This week’s hot takes on hot topics in experiential marketing cover charitable hair flips, a cross-country scavenger hunt and “Death to Midlife.”

BEAUTY FANS FLIP THEIR HAIR FOR GLAMBOT SHOTS—AND CHARITY

If you watch a lot of red-carpet events, you’re probably familiar with GlamBOT director and celebrity whisperer Cole Walliser, who on Feb. 19 teamed up with K18 to give consumers their own time in the spotlight at an activation in NYC that aimed to break a Guinness World Record.

In support of longtime nonprofit partner HairToStay, the haircare brand took its viral Hair Flip Challenge to Grand Central Terminal, where it aimed to break the record for most hair-flip moments posted on TikTok and Instagram within 24 hours.

Beauty fans, creators and commuters were invited to stop by to get freshened up at glam stations, and pose for their GlamBOT shots, with Walliser and his red-carpet team there to direct and capture their “best hair moment.” Nearby, a roving K18 mascot and oversized hair mask bottle installation helped attract curious consumers.

In the end, K18 didn’t break any world records, but it did accomplish something far more important. For each hair-flip video posted, the brand contributed $20, ultimately donating $100,000 to HairToStay, which provides low-income cancer patients access to treatments that reduce hair loss caused by chemotherapy.

To boot, #HairFlipK18 generated 1.9 million social impressions, while 5,000 K18 hair masks were sampled on-site. That’s how you do hair and care.

Photo: Courtesy of K18

CORONA AND ITS ‘SUN TAGS’ HELP WORKERS RECLAIM THEIR LUNCH BREAKS

As Corona Cero makes a major push for global expansion, the non-alcoholic beer brand is reinforcing its relaxation-focused philosophy with a “Sun Tags” campaign. The new effort is aimed at helping city workers take back their lunch breaks and get some R&R by soaking up the sun, despite the looming buildings that block it.

Across four locations in Argentina, with subsequent launches planned for Japan and South Africa later this month, Corona has turned overlooked public spaces into sunny sanctuaries featuring branded, custom-built tables and resting apparatuses (Sun Tags) that can easily be adjoined to existing city structures, like public railings, staircases and lamp posts.

To help people find their whereabouts, Corona unveiled a microsite that maps out where the sun hits between 12 and 2 p.m., and shows the exact locations of its corresponding Sun Tags. Those who encounter one of the installations can scan its QR code and register to redeem a free Corona Cero at a nearby point of sale, bringing the refreshing lunch break concept full circle.

Photo: Courtesy of Corona Cero

WITH A PUBLIC FUNERAL, HONE HEALTH DECLARES ‘DEATH TO MIDLIFE’

As anyone who’s made it through middle school knows, words can be harmful. In that spirit, Hone Health has declared “Death to Midlife,” and any other outdated terms related to aging. RIP, “Past your prime.”

To drive the new campaign messaging home on Feb. 26, the telehealth brand, which provides services that support hormone health and longevity, hosted a funeral for “midlife” at New York’s Grand Central Terminal. The stunt follows Hone Health’s recent full-page ad in the Sunday edition of The New York Times calling for the symbolic death of the word “midlife.”

The activation encompassed an open casket that featured accents of Hone’s signature yellow hue; a “Bury a Word” station that invited consumers to toss away the age labels they want to see eradicated from the vernacular, like “senior moment”; stand-up comedy routines; a free juice “Shot of Life” that represented vitality; and branded educational touchpoints showcasing how hormones, stressors and metabolism shape the way people age.

The highlight, however, was a eulogy delivered by comedian Whitney Cummings, who did less mourning of passé language, and more roasting of “midlife” and its cohorts.

We’re not sorry for this loss.

Image credit: Hone Health

A NATIONWIDE SCAVENGER HUNT CELEBRATES THE 50^th SEASON OF ‘SURVIVOR’

Across its multidecade history, CBS’s “Survivor” has garnered fans from all walks of life, and to mark the show’s milestone 50^th season, the network on Jan. 30 launched the Survivor 50 Challenge, a coast-to-coast scavenger hunt that gave members of its widespread audience a chance to uncover “treasure” in their home state.

