While government restrictions continue to significantly impact the events industry, TRO has shown that live events are still possible with their work on the recent BMW Group UK Showcase event.

Taking place prior to the national lockdown and in line with all government regulations, the media and influencer event – by invite only – welcomed more than 150 guests to Bicester Heritage Centre over 5 days in order to get hands on with the new 4 Series and the wider BMW and MINI range, including the 5 Series LCi, MINI Countryman LCi and MINI Electric.

The activity creatively brought together the BMW and MINI brands in a COVID-safe way through a series of themed spaces including BMW M Town, Electric City and MINI Downtown, which enabled the brands to communicate the product line-up in a distinctive and memorable way. Guests were also able to drive a wide range of cars on road routes as well as track and slalom activities.

With carefully constructed COVID protocols and a pre-defined journey, guests were able to enjoy a welcoming, safe and ultimately highly enjoyable experience, which was reflected in post-event feedback where 98% of guests scored 5/5 for feeling ‘completely safe’ and 95% of guests scored 5/5 for enjoying the event ‘very much’. The event had been designed with both safety and wow factor in mind right from the start, and both were achieved in equal measure.

Client Partner at TRO, Lucy Knill, commented: “It was so exciting to see how pleased all guests were to be able to come to a live event again, and how everyone respected all the COVID protocols that we asked them to follow with not a single word of complaint. This is also true of the large crew and supplier network involved, all of whom were so careful and respectful whilst still delivering an event which would have surpassed expectations even in ‘normal’ times, let alone mid-pandemic.”

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Brandwidth, the digital agency which specialises in providing practical innovation, has announced the launch of a new augmented reality experience for Toyota GB, which enables customers to ‘see inside’ the carmaker’s C-HR model.

The new Toyota Hybrid AR application uses AR technology and objective recognition software to overlay graphics of the inner workings of the Hybrid drivetrain onto physical vehicles, helping customers to gain a better understanding of how the system works.

The iPad app, which will be used in Toyota showrooms as well as at other locations including shopping centres and trade shows, brings to life the different drive states of the vehicle, showing how the various elements of the drivetrain interact with each other. By tapping on a drive state, such as ‘deceleration’ or ‘heavy acceleration’, customers can see which parts of the hybrid system are in use and how energy is passed between them.

The 3D experience also features a number of ‘hotspots’ which, when clicked on, enable customers to get in-depth information on key features of the system, such as the motor, battery and fuel tank.

Brandwidth worked with Toyota to develop the Hybrid AR app as part of an ongoing drive to educate the brand’s customers on hybrid technology and the benefits it offers.

The app currently supports the Toyota C-HR model, across all grades and colours.

Chris Wicks, Group Account Director, Brandwidth, said: “Toyota has always been a leader in automotive technology, selling hybrid cars for more than 20 years. Now, with the launch of the Hybrid AR app we’ve created, it’s breaking new ground in the use of AR to enhance customer experience in the car showroom. We’re delighted to have partnered with them on this exciting initiative – another great example of the innovative technology solutions we’re offering our clients.”

Stephen Duval, TCMS & Direct Marketing Manager, Toyota, said: “As pioneers in the hybrid space, we wanted to find a way to help our customers understand how hybrid technology works, and demonstrate the many benefits it offers. This innovative new AR experience, created in partnership with Brandwidth, brings the C-HR’s hybrid drivetrain to life in a simple yet highly engaging way.”

See the app in action here.

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Jaguar Land Rover is driving footfall to its stand at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed with a specially-commissioned exclusive digital Top Trumps App for Festival visitors, covering both the Jaguar and Land Rover marques.

The Jaguar Land Rover Top Trumps app is available for iOS and Android from July 9th, and players will be able to compete against each other for a ranking on a live leaderboard as well as the chance to win daily prizes including trip for two to the Ice Drive Academy in Sweden, including flights, tuition and luxury accommodation, year’s membership of a David Lloyd Club for two or £200 to spend in the Jaguar Land Rover boutique.

