IPM members N2O bring Beauty of Joseon’s heritage-led k-beauty credentials to life with immersive Westfield Stratford pop-up.

Easter Bank Holiday activation positioned one of the UK’s first Korean skincare brands as the standout choice in a saturated market.

Multi-award-winning creative brand experience agency N2O has partnered with Beauty of Joseon and delivered an experiential pop-up at Westfield Stratford City over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend (3^rd, 4^th and 6^th April), designed to cement the brand’s position as the number one K-Beauty choice for UK shoppers.

As the UK beauty market becomes increasingly saturated with Korean skincare brands, Beauty of Joseon – one of the first Korean brands to launch in the UK – doubled down on its heritage, efficacy and education credentials with a high-impact retail experience that blended culture, discovery and play.

The pop-up brought the brand’s story and full product range to life through themed zones. A bold gamification mechanic, inspired by a traditional Korean game of Yutnori, offered visitors the chance to win skincare prizes, and a separate product exploration area invited shoppers to explore and learn about the brand’s formulations through hands-on product experiences and expert-led education with Brand Ambassadors.

“The K-Beauty space has grown rapidly in the UK, and with that comes increased competition,” Clare James, Chief Commercial Officer at N2O. “Our role was to help Beauty of Joseon stand out not just visually, but strategically. We did this by celebrating its heritage as one of the first Korean skincare brands to enter the UK market, creating an experience that feels authentic, educational and culturally rooted to position the brand as the experts in an increasingly crowded category.”

Dongho Han, Team Manager at Beauty of Joseon, added: “This pop-up allowed us to showcase the depth of our range, our heritage and our commitment to effective, thoughtful skincare, all while creating a memorable and engaging experience over a key retail moment.”

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IPM Members Momentum Worldwide partner with Primark in dynamic new social experiment to challenge perceptions of the fashion brand.

London, 1st April 2026. Global experience agencyMomentum has partnered with Primark on an immersive social experiment that challenged perceptions of high-street fashion by creating a fictional premium fashion label to showcase the retailer’s new Spring womenswear range.

The immersive experience saw fashion enthusiasts invited to an elegant London townhouse on 19th –20th March for the debut collection of ‘Kim Parr’ – a fake brand created by Primark (the name itself an anagram of the retailer). Guests were stunned to discover that the premium-looking pieces they had been admiring were actually from the high-street chain, with items starting from just £12.

Jamie Davies, UK Executive Creative Director at Momentum, said: “This was an immersive theatre experience designed to strip away preconceptions and let the product speak for itself. By creating a fully believable premium fashion environment, we gave guests the space to engage genuinely with the quality and style of Primark’s Spring collection. The reveal moment was powerful: that shift from assumption to surprise perfectly captured the ‘Shockingly Chic’ campaign message.”

The activation forms part of Primark’s new Spring campaign ‘Shockingly Chic’, celebrating the ‘double-take’ moment of discovering elevated style at affordable prices.

Jermaine Lapwood, Director of Innovation at Primark, said: “Kim Parr was created to challenge perceptions in a playful way, tapping into that double-take moment when something looks high-end but is actually shockingly affordable. By removing the Primark name and allowing people to experience our collection in an unexpected destination, they could see our great style and quality first-hand, without preconceptions.”

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For two days only, Londoners will find themselves travelling through history and art. The ticket hall and escalators at Charing Cross, one of the capital’s busiest Tube stations, will be reimagined as “Haring Cross” – a striking pop-up tribute to Keith Haring, one of the world’s most celebrated artists, and his legendary collaboration with Absolut Vodka in the 1980s.

The activation marks the next chapter of the global Absolut Haring launch, turning the daily commute into a captivating and unexpected cultural experience. Stepping off the escalator, commuters, visitors and tourists will be greeted in the ticket hall by two original Absolut Vodka paintings by Haring from 1986, displayed in public for the very first time in the UK. These works once transformed Absolut’s apothecary-shaped bottle into an icon of the art world – and now return to the underground, where Haring’s energy first ignited.