CBS placed a hidden immunity idol (an amulet from the show that can protect contestants from elimination) in a secret spot in all 50 states, and teased the locations via cryptic riddles and other mysterious puzzles and clues that had to be unraveled. As CBS News Colorado reported, residents discovered that their immunity idol was stowed in Castle Rock by solving a riddle that read:

“Not Manitou, but Just as Steep,
Where Wooden Steps in Silence Creep,
Beneath a Butte, a Castle’s Base,
This Hill Will Test Your Heart and Pace.”

As the challenge unfolded, other immunity idols were revealed to be located in places like a cave in Kentucky, a resort in Idaho, a hotel in New York and a park and preservation area in Arizona—and hundreds of people showed up in the locales for a shot at victory. Photo moments and appearances from past “Survivor” winners were also part of the activation in each state.

The contest wrapped just before the debut of “Survivor’s” 50^th season on Feb. 25. And for the grand prize, a winner and their guest will be flown to L.A. on May 20 with all expenses paid to view the live season finale of the show. Everyone else will have to watch from their couches. The tribe has spoken.

Photo credits: CBS; Tamarack Resort

LACTAID STIRS UP THE TASTE BUDS CAFÉ IN MANHATTAN

Who says lactose drinkers get to have all of the café fun? With a new line of lactose-free creamers to promote, Lactaid on Feb. 12 hosted the Taste Buds Café experience in NYC to offer consumers a sip of its latest product innovation. Because if you want to earn New Yorkers’ attention, you might as well start with a free cup of caffeine.

The pop-up spanned hands-on tastings, cold-brew flights featuring drinks with foam art; a claw machine game; a charm bar; curated photo moments, including with an oversized creamer bottle; and an appearance by comedian and brand partner Hannah Berner. Bottoms up. (Agency: Dera Lee Productions)

More from The Brief:

• The Brief: Clean Machines and Gummy Bars
• The Brief: Drive-Thru Pit Stops and Traveling Basecamps

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It’s hard to match the caliber of Disney’s red-carpet premieres (look no further than its “Descendants: The Rise of Red” event), and the entertainment giant was at it again for the world premiere of “Zootopia 2” at L.A.’s El Capitan Theatre.

Invited guests at the winter-themed affair experienced a full build-out of the Zootopia Central Station setting from the film, including roving characters; games like “Fish Flippin”; photo ops, such as a throne moment in Fru Fru’s Parlour; and a Tundra Treats candy bar, in addition to tunes spun by a live dj.

In the case of Netflix, an unlikely trio—a stunt pig, the world’s largest action figure and sustainability tactics—were all stars of the brand’s premiere event for season two of “FUBAR.” Indeed, at the Tudum Theater in Los Angeles, the brand surrounded press, talent and invited guests in series-themed scenic builds and a bit of spectacle, all while prioritizing low-waste production practices.

A highly shareable red-carpet premiere event featuring the pig was followed by a private screening and a themed afterparty that encompassed curated lounges, cocktails, a photo op styled like a “FUBAR” action figure box and custom drinking glasses designed with real bullets, which doubled as take-home gifts.

When Universal Pictures hosted a premiere for its “Wicked” sequel, “Wicked: For Good,” the intricate set builds and storytelling elements ultimately yielded the biggest-ever movie premiere in New York’s Lincoln Center Plaza (it was also the first to take over two major NYC theaters simultaneously).

Universal took a few cues from its destination, New York, and crafted an “Ozmopolitan”-inspired environment that brought the relationship between characters Elphaba and Glinda to life, along with scenes from the Emerald City. Mini, “floating” hot air balloons, Emerald City soldiers clad in green and gold, a recreation of Glinda’s bubble, dripping florals and film imagery were among touchpoints that brought Oz to the Big Apple.

For Prime Video, it was a swanky blue-carpet event for the season-two debut of the competition show “Beast Games” that turned heads. From the get-go, celebrities and creators were plunged into the world of Beast City via a range of games that tested their smarts and strength, just like contestants in the show.

