Building on its successful brand activations in Sheffield, Birmingham and Dublin last year, beer brand Coors Light has been giving Glaswegians the chance to sample “ultimate refreshment” by taking the Ice Cave from its TV ads to the Scottish city, to coincide with a number of other events.

The Jean Claude Van Damme-led TV campaign was brought to life in Glasgow from May 19-28, transporting locals into an atmospheric ‘Arctic raver’ underworld designed by celebrated architect Zaha Hadid. Upcoming DJs were on hand to spin the latest sounds in association with Mixmag, while Coors Light was on tap.

Met by Coors brand ambassadors dressed in full winter gear as if fresh from the Rocky Mountains, Ice Cave guests were equipped with thermal capes designed to keep them warm in the freezing temperatures. Revellers could then ‘chill’ with a refreshing can, pint or sample a range of branded Coors cocktails.

Ali Pickering, VP Global Miller Brands at Molson Coors, said: “For Coors Light, it’s not just about delivering refreshing, great tasting beer, but ensuring we consistently engage consumers with incredibly unique experiences that they’ll never forget, and on that front, the Coors Light Ice Cave certainly delivers.”

Joanna Wharton, Senior Account Manager at ‘real world’ marketing agency Sense, which is running the campaign says: “The aim is to provide an unforgettable experience that captures the fun and energy of the brand by creating the best possible atmosphere to enjoy an ice cold Coors Light. It’s also a great place to discover local talent and up and coming artists.

The Coors Light Ice Cave ran alongside Glasgow’s Electric Frog & Pressure Riverside Festival, a celebration of electronic music. Other events coinciding with the Ice Cave’s Glasgow residency include the Scottish Boat Race (May 20) and the Food Truck Festival (May 20-21). There was also a collaboration with Glasgow’s SubClub.

Admission was free and could be booked at coorslight.co.uk/icecave, but tickets had to be booked in advance.

The Coors Light Ice Cave will also visit Manchester later in the year.

Sense is an award-winning marketing agency that specialises in helping brands do exciting things in the real world, to create authentic communications across the marketing spectrum. It manages campaigns from strategy to evaluation.

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Blackjack Promotions, one of Europe’s leading airport staffing, travel retail and experiential marketing agencies, has promoted two members of its team to senior positions – both within a year of joining the business.

Andy DeVito has been appointed Head of Experiential while Fiona Tindall becomes Head of Domestic Retail.

DeVito returned to Blackjack last year as Account Director. He has extensive experience in travel retail marketing, having joined Blackjack initially in 2010, leaving four years later, but returning to the fold to focus on the integration of creative, design, planning and logistics, along with the agency’s award-winning staffing service. In his new role as Head of Experiential, DeVito will continue to oversee this work, while also managing Blackjack’s entire experiential operation.

“Experiential activations are a key part of the overall marketing mix and with more and more new exciting technology coming to market, the potential for brands is incredible,” said DeVito. “This is a fantastic opportunity and I’m truly relishing the challenge to drive our experiential activity forward.”

Previously working on the expansion of Local Market Retail at Blackjack in her role as Account Director, Tindall also joined the business in 2016 from World Duty Free, where she was Customer Service Manager at Heathrow Terminal 5.

In her newly-created role as Head of Domestic Retail, Tindall will draw on her considerable retail expertise, which includes working for leading fashion retailer Gap, to oversee the growth of Blackjack’s Domestic Retail division.

Tindall was recently accepted on the IPM’s 30 under 30 scheme, a year-long programme designed and delivered to enable personal and career development for the best emerging talent in the promotional marketing industry.

“Retail is my passion and being promoted to head up our domestic team is a dream come true,” said Tindall. “Using my extensive experience in this space, the new division will focus on securing new retail contracts and working in collaboration with Andy and the experiential team to deliver exceptional events and experiences for our clients.”

Sally Alington, Managing Director, Blackjack Promotions, said: “I’m delighted to be able to acknowledge Andy and Fiona for their fine work since joining Blackjack. The appointments show the depth of talent we enjoy across the business. I wish them both every success in their new roles.”

Blackjack Promotions is the leading staffing solutions, travel retail and experiential specialist, with operations in the UK and the Middle East. Its core service offering falls under three headings: travel retail, experiential and logistics. It also works hand-in-hand with agency partners and media owners using its experiential expertise to bring brands and briefs to life.

