walk-through experience that revolved around sounds designed to have a "transformative effect" on perceptions of spaces. Ikea scientists escorted guests to a laboratory filled with Symfonisk speakers. The room was designed to activate the body and mind of participants by triggering all five senses so they could slip into a subconscious state.
5 Welcome to 2019: Raising the bar in brand experiences
At the start of the year, the experiences industry gave their opinion on what they felt it would take to cut through in 2019. It was thought that audiences would demand brands to deliver experiences that are more immersive, responsive, curated and connected. 5G was noted as a key advancement that would be used to enhance storytelling and help transport consumers to extraordinary new worlds.
4 M&C Saatchi launches live experience agency
M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment launched a global brand experience agency called M&C Saatchi Live in October. The shop is led by event directors Kate Miller and Hannah Courtney, with eight full-time staff, formed through internal moves across the M&C Saatchi group. The team plans to double its workforce in the next six months.
3 Netflix and Secret Cinema's Stranger Things production
This winter’s show was Secret Cinema’s first foray beyond the TV screen. The production, which runs until February 2020, is set in 1985, when the Hawkins High classes of 1978-1983 are returning for the mother of all Independence Day reunions led by Mayor Kline. Visitors are assigned a character from each of the year groups, with a distinct 1980s look, music taste and mission. An impressive list of brand partners including Stolichnaya, Raleigh, Instax, Glow and Coach enhanced the spirit of Hawkins.
2 Hendrick's creates scented tunnel
London King's Cross station was decorated with rose and cucumber scented posters, in keeping with the gin company’s quirky infusions. The campaign, which launched in August, featured the UK’s longest floor wrap and a decorated an entrance archway. The project wanted to turn the "mundane" environment of a train station walkway into a place to "escape the commuter chaos". The design contained 20,476 rose petals and was featured in ±±¾©Èü³µpk10’s top nine outdoor ads for 2019.
1 Hendrick's lets you step into a launderette
This activation, again from Hendrick's, took the top spot in the top 10 live experiences in 2019. Hendrick’s transported people to its gin world through a portal in a launderette. The "Portals to the peculiar" was a multisensory experience where people could sample Hendrick’s gin infused with rose and cucumber. Upon entering "Lesley’s Launderette", guests ventured through a washing machine into a room "above the clouds". They could interact with unusual characters that they may have spotted in Hendrick's outdoor ads.