Following a blue-carpet walk, welcome from MrBeast and screening of the season’s first two episodes, attendees moved into the venue’s Dome, where they encountered an interactive “Beast Games” experience, including a replica of the $5 million cash pyramid. They competed in challenges like a high-tension balancing activity and an LED memory floor experience for a chance to win Beast Bucks that were redeemable for merch at an on-site store.

If that weren’t enough, the brand also delivered a hospitality experience, including a Feastables market, passed bites inspired by the show, themed drinks and a fully functioning Starbucks that offered creators a chance to personalize their own series-themed jerseys and design exclusive Starbucks swag.

Roll credits.

Photo credits: Line 8 Photography; Redrock Entertainment

Related:

• Warner Bros. Brings ‘Barbie’ to Life at an ‘Over the Top’ Premiere
• Prime Video’s ‘Rings of Power’ Tour Drives Record-breaking Viewership

The post Experiential Marketing Trend of the Week: Red-Carpet Activations appeared first on Event Marketer.

For passionate sports fans, the past is as important as the present. That storytelling opportunity inspired an Olympic Winter Games experiential campaign here on home turf for sponsor Michelob ULTRA that featured custom content, nostalgic venues and watch parties, all capped by a fortuitous gold medal win. But more on that in a moment.

One month before the U.S. men’s national hockey team secured its historic gold medal at the Olympic Winter Games in Milano, Italy, Michelob ULTRA on Jan. 15 created a launch point for its freshly inked USA Hockey sponsorship, inviting fans to travel back 46 years to 1980, when Team USA last captured hockey gold. (As another layer to the campaign, the brand is the official beer sponsor of Team USA for the Olympic and Paralympic Games through 2028.)

The immersive showcase at Herb Brooks Arena, in former Olympic host city Lake Placid, NY, titled “Run Back the Miracle,” featured high-definition holograms, full-surface ice projections, archival items, never-before-seen footage from that “Miracle on Ice”-referred game, and chats with former team members.

As the 2026 Winter Games wound down in Italy weeks later, the brand moved to another historic Olympic stomping ground here in the U.S., activating the Michelob ULTRA Summit by TCL, Feb. 19-22, at the Forum at Canyons Village at Park City Mountain Resort in Utah, home of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. The brand offered après-ski watch parties with live event viewing enhanced by TCL (worldwide Olympic partner for technology and innovation), warming stations, live curling competitions on a branded sheet, and other fan-centric activities.

Winter sports fans could also check out an exhibition of archival items from the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, including a USA Hockey jersey signed by “Miracle on Ice” gold medalist Mike Eruzione, the Olympic Winter Games Salt Lake City 2002 torch, and an Olympic Winter Games Lake Placid 1980 gold medal.

Then on Feb. 20, the brand hosted its own closing event featuring a performance by Kygo at the mountain’s summit, the first electronic music producer to perform at the Olympic Games closing ceremony during the 2016 Summer Games in Rio. The event also featured the return of night skiing for one night only at the mountain, an activity that hadn’t been offered since 2017.

And while you don’t necessarily need historic wins to take home sponsorship gold, it certainly helps. The U.S. women’s hockey team secured a gold-medal win, beating Team Canada in overtime on Feb. 19. The U.S. men’s hockey team went on to secure a gold-medal win in overtime against Team Canada on Feb. 22, the final day of the Michelob ULTRA’s activations. Forty-six years in the making, the events brought the brand’s “Run Back the Miracle” showcase full circle.

Fresh off months of Olympics fever, we reached out to Ricardo Marques, vp-marketing for Michelob ULTRA, for insights on the live elements of this full-scale campaign.

Event Marketer: Tell us about these intertwining partnerships, why they make sense for the brand, and the overarching vision for bringing them to life?

