ABC

ADULT SWIM

AMC

BBC

DISNEY

FX

PARAMOUNT+

PEACOCK

Video credit: Juanita Chavarro Arias; Kait Shea

Featured photo: Courtesy of FX

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The post SDCC 2025 Video Tour: Activations from Disney, Paramount+, FX, Adult Swim and More appeared first on Event Marketer.

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The post Take Our Video Tour of Brand Activations at Comic-Con 2022 appeared first on Event Marketer.

Imagination and innovation reigned supreme at the 2022 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, where brands brought the themes to life through sprawling activations across the Croisette designed to entertain, educate and inspire the advertisers, marketers and creatives in attendance. A standout was Meta, sporting a (relatively) new name, and offering several immersive, metaverse-inspired activations, a vivid footprint and a fresh positioning as a fully experiential brand.

“We’ve had some pretty big changes over the last year,” Julie Hogan, Meta’s vp-global experiential and industry marketing told EM as we explored the activation on the ground. “Our experiences make up a huge component of how we represent Meta and how we want people to engage with our products and services.”

At this year’s festival, June 20-24, those experiences included a Reels SuperStudio, a Horizon Worlds experience via the Meta Quest headset; VR-driven immersive learning; a Ray-Ban Stories demo; and, for the first time, a showcase of WhatsApp’s tools for businesses (Agencies: Jack Morton; DeYan).

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Reels SuperStudio

The standout activation within Meta’s footprint was the Reels SuperStudio, a massive, indoor/outdoor studio space where attendees created video art using the different effects and features of Reels, Meta’s short-form video product. The structure’s rainbow-colored interior, designed by Argentinian-Spanish artist and popular Instagrammer Felipe Pantone, known for his use of bold colors, geometric patterns and graffiti art, served as the backdrop for the immersive videos.

Attendees watched tutorials and, with the help of a brand ambassador, paired Reel’s latest AR effects and transitions with their own movements. Inside the room and amidst Pantone’s “canvas,” users chose a storyline and then created short snippets that combined into a single narrative. Thanks to the vivid colors and geometric shapes of the artist’s designs, the effects made users appear to be walking directly into a wall and then emerging from it (see EM’s finished product below).

The space also incorporated self-tutorials, built into the studio’s exterior white walls, on how to make Reels shoppable with product tags in Instagram Live, Stories and Feed modes. On the way out, a “Tap to Shop” button released a free, Pantone-designed gift to take home. “This is a way for us to share how art and creativity are coming together through short-form video, which we believe is the future,” Hogan said.

The vision and long-term path for Meta is building the metaverse, Hogan said. But the creativity that Reels enables was a primary focus at Cannes. “We want to showcase the value for businesses and creators on our platforms. The Reels activation shows how creators are redefining the way art is brought to life and how you can reach new audiences and engage them and brands. Reels allows us to show the value today for businesses and brands on our platform, in addition to that vision for the future, which is the metaverse.”

Horizons Worlds 

At the second major activation at Meta Beach, Horizon Worlds, we donned a Meta Quest headset to check out Cloud Beach, a custom virtual world built specifically for Cannes Lions attendees. Our avatars—customized from an array of facial features, body types, skin colors, genders and outfits—could play volleyball, lounge in beach chairs or simply take in the scenic view, designed to look like the French Riviera.

Physically, we were alone with a Meta technician in a white-walled room while he guided us through the portal’s commands and helped us customize our avatars. But virtually, upon “arriving” at Cloud Beach, we were greeted by a guide who helped us maneuver the joystick, pick up objects, greet other avatars and send emoji bursts into the metaverse. If so inclined, attendees could also access other metaverse worlds via “portals,” such as Wendy’s Wendyverse, to get a sense of how brands are leveraging VR.

Back in the physical world, attendees could get a taste of additional branded metaverses debuting at the festival from Fender and MINI. Users could experience the worlds through AR technology as a way to tease the more expansive VR world that’s accessible with a headset.

Those worlds included the “Fender Stratoverse,” a guitar-shaped island surrounding by floating clouds, giant Fender guitar amps and floating planets. Users could participate in a co-play audio experience, create original riffs along with the community, collect sparkling, colored pics representing guitar chords, enjoy “air guitar zones,” participate in a scavenger hunt and explore the island.

