Recently seen at intu… In a UK first, Mercedes Vans opened a 6 week pop up shop at intu Trafford Centre Manchester with TRO. An army of Storm Troopers arrived in Mercedes vans before performing on intu Trafford Centre’s stage to generate PR buzz at the launch of this fantastic activation.
Nintendo Switch worked with The Field to bring a highly interactive experience to 11 intu centres during Q4 2017. The experience gave thousands of customers the chance to try the fabulous Mario Kart and 1-2-Switch titles.
The Incredible Edibles Harriet Cramer caught up with some of the food wizards who can enshrine experience on the palate. Humans have an emotional connection with taste. If food were merely the sustenance we need to survive, we would not be so inclined to use it as a platform to treat ourselves, indulge our loved ones and celebrate. Brands hone in on our relationship with taste and flavour to shock, surprise, delight and connect with their audience, just turn to our news pages this issue for a round-up of recent examples. The entries to this year’s BE Connected Taste Sensation award all proved that cooking up an event where food and drink take centre stage can be the perfect way to engage with all five of our senses and truly immerse us in a brand and leave a positive lasting impression. As taste has taken centre stage so a greater degree of expertise is called upon. To follow the trend, I spoke with these fine food and drink maestros. Melanie Goldsmith, MD, Smith and Sinclair – Smith and Sinclair combine theatre and food to curate experiences for partners including Google and Topshop, as well as being the genius behind alcoholic pastilles and edible cocktails. Brad Smith, Founder, Whipsmiths – The wonderful Whipsmiths contraption brings nitrogen ice cream and flavour vapour to events – creating personalised ice cream while you wait. This and also their Kraken vapour was enjoyed by judges at our BE Connected Showroom in January. Meredith O’Shaughnessy, CEO & Wizard, The Meredith Collective – Creator of Ohlala macaroons, Pop-Up Queen Meredith works with brands including Whirlpool and Vivienne Westwood to bring creative and culinary delights to their guests. Emma Thomas AKA Miss Cakehead, is the brains behind some of the most talked about foodie stunts we have seen. The experiential PR specialist boasts impressive credentials for her edible artworks including work with Twiglets, Kraken and Fox.
Why does taste play such an important role in experiential campaigns?
Samsung’s eye-catching installation popped up at intu Eldon Square, intu Trafford Centre, intu Victoria Centre and intu Braehead in Q4 last year, showcasing an incredible array of technology. intu Experiences worked with Location Live to bring this to life at these regional super-centres.
Melanie Goldsmith - If a campaign can engage any isolated sense to a heightened level the experience will have a longer lasting effect on the memory. Taste is, to us, a fun one to play with as we rarely push our taste profiles to the limits. We often rely on sight and sound (through traditional models of
marketing.) When we produce experiential campaigns, what we’re always prioritising is a sense of awe and a reaction to the unknown, which we rarely get as adults and taste is a surefire way to provoke this reaction. Meredith O’Shaughnessy - An experiential event is one that is an experience, defined as “an event or occurrence which leaves an impression t
Coca Cola brought their Christmas truck to our destinations in Manchester, Bristol, Newcastle and Essex last Christmas, giving thousands of shoppers the chance to take selfies and project messages onto the iconic vehicle. intu were delighted to work with Haygarth who brought this to more of our sites than ever before.
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Spring 2018
Vaping and instant ice cream from Whipsmiths at BE Connected
Splento
Sony Playstation worked with Circle Agency to create an immersive experience for intu’s shoppers at intu Victoria Centre (Nottingham), intu Milton Keynes, Manchester Arndale, intu Eldon Square (Newcastle) and intu Braehead (Glasgow). Shoppers had the chance to try a variety of exciting titles including GT Sport VR and Superhot VR.