Ricardo Marques: Michelob ULTRA has a longstanding history of existing at the intersection of sports and culture, and it’s hard to imagine a place that embodies that spirit better than the Olympic and Paralympic Games… We brought key figures from that [1980] game back to where it all happened at the Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid for an unforgettable evening, perfectly timed to the return of hockey to the Olympic Winter Games stage for the first time since 2014. As part of this moment, we also kicked off a sponsorship with USA Hockey and added the Tkachuk brothers to our roster of Team ULTRA athletes. It was incredible watching them compete on this global stage and ultimately take home the gold—46 years to the day from the historic “Miracle on Ice” game.

EM: Any particular insights on the hockey fandom that inspire you as a marketer? 

RM: We’ve seen hockey’s increased popularity in the U.S. continue to grow, especially as the top pros geared up to return to the Olympic stage. We knew this was going to be a big moment and as a brand that champions competitive spirit and is the official beer sponsor of Team USA, we wanted to be a part of the story from the beginning. We’ve found that sports fans really value access—behind-the-scenes moments, nostalgia, and the chance to relive iconic milestones. They have a deep respect for tradition, but they’re also open to innovation when it genuinely enhances the experience. That mix of honoring the heritage of the game while bringing something fresh to the table has really guided how we show up.

EM: ‘Run Back the Miracle’ was so rich in storytelling and technology—give us the highlights, from your perspective, around the creative idea.

RM: “Run Back the Miracle” was about celebrating one of the most iconic moments in sports history and bringing it to life in a new way for Team USA fans. The idea wasn’t just to replay the moment, but to let people feel like they were actually part of it. From a production standpoint, it was all about blending immersive tech with authentic storytelling. We collaborated closely with former players from the 1980 team, legendary broadcaster Al Michaels and used multimedia elements to create something that felt both emotional and interactive.

EM: Turning to the ULTRA Summit Powered by TCL. What were your objectives around what was on offer?

RM: As the official beer sponsor of Team USA, we wanted to create the largest Team USA celebration state-side, where fans could come together and get access to iconic moments beyond the competition. Park City is one of the country’s most iconic winter destinations and is shaped by the legacy of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games and will welcome the world again in 2034.

EM: Finally, how are you measuring the success of the experiential components of the sponsorship?

RM: Our Winter Olympic Games programming is part of a larger strategy that ultimately leads to LA28. In milestone years when major sporting moments collide, we see an opportunity to showcase America’s competitive spirit on the biggest stages in the world. And with the Olympic Games returning to home soil for LA28, we’re continuing to build long-term equity in a space that sits at the heart of our brand.

When it comes to experiential specifically, it’s about creating meaningful connections. We look at things like engagement, and most importantly, whether the experience inspires how people feel about the brand. Top of mind for me is making sure every activation feels authentic, premium, and truly additive to the fan experience. If we’re enhancing how fans connect with the Olympics—and they leave associating that feeling with Michelob ULTRA—that’s a win.

Photo credit: Michelob ULTRA

Related:

• FIFA World Cup Club 2025: Fans Kick it at Michelob ULTRA’s Soccer Activation and Beer Garden
• 2024 Paris Games Preview: Rolling Coverage of Brands Activations

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The concept of “stress-free travel” may sound like a distant fantasy, but Hertz is on a mission to alleviate travel anxieties through its Gold Plus Rewards loyalty program—and a pack of friendly golden retrievers known as the Gold Squad.

First introduced last summer to help airport travelers decompress, the brand’s highly trained group of pups has since begun infiltrating select Hertz locations, where the company says they’ve been very well received. But the Gold Squad, and the brand, really found their calling on Feb. 7, serving as presenting sponsor of Goldens in Golden, an annual celebration in Golden, CO, that this year drew more than 5,500 golden retrievers (and their humans) from around the country. Hello, dream event.

To bring the intangible perks of its loyalty program to life, the brand kicked off its sponsorship at Denver International Airport, where it unleashed the Gold Squad to relieve travel stress and spread some love to Hertz customers.

Then it was on to the main event, Goldens in Golden, where the brand hosted the Golden Pup Cup Café, a community-centric activation anchored by an Airstream trailer—where the Gold Squad made plenty of appearances—that provided humans with warm lattes and, of course, matching treats for their fur babies.