Over in the MINIverse, players of a go-kart-like game could virtually maneuver MINIs around a track, create obstacles to flick off, block or speed up the vehicles, customize the cars with different colors and features, and compete with friends to reach the top of the leaderboard.

The Horizon Worlds activation transported attendees to Cloud Beach, a custom virtual world built specifically for Cannes.

Meta Immersive Learning

Moving on to the next headset-driven experience: Meta Immersive Learning, a showcase of a multi-year, $150 million program with universities and other educational partners to promote learning in virtual reality.

Attendees experienced a 10-minute sample of a VR world representing the international space station, created by Felix & Paul Studios, to demonstrate the possibilities of education through cutting-edge technology tools. At Cannes, space was limited, but the complete virtual application, we learned, might take place within a high-school gymnasium, where students could explore the world freely and learn about space, astronauts and other such details.

In another example of immersive learning adjacent to the VR station, we explored a free-standing, forest-themed build using our phones. Hovering over various prompts scattered throughout triggered AR filters, revealing educational tidbits about animals and trees in the forest.

Ray-Ban Stories

A collab with Ray-Ban included a demo of Meta’s smart glasses.

Beside the sprawling stage area where sessions took place throughout the week, festivalgoers tried out a Ray-Ban Stories activation, which demoed Meta’s first pair of smart glasses. Wearers took photos and video by either tapping the side of the frames or using the hands-free, voice command option to create content and share it directly to their social feeds. You could also listen to music and make phone calls, we learned, by using the command “Hey Facebook.”

WhatsApp

For the first time at its Cannes activation, Meta pushed WhatsApp as a resource for brands and businesses, specifically its messaging capabilities, that can be used to start conversations. Attendees could engage with the platform by scanning a QR code to reserve one of several cabanas for a meeting through its concierge function; interacting with a WhatsApp chat bot to order beverages to be delivered or receive information on the activation’s hours, session times and activities; and responding to questions about personal interests, which the bot then interpreted into a piece of digital, impressionist art.

Photo credit: Luke Hayes

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WEBTOON’s cat-headed characters performed everyday activities in the streets while hinting at the show’s more sinister plot line.

Digital comics platform WEBTOON’s series, “Everything is Fine,” is a dystopian, horror-genre story about a pair of catheads living in a seemingly normal world until it becomes apparent to viewers that everything is indeed not fine. To promote season two, WEBTOON on July 8 unleashed a cadre of characters donning giant catheads for a street marketing stunt in New York City to drive tune-in and create awareness for the webcomics platform that serves a wide range of comic genres, creators and fans.

The cat-headed characters performed innocuous activities throughout Washington Square Park in Manhattan and Bedford Avenue and Domino Park in Brooklyn, from completing chores, to taking part in a Tai-chi class, to walking a dog, and carrying boxes. Through a partnership with New York Cake Pops, cathead props were dispensed from an IRL replica of the comic’s tiny home. A QR code on a sticker on the back of each pop linked to the series.

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Throughout the day, props and other subtle additions to the scene helped pay homage to the plot line—that the catheads are being surveilled. The characters’ eyes would periodically turn red to mimic that surveillance theme; there were “sinister CCTV surveillance cameras” appearing around the characters; signage that read, “They are watching,” was placed in the characters’ paths; and stenciled messages on the street offered unsettling messages amid all this like, “The sun is shining.”

WEBTOON’s target for the stunt was as wide-ranging as its user base—about 75 percent of its users are Gen Z or millennials, with nearly 60 percent identifying as women, according to Jini Cho, director of digital and partnerships at WEBTOON.

Engaging creators and fans who haven’t “historically been prioritized by the industry” is a key objective within the brand’s marketing strategy. The platform “embraces a huge range of innovative styles and voices,” Cho says, from traditional superheroes and powers to slice-of-life anime to LGBTQ+ narratives and POC-focused storytelling to horror comics, like “Everything is Fine.”