The company was founded in 1995 and acquired by OmniServ Limited, the European division of Air Serv Corporation, owned by ABM, in 2013. Blackjack is a member of the Airport Promotion Agencies (APA), of which Blackjack MD Sally Alington is joint-chairman, and the Institute of Promotional Marketing (IPM).

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Experiential marketing group BEcause has expanded its reach into Ireland by joining with Dublin-based agency Imagine. The new partnership will see Imagine rebranded as BEcause Ireland from October 17th 2016.

BEcause has been established for more than 20 years in the UK and currently works with 15 of the world’s top 100 global brands to deliver award-winning work spanning all areas of brand experience. Major clients include the likes of Heineken, General Mills, British Gas and the UK Government.

Founded in 2005, Imagine is run by brothers Jonny and Paddy Davis. The agency currently works with a wide range of technology, automotive and FMCG clients on a mix of consumer and corporate events, and employee brand experiences. The agency has worked for clients including Renault, Dropbox, Deliveroo, Glanbia and NIVEA.

The new partnership will see the two agencies combine their strengths under the new BEcause Ireland brand, bringing together Imagine’s experienced local team and skillset with BEcause’s established practices and global network.

The move into Ireland strengthens BEcause’s position as a global brand experience specialist. It also gives the Dublin agency expertise in new Virtual Reality (VR) technology, based on BEcause’s success using VR to deliver high-profile campaigns for brands including Continental Tyres, Boursin and WWF-UK.

Sharon Richey, CEO at Because says: “We’ve been looking for like-minded partners to join the BEcause group since the start of 2016, and Imagine is everything we set out to find. There is a hugely tangible value exchange to be found in global independent agencies working together, making the most of each other’s strengths and different attributes. Working with like-minded founders is inspiring, and this partnership will be hugely beneficial to both parties and, most importantly, to our respective clients.”

Jonny Davis observes: “A partnership with BEcause is a perfect fit for us; we are culturally compatible, with shared passions and the same belief systems and values. We’re already working closely with the UK team on several live pitch opportunities, and we’re proud to be joining this growing global experiential network. We believe this move will allow us to deliver even bigger and better brand experiences for our clients.”

BEcause is looking for other partners across the globe to join its group, Richey says. “We are happy to share our creative assets, tools and working ways with the right agencies; those with similar values and DNA, and who want to leverage off the benefits of a networked group and fast track their growth,” adds Sharon Richey. “We are seeing a lot of real interest in our offering, and are currently in close talks with a host of potential international partners.”

To mark the new partnership, BEcause Ireland will be hosting its first experiential marketing masterclass for Irish-based brand marketers at The Marker Hotel in Dublin next month. More information and registration details can be found at www.becausexm.com/ire-masterclass-nov-2016

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Event and experiential agency TRO is again working on Volvo Cars’ brand sponsorship at UK festivals across the summer and autumn 2016.

Building on the success Volvo achieved with its festival programme last year, the Swedish automotive brand has already featured at Camp Bestival for the second year and will be appearing at Festival No.6 for the third year running.

For Camp Bestival at Dorset’s Lulworth Castle (which ran from 28th to 31st July 2016) TRO created an experiential activation called ‘Fika by Volvo Cars’, a Scandinavian hideaway which provided a unique experience for kids and parents alike. Fika is a concept in Swedish culture where people take a break out of their busy schedules. There were free kids craft activity sessions running throughout the day, while adults were offered complimentary refreshments and sweet treats.

With 70% ABC1 families, TRO says Camp Bestival’s audience profile was ideal for Volvo, offering perfect brand alignment with adventurous families and outdoor living. To help families kick off their festival experience in style and comfort, Volvo also ran a free shuttle service for those staying in Camping Plus.

Set in the village of Portmeirion and taking its name and inspiration from cult 1960s TV series, The Prisoner, Festival No.6 takes place from 1st to 4th September 2016. Appealing to well-travelled professionals, TRO has created a Swedish Spa experience for Boutique Camping customers, offering luxury wood burning hot tubs for glampers to relax and recharge. Volvo will also be offering a handy Park & Ride shuttle service.

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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Hendrick’s Gin is offering London commuters the chance to drink a selection of cocktails and enjoy a cucumber macaron as they tour London in a classic Routemaster double-decker bus painted to represent a cucumber.