The footprint also included a branded mural that doubled as a photo op and featured “Feeling Golden” messaging, as well as swag and room to sit down and socialize. Outside of the activation, the Gold Squad mingled with human and canine attendees, alike, across the event.

“Ultimately, it was about: how can we have a meeting spot for folks to be able to sit down, entertain their dogs, interact with each other, and just have the best possible experience, and keep it all aligned to what we’re trying to achieve as a brand and as a company—that customer experience comes first,” says Brian Canning, cmo at Hertz.

Naturally, the Gold Squad and the café inspired social sharing on-site, but Hertz also drove hype in the leadup to Goldens in Golden with the help of its dog influencer partners, a group of golden retrievers (and their parents) that the brand has worked with over the last six months while expanding the Gold Squad campaign.

“This was an event that just made perfect sense for us in terms of being able to not only show up and make the event a little bit better from our perspective, but also to have golden retriever influencers [come] from all over the country, show the joy of a road trip, especially with your dog, and show off our cars and what you can do with Hertz vehicles, and the power of our Gold Plus program,” Canning says. “So it really aligns to what we want to do and how we want to represent ourselves as a brand and in the community.”

SQUAD GOALS

The good news for dog lovers is that Hertz is just getting started on translating its brand promise, and product, into an experiential platform. In fact, the company is currently recruiting for a Gold Squad Pack Leader, a role that will entail strategizing for, and producing, Gold Squad appearances and activations.

The goal, Canning says, is to grow the program exponentially. “We’re doing more and more cities. We’re going to be doing more events outside of the actual Hertz locations. So it’s just going to get bigger and bigger. [The Gold Squad] are going to become a part of our brand DNA, because it aligns, again, with what we’re trying to do in investing in the customer experience.” Agency: Preacher.

Related:

• Purina Enlists Pet Behaviorists to Build a Dog-Friendly Section at an MLS Stadium
• Milk-Bone and Jif Collab on a Pop-up, Dog-friendly ‘Museum’

The post Hertz Unleashes a Pack of Dogs and a Pop-Up Café at the World’s Largest Gathering of Golden Retrievers appeared first on Event Marketer.

USAA’s annual Salute to Service Lounge at the NFL fan festival offers an exclusive space for military members, veterans, USAA members and their families to hear from and meet NFL players and legends, participate in EA Sports’ Madden NFL experiences, and see the impact of the brand’s military support initiatives and nonprofit partnerships.

While the panels, talent appearances and venue design change to fit the SBX’s host city, the lounge’s aim remains the same: to reflect USAA’s “deep commitment to serving those who serve our country for over a century,” says Krissy Gorsuch, director-sponsorships at USAA, who takes us inside the activation’s strategy, development and touchpoints.

Optimizing Schedules and Venues

USAA expanded the lounge’s programming this year in San Francisco, adding a third day to have it open on the SBX’s Military Appreciation Day on Feb. 4, when all military members and their families receive free admission, courtesy of the Wounded Warrior Project.

“For the seven sessions that we had, we reached max capacity every time. We always are able to get every single body in that room for these sessions, and we get great feedback from them,” Gorsuch says. “We started to see, the past couple of years, that we have a lot of repeat visitors who have been to this before in prior years at the different markets that we’re in, and they love it so much that they continually come back to SBX just to seek out the Salute to Service Lounge. It’s been really exciting to see that it’s gained that much momentum.”

This year, lounge visitors enjoyed a new vantage point away from the Moscone Center’s main convention floor with other brand activations, instead convening in an upstairs ballroom. The enclosed space allowed for a more intimate, private setting—no crowd noise or thumping music peripherally heard during Q&A sessions.

“Every year, placement is a little bit different. It’s highly dependent on the space, the capacity, what we’re able to do within the floor of SBX itself,” Gorsuch says. “It worked out well for us this year because we were really the only thing on that level before you went down to SBX, and we had a registration booth, which was the first thing you saw when you walked in through the doors, so people saw the branding right away and automatically knew that we were there.”