• two original Absolut Vodka artworks by Keith Haring are on display to the public
• free posters depicting the artworks available at the two-day event
• the experience celebrates the recent launch of the Absolut Haring Artist-Edition bottle
• celebrating a shared belief that art is for everybody

Rooted in Haring’s belief that “art is for everybody”, visitors will also be able to take away a free poster depicting one of Haring’s paintings on display (while stocks last). This iconic piece of artwork, featuring its unmistakable red lines and dancing figures set against a bold yellow canvas, became an Absolut campaign classic in 1986. A must-see if you happen to be in London in mid-September, this one-off project transforms the hustle and bustle of underground ticket halls and escalators into ‘Haring Cross’ – an immersive space adorned with graphic elements inspired by Keith Haring, for everyone to enjoy.

Haring wanted to make art accessible to everyone. His paintings, subway chalk drawings and public murals – whether dancing figures or barking dogs – vibrated with energy while carrying a deeper meaning beneath their playful surface. Just as Haring used art to capture imaginations and explore universal truths, Absolut has always believed that art for all can inspire, uplift, unite and open minds. The Absolut Haring artworks on display serve as a visual reminder of Haring’s belief in creativity as a unifying force, celebrating the power of art to drive positive change.

Deb Dasgupta, VP Global Marketing, Absolut Vodka, says: “Absolut has always believed that art should be open, joyful and for everyone. Keith Haring’s work radiated that belief – full of energy, colour and hope. With Absolut Haring, we’re inviting a new generation to celebrate that spirit in a public space – in an underground station that reflects and connects to the subways that inspired Haring more than forty years ago. It’s a vibrant reminder that creativity can inspire, uplift, unite and open minds.”

The ‘Haring Cross’ event follows the launch of the Absolut Haring Artist-Edition bottle across global travel retail in July and, which will be available across 40 markets from September onwards. The Artist-Edition bottle’s design pulses with energy: a debossed rhythm of dancing figures brought to life in his signature blaze of reds and yellows, cut sharply against Absolut’s distinctive blue. Signed off with Haring’s unmistakable signature on the shrink sleeve, the result is a piece of 3D kinetic art that transforms the original painting into something you can hold, admire and toast with.

David Stark, founder and CEO of Artestar, the agency representing the Keith Haring Studio, says: “Our mission is to keep Keith Haring’s spirit alive by continuing to expand access to his art and the important messages within it. This project with Absolut revives a moment that meant so much to Keith. It’s a wonderful tribute that allows anyone to engage with this special story that started back in 1986.”

Absolut’s collaborations with many influential pop art artists can be traced to 1985, when Andy Warhol first painted Absolut’s bottle and Keith Haring became the second a year later. Over more than two decades, Absolut worked with more than 550 artists who created more than 850 works of art. Today, they form part of the renowned Absolut Art Collection housed at Spritmuseum in Stockholm.

Christer Mellstrand, Museum Director at Spritmuseum, says: “Since 2008, Spritmuseum has been the proud owner of the Absolut Art Collection – a treasure trove of art, or perhaps advertising? Visitors are thrilled to discover that behind many of Absolut’s classic advertising campaigns lie real artworks by renowned artists: paintings, sculptures, drawings and more. Only the paintings by Andy Warhol are, perhaps, more famous in the Collection than Haring’s. To this day, Haring’s energetic and celebratory imagery remains an unmistakable part of contemporary culture.”

Emma Strain, Customer Director at Transport for London (TfL), says: “The London Underground has a long-standing connection to the art world, so we’re delighted to work with Absolut to be able to host Keith Haring’s art at Charing Cross Tube station. Activations like this provide our customers with a new way to experience art in London.”

Visit the ‘Haring Cross’ experience at Charing Cross Tube station for two days only from 17-18 September. The Absolut Haring Artist-Edition bottle will be available across 40 markets, including the UK, for a limited time only. Please visit www.absolut.com/en-gb/products/absolut-haring/ for more info.

