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)

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

The post The Brief: Hair Flips and Word Burials appeared first on Event Marketer.

Valentine’s Day is always an opportunity for marketers to spark brand love, and this year has yielded some particularly steal-worthy ideas. We’re talking high tea, marriage contracts, blind boxes and intimate payphone chats. Let’s hop onboard the love train.

DAVE & BUSTER’S

Speaking of brand-commissioned diamond rings, five Dave & Buster’s locations are inviting couples to participate in the brand’s full-body Human Crane arcade experience on Valentine’s Day for a shot at winning one of five $15,000, three-carat diamond engagement rings hidden within each prize pit. (In reality, the rings are faux, and the real ones will be shipped to winners’ homes.)

Image: Courtesy of Dave & Buster’s

DENNY’S

Denny’s has been helping consumers get hitched for several years now, but for 2026, the brand added a new component: “Toast-nuptial Agreements.” Indeed, while couples are invited to get married for free at Denny’s Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas on Valentine’s Day, the offer includes agreeing to a contract stating the couple will stay married at least until breakfast the following day.

Here’s how it works: Once wed, couples are given an exclusive “Over-easy Overnight” kit while at the restaurant, which includes Slammy pajamas, eye masks and pillowcases designed for a Vegas sleep-in. Then, the participating newlyweds who stay together through the morning of Feb. 15 can tag @DennysDiner and use #DennysToastNup in a “Just Married” morning post on their social channels to receive complimentary breakfast in bed. (Agency: M Booth, p.r.)

Photos: Courtesy of Denny’s

FX

With its new miniseries “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette” having premiered on Feb. 12, FX leaned into the topic and timing by leveraging Valentine’s Day to promote the show across activations, VIP experiences, sweepstakes and fashion-centric partnerships.

The brand’s mission to turn Manhattan into a “living love letter” encompassed three romance-themed events. On Feb. 12, FX and luxury chocolatier Jacques Torres arrived at Grand Central Terminal to celebrate the series premiere with a pop-up cart offering free, handmade mini chocolates.

On Valentine’s Day, the network is partnering with Bubby’s to offer New Yorkers complimentary hot chocolate or hot apple cider, along with a sweet treat, from a pop-up cart located outside Bubby’s TriBeCa. Meanwhile, over at Wollman Rink in Central Park, FX is providing a free ice skating experience, plus a Chill Lounge for those over the age of 18. The space offers a Swedish Candy Cart by BonBon; a Flower Shop with series-inspired, complimentary take-home arrangements designed by Ovando, a floral photo op; and a café dishing out hot chocolate and sweets. (Agency: Civic)

JINX

To launch its new cat food line, Jinx took advantage of the overlap between New York Fashion Week and Valentine’s Day with The Purrfect Match, an invite-only event in NYC hosted in collaboration with global creator Tinx.

The strategy was derived from the cultural insight that cat ownership is often viewed as the “ultimate” green flag in the dating world, with touchpoints to match. Like custom Green Flag/Red Flag scratch-off cards that revealed playful dating and personality traits through the eyes of a feline. There was also the Kitty Corner, where attendees could play with rescue kittens from Animal Haven NYC. Those who spent time with the kittens scored a “Green Flag Certified” card, while anyone who adopted a kitty was gifted a free year’s supply of Jinx cat food.

Other highlights spanned an Illustration Station offering personalized live portraits of attendees’ pets; a roaming Lint Roller Attendant; a fashion-centric Kitty Klaw claw machine; and a pool table transformed into a product installation with nods to cat parenthood, from perch structures to allergy meds and bandages styled in brass bowls to branded matchboxes to a three-tiered cake. (Agencies: Sterling Social, production; PR Dept Inc. and Manifest, p.r.)

Photo credits: Middle Grey Studios; BFA

LEGO

Last year, Lego launched a global Botanicals Le Florist Flower Truck Tour to celebrate Valentine’s Day and its Botanicals collection. This year, the brand activated all-ages Lego Botanicals Bloom Bar events around the world.

The floral-inspired experiences varied a bit by location, but most included touchpoints like flower quizzes that match consumers with Botanicals builds, themed mocktails, swag bags, Lego installations, conversation-starter cards, photo ops, plenty of opportunities to build Botanicals bouquets, and a Lego rose to take home. (Agencies: The Lego Agency; Hatter)

NETFLIX HOUSE PHILADELPHIA

Netflix House Philadelphia offers a handful of semi-permanent experiences themed around its hit series, like “Wednesday” and “One Piece.” But for Valentine’s Day, the property hosted (sold-out) events, inspired by the new season of “Bridgerton,” for a limited time.