Visitors to the Festival will receive a Super Top Trumps card (a card that can be added to a Top Trumps pack) when they enter. This card will encourage them to go to the Top Trumps area situated within the JLR stand and download the app via Wi-Fi to receive their exclusive JLR pack of Top Trumps. They can also book test drives and order brochures, while JLR will use the opportunity to capture data on interested visitors.

The app has two games, a single player mode called the Goodwood Challenge and, a Multi-player Shootout.

The Goodwood Challenge will feature a live leader board, with the highest ranked players in line to win the daily prizes. Players will also have the opportunity of boosting their leader board scores by viewing JLR’s cars on the stand and in the paddock.

The Multi-player Shootout enables players to challenge other players randomly or by username.

JLR worked with the owner of the Top Trumps brand, games company Winning Moves, which owns IP rights to a number of classic games in the UK, Europe, South Africa, North America and Australasia. As well as owing the hugely popular Top Trumps brand, Winning Moves has a license from Hasbro which allows it to create special versions of games such as Monopoly, Cluedo, Trivial Pursuit, Connect 4 and Guess Who, which are often used in promotional campaigns. Winning Moves has worked with companies including Shell, Sky News, McDonald’s, Kerry Foods, Ferrero, Mirror Group Newspapers, Singapore Airlines, BMW, Peugeot, BT TV, Hovis, British Gas, Merlin Entertainment, Metro Group, Cadbury’s, Nestlé Purina, Coca-Cola and Weetabix.

Located alongside the Jaguar Land Rover stand will be Jaguar’s F-TYPE Drift Experience, allowing fans to see, hear and feel the raw performance of a Jaguar sports car drifting in the hands of a professional driver. The experience will be running throughout the show, accessed from the Jaguar Land Rover stand.

Jeremy Hicks, Jaguar Land Rover UK Managing Director, says: “This year at Goodwood Festival of Speed we’re celebrating everything that the modern Jaguar brand is about; stunning design, innovation, heritage and incredible performance. From F-PACE SVR roaring up the hill and F-TYPE on the drift track to the XJ50 and all-electric I-PACE on the Jaguar Land Rover stand, we’re looking forward to putting on an astonishing show for all Festival of Speed visitors.”

The 5.0-litre supercharged V8 F-PACE SVR will be tackling the Goodwood hillclimb at its UK debut, as will the most powerful Jaguar ever – the 600PS XE SV Project 8 and the Invictus GT4 Racing F-TYPE SVR. Festival of Speed visitors will also have their first opportunity to see the Jaguar XJ50, a special-edition model designed to celebrate 50 years of the iconic XJ saloon. The XJ50 will appear alongside Jaguar’s revolutionary new I-PACE all-electric SUV on the Jaguar Land Rover stand, as part of the brand’s largest ever presence at Festival of Speed. The company is also celebrating the 70th birthday of the Land Rover.

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Zipcar, the UK’s largest car club, is running a summer roadshow featuring the Zipcar Flex Challenge, offering consumers the chance to win free driving credit for a year from the car sharing brand.

The activation kicked off last week and will visit a range of events, shopping centres and train stations within the Zipcar Flex boroughs of Westminster, Hackney, Islington, Lewisham, Lambeth and Wandsworth. There will be 24 days of experiential activity between now and September.

Created by global brand experience agency Sense, the campaign will use the Zipcar Flex Challenge game to introduce consumers to Zipcar Flex and drive acquisitions to the service. Zipcar Flex was launched in July 2017 and is a one-way drive and drop service, which gives Londoners greater flexibility to get more out of their city and travel around London how they want to. Londoners within designated Zipzones can pick up and drop off cars wherever is convenient, using an app to identify available vehicles.

Zipcar members can choose between two options via the same Zipcar app: Zipcar Flex or the original Roundtrip service, which operates from dedicated on-street Car Club Only bays all across the city and which involves Londoners picking up and dropping off a Zipcar in the same location.

