N2O unlocks exclusive brand access to THE UK’s first experiential Manchester Pride Village.

Exclusive access via N2O for brands to activate within Manchester Village Pride 2026, as the event launches the UK’s first-ever experiential Pride village

Multi-award-winning creative brand experience agency, N2O, has secured exclusive access for brands to activate at Manchester Village Pride – a newly established, community-led initiative designed to protect and rebuild Pride following the collapse of the previous organisation. Led by unpaid volunteer directors and backed by investment from local LGBTQ+ venues, the event puts community, inclusivity and reinvestment at its core.

Working with Horlock House, a specialist in brand partnerships within LGBTQ+ culture, N2O will put brands at the centre of the celebration, which sits Manchester’s iconic Gay Village – long recognised as one of the UK’s most important LGBTQ+ cultural destinations. For 2026, the Village will evolve into a curated experiential environment, with N2O holding the key to unlock limited, high-impact brand activations within the space.

This marks the first time brands have been able to engage audiences experientially within the Village itself during Pride, and is set to place them directly inside four days of programming across the August Bank Holiday weekend, including performances, nightlife, community showcases and the city’s Pride Parade.

Jack Horlock, Cultural Partnerships Director at N2O, said:

“This is a genuinely unique moment. The Village is the beating heart of Pride in Manchester, and for the first time, brands can be part of that in a way that feels authentic, creative and impactful. We are offering a rare opportunity for brands to show up at the cultural heart of one of the country’s most significant LGBTQ+ celebrations.”

“Unlike traditional sponsorship routes, access to the experiential village is intentionally restricted, ensuring that brand presence enhances rather than disrupts the authenticity of Pride. The result is a premium, high-demand opportunity for brands looking to connect meaningfully with LGBTQ+ audiences in a culturally relevant setting.”

“We’ve worked closely with Manchester Village Pride to create something that protects the integrity of the event while opening the door for brands to show up properly. It’s not mass sponsorship, but carefully curated, and limited-access. That’s what makes it so powerful, and why it’s a do-not-miss opportunity for brands this year”, he continued.

Andrew Underwood, Co-Director at Manchester Village Pride added: “Bringing Pride back to the Village is about more than location, it’s about restoring ownership to the community.”

“Partnering with N2O allows us to introduce brands in a way that aligns with our values and enhances the experience, rather than detracting from it. This approach brings new energy and investment into the Village while keeping Pride rooted in the people and spaces that made it what it is,” he continued.

With the Gay Village operating as a large-scale live event space across Pride weekend – including outdoor stages, performances and activations – the experiential village offers brands a rare chance to engage audiences at scale, in an environment defined by openness, celebration and cultural relevance.

With limited space and strong early interest, brands are being encouraged to secure access now. Contact: jack.horlock@n2o.co.uk

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IPM Members Zappit are proud to announce new platform rezolvecx.com establishing Compensation as a Service as a new customer care category.

For years, complaint resolution has been manual, slow and expensive. Compensation as a Service changes that, enabling brands to resolve consumer product complaints instantly through secure, managed digital payments delivered in seconds.

The platform enables brands to issue digital goodwill payments within defined financial guardrails, turning reactive complaint spend into a controlled and measurable engagement channel.

Already deployed across the UK and Europe with brands including Unilever, Colgate, Fever-Tree and BOL Foods, Rezolve operates at both SME and enterprise level.

“Moving to digital vouchers has completely simplified our current process. It’s quicker, easier, and fits how we work today especially with more of us working remotely. The team have been great – collaborative, responsive, and always open to feedback and quick to find solutions when we’ve needed them. It just feels like a much more modern, simple way of working now.”
Sarah Samtani – Consumer Care Manager, Organix

“Working with the team at Rezolve is great. The level of service and attention we receive is excellent – the team is so responsive, professional, and clear in their communications. The platform itself is so incredibly intuitive, which makes it easy for new agents to get up to speed quickly. It streamlines our consumer care process and helps us respond to queries faster and more effectively than ever. Rezolve has become an integral part of how we strive to deliver great service.”
Nika Bureick – Consumer Experience Capabilities Expert Germany, ABInBev

How does it work?

While brands invest heavily in incentives and loyalty programmes, complaint-related compensation has remained manual and inefficient.

Rezolve enables organisations to:

• Issue compensation via instant at-till redemption, cashback or direct payout
• Distributed digitally in seconds – zero P&P costs
• Reduced cost per resolution and driving significant time savings
• Capture structured consumer insight
• Drive retention and increase lifetime value

In effect, Compensation as a Service formalises complaint spend as a measurable,
performance-driven channel. “Compensation has historically been treated as an administrative task,” said Mark Fraser, Founder of Rezolve. “Yet it represents significant spend. Compensation as a Service brings speed, structure and accountability to that spend, turning complaint handling into a strategic revenue lever.”

Rezolve positions Compensation as a Service as a core component of modern consumer
engagement infrastructure.

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Expanding PrettyGreen’s integrated communications service offering with AI-enabled Paid Social, Search and Content Marketing 

LONDON: PrettyGreen – the Global Fame Making agency, has acquired performance marketing business, PinPoint Media as part of the agency’s long-term growth strategy. 