From Feb. 1-14, fans could participate in a Season of Love activation at the Netflix Bites restaurant, where they experienced a high-tea-style service while surrounded by “Bridgerton” décor.

On Feb. 12, those who purchased tickets for the Bridgerton Sip & Sketch experience got a chance to sketch alongside a local artist, with the option to purchase one of Netflix’s Taste of the Ton cocktails or mocktails.

And on Feb. 14, consumers can attend an exclusive “Bridgerton’s Season of Love” early screening of the first episode in Season 4, Part 2 at the on-site theater, which will be decorated for the holiday.

Image: Courtesy of Netflix House Philadelphia

RED LOBSTER X VASELINE

A seemingly unlikely duo, Red Lobster and Vaseline teamed up for the holiday to activate a co-branded Kissing Booth culinary experience in New York City. The idea? To combine the restaurant chain’s date-night meal favorites with the CPG brand’s limited-edition Valentine’s Day Lip Therapy collection in an effort to help keep lips “smooch-worthy this Valentine’s season” (and to capitalize on the companies’ audience crossover).

From Feb. 10-12 at Red Lobster’s Times Square location, couples who reserved a table ahead of time sat in a Valentine’s-themed “Kissing Booth” for a five-course dining experience specifically designed for two. The final “course” was complimentary lip balm.

Photo: Courtesy of Red Lobster and Vaseline

SERENDIPITY 3

New York’s Serendipity 3 is renowned for its “Frrrozen Hot Chocolate” dessert drink, and for Valentine’s Day, the restaurant teamed up with jewelry designer Isabela Grutman to serve up Diamond Frrrozen Hot Chocolate beverages, available exclusively on the holiday.

The limited-time offering features an edible chocolate heart, lacquered in cherry red coloring, that was built to be cracked open with a “ceremonial mallet.” And here’s the kicker: Each heart contains a real diamond by Grutman’s brand ranging from 0.1 carats to more than 1 carat. The lucky winner of the crown jewel, which is worth nearly $10K, will have the chance to collaborate with the company to incorporate the stone into a one-of-a-kind jewelry piece.

Image: Courtesy of Serendipity 3

TELEFLORA

Flower delivery service Teleflora leveraged a play on its name to deliver a whimsical “Tele-flora” phone booth activation in Los Angeles that invited consumers to “Love Out Loud.” The pink, floral-encased installation featured a pink payphone that rang as people passed by.

Those who answered the call were asked what they’d say to a loved one if they could speak freely from the heart (and the candid, heartfelt answers were quite wholesome). Participants who shared their Love Out Loud received a QR code with a recording of their message to share with their loved one, as well as a complimentary Teleflora bouquet. (Agency: Wonderful Agency/In-house)

Photo: Courtesy of Teleflora

TONY’S CHOCOLONELY

From Feb. 6-8, Tony’s Chocolonely made a statement about inequality in the cocoa industry while marking Valentine’s Day with “Valentony’s Shop,” powered by Spotify, a pop-up in NYC that was dripping in the brand’s rich red hue. Designed in partnership with artist Cj Hendry, the space centered around a monochromatic installation of blind boxes.

Why this strategy? “Because the cocoa industry is like a (blind) box of chocolates—there’s no transparency, and it’s hard to see the inequality at the source,” according to a statement on the company’s website.

Upon entry, attendees snagged a blind box for free, and from there, they could purchase others for just $1. Each box contained, at the very least, a chocolate bar in a surprise flavor, with the chance to win bigger prizes spread among the rows of red packages.

More Valentine’s Day Ideas:

• Valentine’s Day Experiential: How Brands are Showing the Love
• Swag Swaps and Love Notes: Ideas for Valentine’s Day Activations

The post Valentine’s Day Ideas: High Tea, Hidden Diamonds, Human Cranes and More appeared first on Event Marketer.

Outdoor adventure sports competitions have become experiential hotspots for brands like Dunkin’, which sponsored the 2026 Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Freeski and Halfpipe Finals in Aspen, CO. Across both weekends of the event, attendees in the vendor village were welcomed into a branded space to thaw out with the aid of complimentary hot Dunkin’ beverages before heading up the mountain to watch the competition.