Garry Thornton, Senior Marketing Manager at Zipcar, says: “Experiential provides the perfect vehicle to spread the word about our new Zipcar Flex car service as it allows us to engage with Londoners directly in the numerous Zipcar boroughs.”

Jess McGillivray, Account Director at Sense, adds: “Our striking branded stand and team of Zipcar Flex brand ambassadors will be touring the Zipcar boroughs over the summer, inviting consumers to sign up to Zipcar Flex for the chance to win driving credit, whilst also showing them just how easy it is to get wheels when you want them.”

Zipcar is the world’s leading car-sharing network, operating in urban areas and university campuses in over 500 cities and towns across Belgium, Canada, France, Spain, Taiwan, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. Zipcar offers the most comprehensive, most convenient and most flexible car-sharing options available. It is a subsidiary of Avis Budget Group, Inc, a leading global provider of vehicle rental services.

With locations in London and New York, Sense is a multi-award winning brand experience agency working for clients including The Economist, Coca-Cola, Activision, Mars, Canon, Molson Coors, and Mattel. It won the IPM Awards 2017 Grand Prix for its #H2O activation, part of its ‘Discomfort Future’ campaign on behalf of The Economist.

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Global brand experience agency TRO has been appointed to deliver the UK national consumer launch of the new BMW X2, the automotive manufacturer’s Sports Activity Coupé (SAC).

Aimed at an adventurous target audience, TRO has devised a bold experiential campaign for the X2 launch, which sees a partnership between BMW and top urban climbing or bouldering centres across the UK.

Entitled the BMW X Climb, the roadshow campaign will appear in five locations nationwide over the next two months, each featuring integrated activations within the urban climbing centres. Activity in the respective venues culminates in the BMW X Night, which features key bouldering influencers performing demonstrations and tricks against a backdrop of lighting and UV projections – along with DJs from BMW’s Global Radio partnership.

Emily Latham, Experiential and Sports Marketing Executive at BMW UK, says: “The new BMW X2 is designed to allow people to go beyond the everyday commute and get adventurous. TRO demonstrated a deep understanding of the model’s target audience and has devised a campaign to really get under the skin of a whole new demographic. The campaign is an exciting precursor for our Snowbombing sponsorship, and we’re very much looking forward to engaging with consumers across the country.”

Laura Burroughs, Senior Account Manager at TRO observes: “We were incredibly energised by BMW’s exciting brief for its new X2. Our nationwide activity has experience at the very heart of it, and we hope to realise great brand affinity through a campaign that fully resonates. Previously reserved for expert rock climbers, younger audiences are now using bouldering centres as a social alternative to a gym, so we hope to reach consumers in a really effective way.”

The BMW X Climb activity runs from March 23rd to April 15th at bouldering centres in Sheffield, Bristol, Edinburgh, London and Newcastle.

TRO is a brand experience agency which creates immersive experiences which can incorporate live events, partnerships, retail and creative technology. TRO is an Omnicom Group company.

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Volvo Car UK marked the UK unveiling of the brand new XC40 with a simultaneous nationwide launch event last night (Thursday 22nd February) at around 100 retailers across the country, culminating in a prize draw with one winner driving home a Volvo XC40 R-Design.

Another 100 attendees won Harmon Kardon wireless sound sticks, to celebrate the state-of-the-art Harmon Kardon sound systems featured in the Volvo XC40

The event was created and delivered by experience agency TRO.

The event hospitality creative was centered on how simplifying and decluttering life can make people feel more fulfilled – much like Volvo’s products.

The XC40 is Volvo’s first ever premium compact SUV, and was recently named What Car? Car of the Year 2018, just four months after going on sale. It features much of the advanced connectivity, entertainment and safety technology found on Volvo’s larger XC60, S90, V90 and XC90 models.

