FIVE THINGS TO KNOW THIS WEEK
This week’s hot takes on hot topics in experiential marketing cover pedal-powered mobile shops, colonial-themed commuter pop-ups and The Artifact.
ZICAM CHANNELS PAUL REVERE AT ITS POP-UP APOTHECARY
Halloween is spooky, but we can think of another reason this time of year feels chilling… Germ season is upon us. And to increase awareness of its early cold remedy in Boston, Zicam channeled the Midnight Rider himself, bringing its “Your Cold is Coming” campaign to life on Oct. 24 with a colonial-themed pop-up in Boston Common.
The Zicam Apothecary was built to turn heads in the high-traffic commuter hub with the promise of free hot cider, samples of Zicam Cold Remedy RapidMelts (formulated to shorten the illness when symptoms first start) and tips for reducing the length of a cold. The experience additionally included ambassadors dressed in traditionally colonial garb, and a real horse that added to the theme. And that’s how you make cold-season history.
Photo credit: Zicam
LIME PEDALS THROUGH CITIES WITH ITS MOBILE ‘MORE STORE’
How’s this for a relatable (and slightly depressing) fact: According to Lime, 60 percent of U.S. adults report that they’re too busy to enjoy life. With that stat in mind, the e-scooter- and e-bike-sharing company gave its fall campaign, More Life with Lime, a boost with The More Store.
The “store” was, in fact, a pedal-powered bodega installed on a bike that rolled through Denver, L.A., Seattle and Washington, D.C. this month, to dish out themed giveaways and demonstrate how Lime helps users spend less time getting to their destination, and more time enjoying it. In each locale, the brand also enlisted creators to join its team and serve as “clerks” to connect with the community and amplify the campaign.
Consumers who engaged with the mobile shop were in for a variety of surprise-and-delight gifts that reflected how Lime riders can get the most out of wherever they’re going. Think: Perfume for first dates, oversized bags for thrift-store shopping runs, bike “helmet hair” care kits to use before interviews, protective earplugs for concerts and key lime pies for family visits. Plus, anyone who stopped by could claim two free rides, and one lucky winner in each city walked away with 400 ride minutes. (Agency: Sense)
Photo credit: Lime
COMMUTERS AND GAMERS WORK TO SOLVE A SCI-FI MYSTERY IN REAL TIME
It’s been a moment or two since a hybrid activation grabbed our attention, so hats off to Alienware and Twitch for crashing into NYC’s Grand Central Terminal with an interactive spaceship pop-up that from Oct. 27–31engaged (and connected) commuters IRL and streamers and fans at home.
The activation centered around The Artifact, a mysterious vessel that landed at Grand Central and served as a portal to another dimension. Consumers’ mission, should they choose to accept it: To work together to stabilize the portal in real time—before it’s too late.
To participate, up to three people could enter The Artifact, where they encountered an interactive glyph-matching puzzle that had to be solved in a fast-paced setting to restore harmony as frost, smoke, pulses of light and sounds indicated the portal’s instability. But those on-site didn’t have to face the task alone. Millions of Twitch viewers could join the cause to restore the portal in real time via challenges that were led by top streamers.
Once players stabilized The Artifact, a glowing loot box appeared and unveiled Alienware prizes like headsets, keyboards and mice before sending them back through the portal to NYC. To boot, everyone left with a digital photo overlay as a souvenir. Kinda makes E.T. phoning home look like child’s play. (Read more about the hybrid strategy here.)
Photos: Courtesy of Alienware and Twitch
HIGHLANDS AND ISLANDS: THE GLENLIVET LAUNCHES ITS JAMAICA EDITION
For the launch of The Glenlivet 12 Year Old Jamaica Edition, the scotch brand went all in on fusing two distinct cultures through a VIP event at Flyfish Club in Manhattan that celebrated the first liquid in its new Beyond Speyside series.
The Oct. 20 event was hosted by Scottish actor and brand partner Thomas Doherty, featured bespoke cocktails and included a design motif that maintained the vision of Scottish-Jamaican fashion designer Nicholas Daley, who styled the broader launch campaign, and was in attendance.
Meanwhile, renowned chef DeVonn Charles Francis curated bites using flavors like coconut and pineapple in order to honor both “heritage and innovation” in his fare. And then there was the guided scotch-tasting experience that had attendees playing mixologist. Slàinte mhath! (Agency: 160over90)
Photo credit: The Glenlivet
AN ACE UP ITS SLEEVE? PAPAYA UNVEILS THE FIRST WORLD SOLITAIRE CHAMPIONSHIP
Just when you thought UNO’s social clubs were peak card-game experiential, Solitaire has entered the chat. The game has been around for over two centuries, making its way all the way from Napoleon’s card table to Microsoft’s Windows 3 operating system to, now, the first-ever World Solitaire Championship. The inaugural event, hosted by Papaya Gaming, creator of the Solitaire Cash mobile game, is slated to take place in February 2026 at the Temple House in Miami.
Participants from across the globe can earn one of 400 tournament slots by playing their cards right in qualifying competitions that will take place Nov. 3-23 on the Solitaire Cash app. Then, during the weekend-long competition, finalists will be flown in by Papaya for an all-expenses-paid trip, and a shot at winning up to $300,000 in prizes (the champion will take home $150,000). The overarching goal? To transform a game that was originally designed for solo play into a largescale, community-focused experience. You might say Papaya is holding all the aces.
Image credit: Papaya Gaming
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