PrettyGreen now holds the majority stake in PinPoint Media while founder Oliver Bruce retains a meaningful shareholding and continues to lead the agency as CEO. 

The acquisition of PinPoint Media, for an undisclosed sum, expands PrettyGreen’s integrated communications offering, adding AI-enabled Paid Social, Paid Search and Content Marketing to its existing capabilities across PR, Influencer, Social, Experiential and Production.  The partnership unlocks exciting new opportunities for both businesses, teams and clients.

Announcing the deal Mark Stringer, Founder & Group Chair at PrettyGreen said: “This acquisition is a clear signal of our intent to back ambitious, Founder-led agencies that are redefining how marketing, performance and creative are delivered. Oli and the Team at PinPoint Media exemplify the type of business we want to embark on new adventures with, as we execute our buy-and-build strategy.” 

Jessica Hargreaves Paczek, Group CEO at PrettyGreen commented: “Building on our best year in 2025 (when Mummy Pig broke the internet and we won over 30 awards!) we continue to focus on evolving and futureproofing our ability to deliver global fame-making campaigns for clients. This partnership brings together businesses with a shared belief in independence, outstanding performance and craft for the benefit of our clients and team.” 

Oliver Bruce, Founder CEO at PinPoint Media, added: “Joining PrettyGreen marks the beginning of a new chapter for our agency.  Their commitment to creativity, innovation and entrepreneurialism is deeply compelling, and will enable continued growth for our teams, greater access to talent for our clients, and an exciting opportunity to scale internationally.  We are looking forward to playing our part in global fame making.” 

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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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“Win a Taste of the South West” bottles Cornish heritage, foodie fandom, and a dash of instant‑win theatre, creating a campaign as packed with flavour as the IPA itself. Tasked with boosting brand awareness and driving rate of sale, IPM member Activation has crafted a standout promotion that spans both on‑ and off‑trade and speaks directly to Proper Job drinkers’ passions and personalities.

Proper Job drinkers do not sip; they savour. They seek out bold experiences, genuine craft, and big flavours. Audience insights revealed that gastronomy was the perfect playground for these flavour chasers. Brewed in Cornwall, Proper Job already has deep roots in the South West. With a wealth of top‑tier foodie destinations nearby, Activation saw the ideal way to celebrate the beer’s provenance and give food‑loving consumers a prize they could truly relish. Thus, Win a Taste of the South West was born.

A Tour of the Taste Buds

The headline reward puts the power in the winner’s hands: a long‑weekend culinary escape of their choosing. Whether it is seafood mastery with Rick Stein in Padstow, coast‑to‑table flair with Mark Hix in Lyme Regis, Michelin‑level technique from Josh Eggleton near Bristol, artisan baking with Richard Bertinet in Bath, or field‑to‑fork feasting at Hugh Fearnley‑Whittingstall’s River Cottage in Axminster, the choice is theirs. Four‑star accommodation, hearty breakfasts, a generous food‑and‑travel allowance, and an ice‑cold Proper Job to toast each day complete the personalised flavour journey.

Instant Wins That Keep the Flavour Flowing

Even if the grand getaway sails past, the fizz hardly fades. Flame‑ready Mesa firepits, chef‑sharp Pareusi knives and Proper Job e‑vouchers can all be won instantly, each one flashing up the second a code is entered on Activation’s bespoke Promotor microsite.

Joining the draw is refreshingly simple. Shoppers pick up the limited‑edition four‑can pack in store or order a branded pint in participating pubs, upload the unique code at properwin.co.uk, and let fortune pour. From hop to hotplate, Activation has turned every sip into a story and every code into a passport to personalised South West flavour: a Proper Job, done properly.

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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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How do you reward the hands-on, get-it-done spirit of The Woodsman Whisky’s drinkers? That was the challenge Activation set out to solve with the Doers Draw, a disruptive new on-pack promotion and shopper campaign designed to bring the brand’s craft, character, and soul to life at the point of purchase.

Running across Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons and Co-op, the campaign taps into the world of the Doers. This is a community of adventurous, practical individuals who value craft, camaraderie, and the satisfaction of a job well done. Whether it’s a DIY weekend project, a BBQ with mates, or some quiet shed tinkering, this audience is united by a love of making, doing, and sharing.

Win Like a Woodsman

Shoppers are offered the chance to win daily prizes, all drawn from the Woodsman world. From Leatherman tools and Timberland boots to backpacks, gilets, and camping gear, each prize has been chosen with this audience in mind. At the centre of the promotion sits a standout grand prize: a bespoke gas fire pit made from a whisky barrel, handcrafted by Scottish maker Barrel Built Designs. It’s a reward that’s personal, practical, and proudly displayable, perfect for the next garden gathering.

The activation was developed by shopper marketing specialists Activation. Building on The Woodsman’s ATL campaign tone, it takes a shopper-first approach full of charm and character. From bold “Doers Draw” messaging like “Win a prize from the barrel”, to rustic POS and a mobile-first microsite, every detail is designed to resonate with the Woodsman drinker.

This is a campaign that doesn’t just speak to its audience. It reflects them. And when the job’s done, there’s a fire pit waiting, a dram poured, and a moment to enjoy what’s been earned.

For the full story from the team behind the campaign, read Activation’s blog here.

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