Amy Lees, Product Marketing Manager at Volvo Car UK, said: “The XC40 represents Volvo’s progressive mindset and Swedish design creativity at its finest. We are incredibly proud of it, and wanted to celebrate the UK launch with our retail network at the very heart of the activity.”

Emma de Pfeiffer-Key, Account Director at TRO, adds: “It’s exciting to be so intrinsic to the UK reveal of such a fantastic product. The compact SUV segment is certainly a significant one, and we look forward to helping Volvo reach a whole new audience with this streamlined activity programme, driving footfall to retailers across the country.”

TRO, which was founded in the UK in 1982 as The Russell Organisation, is a global agency specializing in experiential and live marketing, events and retail. It is now an Omnicom Group company. TRO clients have included Nissan, BMW, Volvo, Lipton, British Airways, North Face and Guinness.

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Westfield London, more used to crowds of shoppers thronging its halls, was turned into a racetrack for a content marketing drive featuring DS Automobiles’ new electric car.

A film released by DS Automobiles shows Formula E racing driver Sam Bird taking the brand’s concept car for a secret after-hours spin inside Westfield London, marking the UK debut of the high-performance DS E-TENSE vehicle.

The behind-closed-doors footage shows Bird, a DS Virgin Racing driver and the third-highest all-time Formula E points scorer, behind the wheel of the all-electric vehicle. As the camera pans away it becomes clear he is driving indoors, past many of the high-street and high-end stores that call the major retail destination in White City home.

Westfield Brand Ventures, a division of the shopping centre operators which offers tailored propositions to brands to deliver consumer engagement throughout the retail journey, worked with DS Automobiles on arranging special permission for Bird to drive the DS E-TENSE indoors after closing time.

The footage was recorded at night inside Westfield London, soon to become Europe’s largest shopping centre when a £600 million Phase 2 expansion opens in March 2018.

Paul Buttigieg, Westfield’s Director of Operations, says: “We like to go the extra mile for our partners to help them create innovative content to drive awareness and sales. Giving a leading racing driver the green light to take a spin inside one of our centres was a real first but having built such a positive relationship with DS Automobiles over the past few years we wanted to help them create a standout moment to mark the UK debut of the DS E-TENSE, and the soon-to-be-launched DS 7 CROSSBACK.”

DS Automobiles has partnered with Westfield London since 2015, opening its flagship DS Urban Store in 2016. The digitally-enabled boutique concept invites visitors to explore the lifestyle of the Parisian-born brand at one of London’s premium shopping destinations.

Mark Blundell, UK Marketing Director at DS Automobiles, adds: “The avant-garde spirit of design present in every DS car aligns perfectly with some of the world’s most luxurious names in fashion located in Westfield London. This remains the perfect location for our brand and Westfield continues to help us find new and creative ways to engage an extremely high footfall audience.”

First unveiled at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, the DS E-TENSE concept car perfectly blends state-of-the-art technology and avant-garde design with unique styling. Fittingly, the model Bird can be seen driving in the film is an exclusive metallic ametrine green; the zero-emissions DS E-TENSE delivers propulsion that is clean, silent, efficient and powerful.

Westfield’s Brand Ventures works collaboratively with partners to maximise revenue and deliver an enhanced customer experience across its portfolio of physical and digital assets within Westfield London and Westfield Stratford City.

DS Automobiles is a luxury car marque which is part of Groupe PSA, which owns the Peugeot, Citroën, DS Automobiles, Opel and Vauxhall Motors brands. DS aims to revive the tradition of premium vehicles in the French automotive industry, perpetuating the values of innovation and distinction inherited from the first DS, launched in 1955. DS also supports year-round artistic and cultural activities based around fashion, design, art and gastronomy.

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Volvo Car UK is to bring a Scandinavian sanctuary to some of the UK’s busiest cities, offering locals a retreat from the stresses and strains of daily life.