On their way up the incline, fans could also snap photos in a branded gondola, with the picturesque winter scene as their backdrop. Oh, and it was pretty hard to miss the big, “steaming” Dunkin’ coffee cup installation that was positioned on the mountain for maximum visibility.

Like its American counterpart, pickleball, padel has been thriving in Europe thanks to its position as a more accessible sport than tennis. But accessibility isn’t quite the vibe at upscale French ski resort Courchevel, where Lacoste has set up shop with two permanent, branded padel courts. The facility was built to withstand harsh weather conditions year-round, with features like a geothermal heating system, making padel play possible in the winter.

Lacoste is further cementing its positioning as a lifestyle brand via the partnership with an exclusive branded “corner” that will be installed at the resort’s Ineos Club House restaurant, and a forthcoming Courchevel x Lacoste clothing collection.

Kiehl’s has been leveraging mountaintop activations over the last few years, and in 2026, the brand doubled down on its efforts through a new multi-resort partnership with certain Ikon Pass destinations, and the extension of its Jackson Hole Mountain Resort sponsorship. Experiential aspects span retail and sampling programs; brand takeovers, including “Kiehl’s Weekends” featuring upscale, après-ski programming and slopeside sampling; and the brand’s insertion in cultural moments, like Jackson Hole’s Rendezvous Music Festival.

Then there’s L’Oreal, which took a group of creators on a three-day, high-brow community trip to Val-d’Isère in the French Alps for a resort takeover and “Glacier Glitch” experience that showcased products like the brand’s Glass Skin Mask.

Touchpoints on tap: a sleek, ice-themed outdoor lunch with a live dj, a product-inspired slumber party, après-themed f&b experiences, and stunts, like influencers skiing down the mountain wearing nothing but satin pajamas and the skin mask. (This also reminds us of CeraVe, which last year sent its mascots to the slopes to ride the chair lift and ski alongside consumers.)

For Coors Light, which brought its Coors Chill at the Hill experience to Canada, it was all about good vibes, with analog snowboarding simulators, places to sit and chill, a photo op, swag, and high-energy brand ambassadors sporting branded snowsuits. The brand also activated its sponsorship of the 2026 Pond Hockey Classic with a mobile sampling trailer.

Brands that aren’t afraid to take on the great outdoors year-round? Now that’s how you play it cool.

Photo credits: CNC Agency; Kiehl’s

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• Crisp Air and Crispy Chicken: KFC Crafts the First-ever Winterized Basketball Court

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

This week’s hot takes on hot topics in experiential marketing cover the City of Kegs, fortune-telling seals and beer-themed social experiments.

JOHNNIE WALKER HITS HIGH NOTES WITH SABRINA CARPENTER FOR GRAMMY’S WEEKEND

The event profs behind the Johnnie Walker brand continued their efforts to “Keep Walking” into pop culture moments last week with a multifaceted experiential campaign that amplified the company’s partnership with pop princess Sabrina Carpenter during Grammy Awards weekend in L.A.

The “Go Go Juice” singer’s signature Johnnie Walker Black Label Cocktail, the Go Go Highball, was the featured beverage across a series of major weekend events where the brand served as the exclusive spirits partner. But the scotch maker’s biggest experiential play took place on Jan. 31.

The evening kicked off with a drone display featuring animations, like the company’s “walking man,” alongside projection-mapped imagery tied to the partnership with the artist on an adjacent building. The outdoor showcase was followed by a Carpenter-inspired event at L.A. hotspot Max and Helen’s that included cherry-themed décor, a vintage car filled with florals and a live dj.

The Go Go Highball was also available for a taste for a limited time in select bars around the city. (Agency: Emily Reid Agency)

Photo credit: Getty Images for Johnnie Walker

HEINEKEN’S SOCIAL EXPERIMENT PROVES ‘FANS HAVE MORE FRIENDS’

In the age of AI overload, Heineken is doubling down on the power of human-to-human interaction with its new Fans Have More Friends global sponsorship platform, which is built on the premise that fandom is one of the fastest ways to turn strangers into friends.

To launch the program with an experiential bang, the brand partnered with influencer Zac Aslop, and took a social experiment to the streets of NYC based on newly commissioned research that revealed 75 percent of consumers say their fandom has helped them meet new people, and that soccer tops the list of social connectors.