This activation with Transport for London (TfL) consists of Keith Haring vinyls throughout the ticket hall, license to use TfL’s IP to create bespoke roundels to be used within their creative advertising (only) and use of a retail unit to display original Keith Harings. Advertising within the station was booked through Global. It is not a renaming of the station and no customer signage has been changed as part of this activation.

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Retailwise, a new platform brought to you by leading SaaS specialists Staffwise, comes at a moment when UK marketing budgets are recovering and brands are doubling down on in-store activations. 

According to the IPA Bellwether Q2 2025 Report, a net balance of 5.5% of marketers increased spend, reversing a four-year low in Q1. While growth in experiential marketing eased slightly to 3.9% (down from 5.4%), it remains one of the few areas showing consistent investment, alongside sales promotions and direct marketing. 

This renewed confidence in experiential formats is being felt across retail. Shoppers are returning to physical spaces not just to buy, but to engage. And brands are responding with activations that are more immersive, more interactive, and more strategically designed to drive shopper engagement, influence purchase decisions, and extend reach beyond the store through social sharing and branded content.

Recent UK data highlights the scale of this shift:

• 88% of the population visited a retail destination in late 2024  
• Under-35s averaged 9.5 visits per month, driven by experiential formats 
• 85% of customers are more likely to spend in-store after attending an event 
• 73% say they spend more time and money in stores offering experiences 
• 77% of marketers now integrate experiential into their brand strategy  

With mainstream signals like Netflix formalising “Netflix House,” and the Financial Times putting immersive entertainment near £100bn in 2024 with strong growth expected by 2030. This reflects what many IPM members are seeing on the ground: a rise in in-store activations, sampling campaigns, and immersive merchandising. All of which depend on well-coordinated field teams.  

“We built Retailwise to solve very real industry challenges we saw our clients facing every day,” says Mark Waddington, Founder of Staffwise. “It’s about empowering agencies and brands with the tools to run smarter, faster, and more effective retail execution.”

Connecting Field Teams to Campaign Results 

Retailwise is designed to close the gap between the people delivering in-store campaigns and the systems used to measure their impact. Field teams are often managed separately from reporting tools, leaving brands with fragmented data and limited visibility.  
 
The platform brings together scheduling, onboarding, and real-time reporting into one streamlined system. Whether it’s a nationwide sampling tour or a series of tactical merchandising visits, agencies can now track who was on-site, what was delivered, and how it performed, all in one place. With budgets tight, spending becomes strategic and having access to a wealth of data and analytic helps underpin effective retail spending. 
 
In addition to it’s shelf-scanning tools, Retailwise also focuses on the people behind the campaigns  (brand ambassadors, merchandisers, and promotional teams) giving agencies visibility into attendance, activity, and outcomes. 

Smarter Retail Starts Here 

In a landscape where shopper expectations are rising and brand experiences matter more than ever, platforms like Retailwise are helping agencies and brands lead with confidence, clarity, and impact. Ready to see it in action? Visit retailwise.io or book a demo to explore how smarter retail execution starts here. 

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Global experiential agency Momentum Worldwide UK have created a new immersive music experience for Heathrow. Designed to help travellers relax and reset at the airport, the experience ranges from solo headphone moments to the shared thrill of live performances. By placing music at the heart of the airport journey, Heathrow is tuning the airport experience to a smoother rhythm.

Rooted in the emotional power of sound, Heathrow Sounds is a multi-year cultural journey that starts at the grassroots, tapping into UK music fan culture, emerging talent and local scenes.

Lee Boyle, Head of Terminals (Services) at Heathrow, comments: “As the best-connected airport in the world, Heathrow is where countless unforgettable journeys begin, and we’re always looking for new ways to make the airport experience more memorable. With Heathrow Sounds, we’re harnessing the emotional power of music to create moments of calm, joy and connection that stay with passengers long after take-off.”

“More than just sound, Heathrow Sounds is about bringing feeling back to travel —using music to create unexpected moments of curiosity, calm and emotion along the journey,” comments Georgina Pope, Senior Creative, Momentum Worldwide.

Along the way, the programme will celebrate the British festival season, showcase immersive mindfulness and create unexpected moments of connection across terminals.