Opening in Newcastle, Bristol, Norwich, Aberdeen and London in the coming weeks, the firm’s ‘Escape the City in your City’ pop-up studio will offer a selection of relaxing and complimentary sessions, including yoga, Swedish massage and meditation.

The studio first appeared on both Newcastle’s popular Grainger Street and Bristol’s Broadmead shopping district from August 11th-13th, and will then visit Aberdeen and Norwich before finishing in London’s Westfield shopping centre in Stratford from Friday August 25th-27th.

Experience agency TRO devised the campaign strategy and is also responsible for delivering the experiential activation.

Taking design cues from Scandinavian architecture to create a warm and intimate environment, the multifunctional space, designed by TRO, will also display Volvo’s long-awaited new XC60 premium SUV. With a beautifully designed, clutter-free cabin featuring natural materials and a 9-inch touchscreen, the XC60 will provide a relaxing and welcoming space for all its occupants, wherever the car may be.

For those who want a more hands-on experience of the new XC60, Volvo is also offering customers across the country the opportunity to discover the adventurous spirit of the new Volvo XC60 at a number of local, family-friendly off-road test drive events between August and September. Events start this weekend, and will take place in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire; York; Belfast; Falkirk; Hexham; Cannock Chase, Staffordshire; and Exeter.

Jon Wakefield, Managing Director, Volvo Car UK, says: “As a human-centric company, we want to reinforce the importance of taking time out of our busy schedules. Much like the interior of the new Volvo XC60, our pop-up studio will provide people with a calm, relaxing space to escape the rigours of city life.”

Nicky Morgan, Client Services Director at TRO, adds: “The long-awaited new XC60 is a significant model launch for the Volvo brand, and we’re delighted to be activating an experience which has people at its very core. The car is for discovering new places, meeting new people and experiencing life to the full – in the city and beyond, and we are passionate about bringing the product to life with a rich and engaging experience for consumers across the nation”.

More about the Escape the City tour and off-road test drive events, and to register for a place, visit www.volvocars.co.uk/EscapeTheCity. Participation in both events is completely free of charge.

TRO is a specialist experience agency, with over 400 people creating award-winning brand experiences from 16 offices in 11 countries across the world in Europe, Asia and Australia.

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Electric vehicle charging company Chargemaster has just opened the EV Centre, the UK’s first ever Electric Vehicle Experience Centre, in the centre:MK shopping mall.

The EV Centre is a multi-brand showroom which has been designed to offer impartial advice to shoppers. It is staffed by highly trained independent professionals whose brief is to educate and inspire people about the benefits of electric vehicles.

The retail division of experience agency TRO was responsible for the design, production and installation of the EV Experience Centre, which features a number of engaging touchpoints to enrich shoppers’ showroom experience.

Ben Taylor, Retail Director at TRO, comments: “We are delighted to be involved in such a ground-breaking project which has taken our expertise in experience into the permanent retail space. Through our knowledge of experience marketing we understand the power of immersive techniques to engage consumers and drive change and ultimately buying habits.  Our involvement from the design and production through to the installation has been delivered end-to-end by our in-house team.”

Chargemaster is responsible for the running and management of the store for its five-year duration. David Martell, Founder and CEO of Chargemaster, says: “Being part of such a high-profile and diverse project is very exciting for Chargemaster. The centre will be the first of its kind and we are sure it will pave the way for other cities to follow. We are looking forward to welcoming Milton Keynes shoppers and showing them everything that going electric has to offer.”

The ground-breaking EV Experience Centre was opened on July 20th 2017 by Jesse Norman MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Department of Transport. It was developed as part of Milton Keynes’ £9 million ‘Go Ultra Low’ Cities programme, which encourages the uptake of low emission vehicles, with a target of 23% of all car sales being electric or plug-in by 2021.

Founded in 1982, TRO is a global experiential event agency which is connects people and brands through memorable experiences. The agency offers in-house insights, strategy, creative, production, field staffing, digital/social/mobile and measurement departments and has 16 offices in 11 countries around the world.

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