“We’re in a unique moment where comics have never been more popular. Every time you turn on a streaming service, go into a bookstore, or head to the movies, you’re interacting with comics IP. Comics, webcomics, comic adaptations and comic lore are everywhere,” she says. “If you look beyond the MCU [Marvel Cinematic Universe] and mega-blockbusters, there’s an entirely new and thriving world of webcomics that millions of Gen Z around the world have fallen in love with. Experiential is one of the tools we’re using to showcase how much webcomics are the most exciting, diverse and original content on the planet.” Agency: Bankrobber. Content: Starfish. Fabrication and Logistics: Millwright.

View the Recap:

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The Cantinas were transformed into celebratory environments brimming with sequins and boas.

Social monitoring has shown a major overlap between the drag community and Taco Bell’s fan community. So when the fast food giant’s LGBTQ+ employee resource group suggested activating a classic drag brunch at one of its restaurants, the brand recognized an opportunity to both support its fans and make a lasting impact. And so a five-city brunch tour was born, offering attendees vibrant drag performances, an elevated version of cuisine from the $5 Bell Breakfast Box, ample bubbly, celebratory décor and an integrated partnership with It Gets Better, a nonprofit that aims to empower and connect LGBTQ+ youth. But how did the brand ensure the strategy would slay, you ask? Fasten your wig, honey. We’re taking you behind the scenes of the Taco Bell Drag Brunch Series.

The tour launched on May 1 at a Taco Bell Cantina in Las Vegas before hitting other Cantina locations in Chicago, Nashville and New York City, and wrapping in Ft. Lauderdale at the end of June. Each market was home to two shows, and reservations “sold out” in minutes, with members of Taco Bell’s loyalty program earning first dibs on the intimate events. For Taco Bell, flexibility was key to the overall success of the campaign, as the brand needed to maintain consistency across the program while working with different dimensions and floor plans at each restaurant. In Ft. Lauderdale, for instance, shows maxed out at 70 attendees, while in Nashville it was closer to 35, all based on the available space.

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Those lucky enough to score a seat at the brunch table were treated to performances by local drag queens, while brand partner Kay Sedia (See what she did there?) served as host across the events. The incorporation of local performers ensured that while the brunches felt cohesive, there was a different vibe in each location. Whether the queens focused on comedic entertainment or delivered live opera performances (yes, that actually happened in New York), they tapped into the local culture to add some hometown flair.

It was paramount that Taco Bell deliver a truly authentic drag brunch experience, similar to the ones many of its customers attend, so the brand was dedicated to incorporating customary drag brunch practices, like tipping performers. Design elements were also intentional, and included sequined walls, tables, chairs and stools, boas, mirror balls and drag brunch-inspired art. Even the brand’s Breakfast Boxes were enhanced to align with the program, each of them covered in gold glitter, lined with purple feathers and filled with relevant swag (think: branded folding fans and compact mirrors) as an homage to a drag queen’s jewelry and makeup box.

Implementing traditional drag brunch practices, including tipping queens like Pissi Myles, seen above, was key to the strategy.

“One of the things that we wanted to do from the very beginning was to not make it a Taco Bell-ified moment, but to lean into the actual drag shows that a lot of our attendees are used to, amplify those moments and build them into a Taco Bell,” says Matt Prince, head of marketing communications at Taco Bell. “It didn’t feel like it was a corporate event. It felt like it was an extension of some of the shows that maybe you’ve attended in the past, just in a different setting.”

It was also critical that the tour not be perceived as pandering or rainbow-washing, but rather as one component of the brand’s long-term strategy for supporting members of the LGBTQ+ community, plenty of whom are not only Taco Bell fans, but employees. The brand’s partnership with It Gets Better was essential to demonstrating that commitment, and at each drag brunch, dedicated time was set aside to spotlight the organization and provide attendees with information on how to get involved. Taco Bell also developed a grant for the nonprofit to help expand workforce readiness resources for LGBTQ+ youth. The partnership is slated to continue well through 2023.

“If you want to connect and impact a community, then you have to show up consistently and you have to show up as more than just a drop in the bucket,” says Prince. “I look forward to doing more types of events like this. Maybe not necessarily a tour, but continuing that relationship with the community and building it out in fun, different ways that are reflective of the things that they’re into and that we can help support.” Agency: Cyrano Rox.

See The Taco Bell Drag Brunch in Action:

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