Distilling the Right Branding Combo

In December, USAA launched its new creative platform called “Taking Care of our Own,” which was incorporated into the lounge’s branding through large display panels and a video board that, during sessions, ran videos and messaging highlighting USAA’s year-round Salute to Service efforts. Gorsuch says the team takes into account the balance of Super Bowl and NFL branding with that of USAA.

“We know people are coming to SBX and to our activation with the energy of the Super Bowl, so we want to lean into that and leverage the spirit of the city, the color palette and the style guide that we work with the NFL on. But we also want people to understand that this is a USAA space that we’re bringing to our members,” she says. “When people walk in, they get the excitement of the Super Bowl branding, and as they’re walking out, the last thing they see on the exit walls is the USAA branding for a good reminder of how USAA is showing up for the military community.”

Leveraging Authentic Talent Partnerships

A special surprise for attendees, USAA invited Ellie and Emma, two golden retriever therapy dogs with more than 17 million followers on social media (@elliegoldenlife). Along with their owner Kevin Bubolz, an Army veteran, they spent time with attendees, gave out pawtographs, helped pack 2,500 care packages for veterans at the lounge, and introduced Salute to Service Award recipient Christian McCaffrey of the San Francisco 49ers on stage.

The dog influencers and McCaffrey were among several celebrities brought into the lounge, including Jaxson Dart, quarterback for the New York Giants; Emeka Egbuka, wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers; CeeDee Lamb, wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys; Rome Odunze, wide receiver for the Chicago Bears; and, of course, brand ambassador Rob Gronkowski.

“One of the things that we look for when we’re partnering with talent is to ensure that they have an authentic military connection to maintain authenticity of the lounge,” Gorsuch says. “They’re coming to talk about their understanding and appreciation of the military, and it just comes through so much more authentically when they have that personal relationship and they understand the service and sacrifice behind what our service members go through.”

Bringing AI into the Mix

New for this year, an AI photo op was built into the queue space to engage fans as they waited for the lounge to open. In collaboration with EA Sports’ Madden NFL, of which USAA is the Official Salute to Service Partner, the photo booth ran an AI body scan of each participant, and they could then choose a Madden-inspired pose for the image that was available as a printout and downloadable file to share on social media.

“Last year, we had our own gaming kiosks so our guests who were waiting for the lounge could play Madden,” Gorsuch says. “And this year, we wanted to take it a step further so people could walk away with a keepsake and a memento of their time in the Salute to Service Lounge while keeping that interaction with Madden. It was a lot of fun, and we got some great feedback on it.”

Upcoming NFL Activations

In August, USAA and the NFL announced a multiyear extension to the longtime partnership. As the Official Salute to Service Partner of the NFL, USAA leads military appreciation throughout the season, particularly at Super Bowl, Pro Bowl Games, NFL Draft and NFL Kickoff. It is also the presenting sponsor of the Salute to Service Award, contributing $25,000 in the name of the award recipient to the military aid societies representing all U.S. military branches. New plans are on the horizon to enhance USAA’s international presence, and a one-hour Salute to Service broadcast show is in development.

Gorsuch says site visits for the next SBX in L.A. will start in the summer, and the team will evaluate the space to figure out how to “make the lounge bigger and better every year.” Talent partnerships are also on their radar year-round, with an eye particularly focused on the upcoming NFL Draft in April and working with incoming draft prospects who have military connections. Rookies and fan-favorites may be tapped for the next edition of the lounge.

“We had tremendous success this year with the content that came out of the lounge, and we’re looking at that a little bit differently—how we tell the story of the lounge, the veterans we invite to it and the talent and players involved in our Super Bowl experiences,” she says. “We’ve seen some great growth in our social engagement from last year to this year, which is a big indicator of the interest and excitement that people have for the lounge.” Agency: 160over90.

Photos: Courtesy of USAA; Juanita Chavarro Arias

Related:

• Physical Recreations, Digital Engagements Power USAA’s Army-Navy Game Activation
• From Jersey Mike’s Shore to Visa Print Shop, Top 12 Activations at Super Bowl LX Experience

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