To put the data to the test, Heineken centered its efforts on Joe, an Australian friend of Aslop’s who lives in New York and who said he had no one to watch Liverpool vs Qarabağ FK with, the final group match of the UEFA Champions League. To find his friend some fellow fans to watch with, Aslop posted “Have A Beer With Me’’ flyers featuring Joe’s face and a QR code around the city, directing people to the bar where Joe planned to watch Liverpool.

On the night of the match, those who had scanned the code and wanted to support a fellow fan showed up—and they showed up in droves—to surprise Joe at the bar and cheer together as the competition unfolded… All with a cold Heineken in hand, of course.

Photo: Courtesy of Heineken

THIS FAKE ATM FEATURED A FRAUD WARNING FROM EMIL THE SEAL

You know what they say—if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. So to remind consumers in London how pervasive, and dangerous, investment-based scams are, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) set up an ATM installation at Waterloo station with a message that read: “The First Billboard To Give Away A Fortune” in big, bold letters.

As commuters approached the ATM screen to cash in, they instead watched as a window slid open to reveal the FCA’s new campaign mascot, Emil the Seal. The animal delivered each participant a fortune cookie with a “fortunate” message about the perils of rushing into financial deals: “Check it’s real before you seal the deal.”

The stunt helped promote the organization’s Firm Checker, a tool designed to help people quickly verify whether or not a financial firm is genuine and authorized before signing, sealing and delivering their money to one. (Agencies: M+C Saatchi UK; M+C Saatchi Talk; M+C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment)

BUD LIGHT WELCOMES FANS TO THE ‘CITY OF KEGS’ AHEAD OF SUPER BOWL LX

We’re just days away from the matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots at Super Bowl LX, and NFL sponsor Bud Light wasted no time getting fans hyped up for the big game on both coasts over the weekend, all with an assist from a vast collection of kegs.

Yep, consumers over the age of 21 were invited to visit the “City of Kegs” activation at Lumen Field in Seattle, and Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA, on Sunday for a chance to win a keg’s worth of beer money or the grand prize—tickets to Super Bowl LX. All they had to do was select the winner out of 300 beer kegs planted within each arena (what a sight to behold, amirite?).

Don’t worry, the party didn’t stop there. Just ahead of the Super Bowl parade, Bud Light and the championship team will officially “tap the kegs” in a citywide ceremony. Plus, during the parade, the brand and a player from the winning squad will continue tapping kegs to celebrate with fans along the parade route. We just hope that means keg stands are involved.

Image: Courtesy of Anheuser-Busch

DUNKIN’ GLIDES INTO THE U.S. GRAND PRIX FINALS WITH HOT BEVERAGES

We’re seeing more brands than ever activating at mountaintop resorts and outdoor sports competitions this winter, and Dunkin’ has been among those hitting the slopes. Take the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Freeski and Halfpipe Finals in Aspen, CO, where from Jan. 9-10 and Jan. 16-17, the brand kept fans on-site warm, and viewers at home interested.

Attendees in the vendor village were welcomed into a branded area where they could thaw out with the help of complimentary Dunkin’ beverages before heading up the mountain to watch the competition. On their way up the incline, fans could also snap photos in a branded gondola, with the picturesque winter scene as their backdrop.

Oh, and it was pretty hard to miss the big Dunkin’ coffee cup installation that was positioned on the mountain for maximum visibility. (Agencies: CNC Agency, strategy and creative; AMP, production)

Photos: Courtesy of CNC Agency

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• The Brief: Scent Labs and Hotdog Races
• The Brief: Tarot Readings and Time Banks

The post The Brief: Keg Cities and Social Experiments appeared first on Event Marketer.

Happy New Year, dear readers! We’re launching our 2026 coverage with hot takes on hot topics in experiential marketing covering tailgate trolling, Blizzard Brews and Starbucks in Beast City.

WENDY’S FEEDS FALCONS FANS AND RUFFLES FEATHERS IN ATLANTA

Wendy’s wasted no time kicking off 2026 in signature form with some subtle(ish) trolling, and you know we had to dig in. On Jan. 4 at the Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the brand hosted a sampling experience just outside of the venue in a bid to promote its Chicken Tendys—and ruffle Chick-fil-A’s feathers.