The Soundtrack to a Year of Travel

Heathrow Sounds will unfold through a dynamic programme of activations across terminals and digital platforms, including:

Live Performers – Performances and surprise sets from emerging and established UK artists and performers.

Festival Season at Heathrow – Celebration of the summer music calendar with pop-ups, previews and performances.

Mindful Moments – Curated soundscapes to help travellers relax, refocus and recharge before their journey.

Whether it’s helping travellers feel grounded, soothed or energised, Heathrow Sounds harnesses music’s unique ability to tune us in to the moment and experience the world beyond the gate.

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Independent brand‑experience agency RPM has become an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT), handing majority ownership to the employees who “power the agency every day,” founder Hugh Robertson announced this week.

“Over 30 years ago, I started this agency with a simple idea: to stay independent, put people first, and create work we could all be proud of. I’m proud to say that RPM is now officially an Employee Ownership Trust.”— Hugh Robertson

Robertson founded RPM in 1993 and has led it ever since, guiding the business to B Corp certification and a reputation for experiential creativity. The new EOT structure protects that independence and formalises the agency’s long‑held belief in a people‑first culture.

RPM was among the UK’s first creative shops to earn B Corp certification in 2021 and continues to nurture future talent through partnerships with Creative Equals, Creative Lives in Progress and local schools.

The leadership team remains in place, while Robertson moves to a non‑executive chair role. He emphasised that it is “business as usual” for clients and partners, adding: “I have full confidence in what comes next.”

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Number one Italian cheese brand, Galbani is putting a cheesy twist on the UK’s favourite viral recipes with the launch of its pop-up Burrata Bar. Doors will open in Shoreditch on 4th July, with all ticket proceeds going to Anthony Nolan charity.

The bar, which has been created by Clarion Communications, will serve up a five-course tasting menu curated solely from trending TikTok dishes. It has been launched after research revealed Brits are binning the humble cookbook and nearly two-thirds (62 percent) are turning to TikTok for their recipe inspiration instead.

In a year when Burger Bowls, Marry Me Chicken, and Watermelon Burrata Salad lit up our feeds, nearly two in five Brits (38 percent) admitted they don’t even own a cookbook. With many saying they never actually use them (37 percent), find them too expensive (36 percent), too bulky to store (33 percent), or just a bit old-fashioned (22 percent).

The Burrata Bar, which is open to the public on 4^th and 5^th July 2025, is pulling out all the stops with a five-course feast dedicated to everyone’s favourite creamy cheese. From oozy Burrata Sandwiches and Baked Burrata to a zingy Strawberry and ‘cream’ Salad, crispy fried Golden Burrata, and even gooey Burrata S’mores – it’s a cheese-lover’s dream come true. And with one in five (20 percent) modern Brits saying burrata gets them genuinely excited, Galbani is speaking the nation’s love language.

It is expected that the pop-up event will drive further demand for Galbani Burrata – which is currently performing well within the market, representing more than a third (33%) of the total burrata market and growing +7.5% value sales year on year[i].

“We’re not just dishing up food, we’re creating an experience made for sharing,” says Heloise Le-Norcy Trott, Marketing Director Lactalis UK&I “Our menu’s all about the dishes people are already loving online, swapping with friends, and craving at home – now with a gourmet twist. Burrata is the star of the show, but it’s that classic Italian vibe of sharing great food with great company that makes the Burrata Bar special.”

Galbani worked in collaboration with Clarion Communications and their events partner Hopper to bring this exciting concept to life, blending culinary innovation with strategic communications to create a truly memorable and shareable brand experience.

Tickets are available here now for The Galbani Viral Burrata Bar, which will be open to the public on 4^th and 5^th July at 133 Bethnal Green Road, E2 7DG. Each ticket will secure a welcome drink and a five-course tasting menu, with all ticket sales proceeds being donated to Anthony Nolan charity. Some walk-ins will be available on the day.

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Award-winning brand experience agency, N2O, is delivering a two-week tour of the nation where consumers can nominate local heroes.

Launched in Southampton on June 6^th, the experiential campaign invites the public to nominate their local heroes via written messages at a bespoke, interactive stand. The activation will visit key cities, including Edinburgh, Birmingham, Belfast, Liverpool, and Cardiff, before returning to Southampton.

The activation will amplify P&O Cruises partnership with the Pride of Britain Awards, reinforcing the brand’s purpose-led positioning and celebrating a decade of Britannia. It also marks a strategic milestone in P&O Cruises- partnership of both the Pride of Britain and Pride of Scotland Awards, bringing the campaign off-screen and into communities through meaningful, brand-aligned engagement.

“We’re proud to support P&O Cruises in shining a spotlight on everyday heroes through this powerful, nationwide experience,” said James Brine, Account Director at N2O. “By bringing the Pride of Britain Awards into communities around the UK, we’re giving people a chance to celebrate the extraordinary acts of kindness and courage that often go unseen—and creating truly memorable moments in the process.”

P&O Cruises vice president of sales, marketing and brand Rob Scott said, “Celebrating remarkable people is at the heart of our partnership with the Pride of Britain Awards. Through this UK-wide tour, we’re thrilled to bring that spirit to life in communities across the country, honouring everyday heroes and inviting the public to share the stories that truly inspire us.”

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London, June 9, 2025 – Global experiential agency Momentum Worldwide is excited to announce the appointment of James Cahill as UK Commerce Creative Director for its growing UK Commerce Practice.

James Cahill brings over 20 years of creative experience spanning FMCG, fashion and music industries. He has collaborated with some of the world’s leading brands, including Nike, Rolls-Royce, ASOS, Bacardi and Coca-Cola.

Over the past five years, Cahill has transitioned from agency-side roles to in-house leadership, leading creative teams and helping brands define their unique voices while delivering cohesive narratives that resonate with their audiences.

Cahill shared, “I’m thrilled to join Momentum as UK Commerce Creative Director at such a pivotal time in the growth of its Experiential Commerce Practice. As the lines between brand, experience and transaction continue to blur, I’m excited to help shape innovative, human-centred solutions that drive business and resonate with today’s consumers.”

UK Executive Creative Director,  Jamie Davies at Momentum Worldwide added, “I’m incredibly excited to have James join the creative team here. He brings with him a wealth of big brand, big idea thinking, both in house and agency side, and of course has impeccable commerce credentials to turbo-charge and lead this vital element of our creative offering.”

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Experiential marketing agency, TRO, has been chosen by leading outdoor apparel company, Arc’teryx, to create an unforgettable three-day experience for the UK’s climbing community.

The Arc’teryx Climb Academy Lake District will take place from 24 – 26 May in the scenic Langdale Valley. This one-of-a-kind experience – part of the brand’s global Arc’teryx Academy series – aims to immerse participants in the vibrant UK climbing culture and provide a space for mountain enthusiasts of all levels to advance their skills.

Attendees will take part in various activities, including clinics led by word-class guides and athletes that will empower and educate participants in the unique Lake District landscape, be it through climbing, trail running or bouldering.

Basecamp at Sticklebarn will be in full flow throughout the weekend, serving as the experience’s central hub, where climbers can test the latest Arc’teryx apparel, repair gear at the ReBIRD™ circularity pop-up and experience a weekend of free events.

Each day will culminate in a relaxed atmosphere where participants can refuel and reconnect over live music and film screenings.

Chris Booker, New Business and Marketing Director, TRO, said: “With their commitment to community participation, innovation and circularity, Arc’teryx is really leading the way when it comes to brand experience. From our first conversation, it’s been clear that we really share a vision and philosophy, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to have been appointed to support them on their journey.”

Tim Harty, Senior Manager Brand Experience, Arc’teryx, added: “We’re thrilled to have TRO on board ahead of the 5th edition of the Lake District Academy—an event designed to connect, inspire, and empower the UK climbing community. Together, with TRO’s production expertise and shared values, we’re excited to deepen the experience for the incredible community at the core of this unique event.”

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