Here’s the deal: Chick-fil-A is an in-stadium vendor, but closes shop every Sunday. So “instead of watching fans go hungry,” Wendy’s rolled into ATL with a tailgate truck and free Chicken Tendys, Hot & Crispy Fries, sauces and exclusive gameday swag, and the public lined up to score the bites and merch. Messaging on the exterior of the truck read “Our Chikin Doesn’t Skip Gameday.” How deliciously salty. (Agencies: TMA; VML; Ketchum)

Photo: Courtesy of Wendy’s

STARBUCKS ARRIVES IN ‘BEAST CITY’ TO FUEL UP REALITY SHOW CONTESTANTS

The lines between reality TV and experiential marketing will continue to blur on Jan. 7, when season two of “Beast Games,” a competition show created by MrBeast, the creator behind the most-subscribed-to YouTube channel in the world, premieres on Prime Video.

Dubbed “Beast Games: Strong vs. Smart,” the second season features 100 of the smartest and 100 of the strongest people in the world duking it out in a range of brains vs. brawn challenges for a chance to take home the $5 million grand prize. Naturally, brands have been quick to latch on.

Like Starbucks, which, thanks to a partnership with MrBeast, helped power contestants through season two’s challenges via an on-site presence within Beast City, the arenas and filming sites located in Las Vegas, NV, and Pitt County, NC, where the competition took place. This year, contestants had complimentary access to a pop-up Starbucks that served food and beverages 24/7.

Meanwhile, the brand also had an on-screen presence, and is currently engaging fans of the show in its coffeehouses around the U.S. with a new limited-time Cannon Ball beverage.

Photos: Courtesy of Starbucks

BLIZZARD’S OMINOUS FLEET OF HEARSES WHEELS AROUND L.A. LANDMARKS

The reckoning is near. At least that’s the message Blizzard Entertainment sent just ahead of The Game Awards. On Dec. 11, the Diablo publisher rolled out a foreboding procession of hearses carrying the character Mephisto (Lord of Hatred), which made stops at iconic Los Angeles locations to visually spread the word about the so-called reckoning before arriving at their final destination, the awards show.

The activation was strategically designed to contrast the city’s bright and sunny atmosphere with an eerie and ominous spectacle that featured a purposely “ritualistic pacing” during one of the gaming industry’s biggest nights. Rest in peace, competitors. (Agencies: GUT Los Angeles, lead agency; Thinkingbox, production)

Photo/Video: Courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment

THIS LIMITED-EDITION BEER IS MADE FROM STADIUM SNOW

Following the multi-year extension of its Buffalo Bills sponsorship, Bud Light commemorated the partnership with a new beer product built just for the team’s diehard fans, aka the Bills Mafia. Enter: Blizzard Brew, a limited-edition beer made with snow shoveled directly from Highmark Stadium during the first storm of the winter.

The product, which was created in Anheuser-Busch’s brewery in Baldwinsville, NY, is available in 16-ounce cans with custom packaging, and was released at select retailers and fan gathering spots across Buffalo just in time for the Bills’ final home game on Jan. 4. During the matchup, Bills legend Andre Reed joined the team and Bud Light on-site to celebrate the Blizzard Brew and the power of fandom. Cheers to that.

Photo/Video: Courtesy of Anheuser-Busch

SPORTS FANS CAN BOOK EXPERIENCES WITH OLYMPICS LEGENDS THIS WINTER

It’s just T-minus 32 days until the 2026 Winter Olympics officially kick off in Italy, and Airbnb will be keeping fans hyped throughout February and March with a lineup of experiences hosted by active and retired Olympians and Paralympians. Whether its cooking, hitting the slopes, enjoying a spa day or scoring tickets to an exclusive event with a sports legend, consumers in seven countries will have a chance to book a rare experience with one of 26 participating athletes.

Among opportunities to choose from: shopping in Milan with Gus Kenworthy, watching the figure skating finals with Nathan Chen, getting pampered at the spa with Dorothea Wierer and enjoying a dinner and craft night experience with Dani Aravich. Let the games begin.

Photos: Courtesy of Airbnb

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• The Brief: Sandcastle Restaurants and Meme Galas
• The Brief: Revolving Libraries and the Maxxinista Express

The post The Brief: Tailgate Trolling and Beast City appeared first on Event Marketer.