The activation is part of the brand’s “Ministry of marginally superior transport” campaign, which launched three weeks’ ago with a film on the brand’s YouTube channel.

The bus has been named H.E.R.B.E.R.T. – which stands for “Hendrick’s extraordinary roving bus for exceptionally refined travel” and the “curiously unconventional service” started on July 21st 2016 and runs until July 29th (except Monday 25th) The bus collects passengers from Victoria Street (Westminster), Southbank, Theobalds Road (Holborn) or Euston Road, (Kings Cross). Entry is by pre-booked ticket only, and the fare is £2.50 (although a visit to the website suggests tickets are sold out)

UK commuters are being invited to share their travel problems or triumphs via the Hendrick’s UK Facebook and Twitter, using #HendricksMinistry. The best – and worst – stories receive either a personalised message from the Ministry or a “delightfully different” gift from Hendrick’s gift.

Sam Bovill, Hendrick’s brand manager, said: “The campaign is aimed at bringing moments of delight and peculiar humour to the otherwise everyday, mundane task of commuting.”

Hendrick’s Gin, which has won multiple awards, was launched by William Grant & Sons in 1999. In addition to traditional juniper infusion, Hendrick’s also includes Bulgarian rose and cucumber as flavourings. It comes bottled in an old fashioned dark brown bottle like you would find in Victorian chemists.

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Budweiser has announced a three-year global partnership with Belgian festival Tomorrowland, one of the largest international electronic music festivals in the world, as part of the beer brand’s collaboration with iconic Dutch DJ and producer Tiësto.

For its UK summer campaign, Budweiser is taking some lucky fans on an exclusive Journey to Tomorrowland – giving them the opportunity to travel to the festival and enjoy a series of new and unique music experiences once there.

The partnerships with Tomorrowland and Tiësto will bring to life Budweiser’s ambition to shape the future of music and bring people together through authentic and unique events, performances and promotions for music lovers.

Budweiser’s collaboration with Tiësto will include the release of an exclusive track by Tiësto feat. JAUZ called ‘Infected’, inspired by the transformation music lovers go through when they are immersed by the energy of experiences like Tomorrowland.

The song was released on all platforms on July 15th 2016 and is being accompanied by an original music video to be released in the days leading up to the festival. The production of the track marks Budweiser’s second year for its partnership with Tiësto, one of the world’s best known DJs.

To support its partnership with Tomorrowland in the UK, Budweiser has been running a nationwide competition through its online portal and press promotions, offering music lovers the chance to join the Budweiser tour bus as it journeys to Tomorrowland.

Budweiser guests will experience the festival at its most magical, including travelling to the festival on the Budweiser bus, staying in DreamLodge accommodation in the DreamVille area, and enjoying a range of experiences at the festival.

Budweiser has also been bringing a taste of Tomorrowland to music-loving university students across the UK, using a bespoke festival shipping container. Throughout May and June the mobile festival experience travelled to a series of key university campuses hosting parties and exciting opportunities for consumers to win a Tomorrowland weekend experience.

To make the campaign even bigger, Budweiser UK joined forces with leading music publication NME to launch a multi-platform partnership across social media, digital, mobile and print, including a four-page cover wrap. NME will join the Journey to Tomorrowland tour bus and document behind-the-scenes footage of the incredible journey and music experience – ensuring fans that can’t make the festival still get to experience the power of Tomorrowland.

Steph Okell, Marketing Manager, Budweiser UK, says: “We’re thrilled to partner with Tomorrowland, one of the leading electronic music festivals, as they create unprecedented music experiences for the fans around the world. Whether it’s opening up access to new music from their favourite DJ, money-can’t-buy experiences or simply elevating their Budweiser experience – we are focused on creating truly unforgettable, meaningful experiences, exclusively for our fans. Budweiser believes in the power of music to transform and is committed to creating authentic music moments that engage people across the globe.”

Budweiser’s sponsorship of Tomorrowland is reflective of its ambition to connect more deeply with millennial consumers of Legal Drinking Age through one of this generation’s main passion points, music.

More information can be found at www.budweiser.co.uk/tomorrowland.

The Tomorrowland festival takes place over three days in Boom, Belgium from July 22nd to July 24th 2016. Headline acts include Deadmau5 & Eric Prydz, Axwell & Ingrosso, Tiësto, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Martin Garrix and The Chainsmokers.

Budweiser’s owner, Anheuser-Busch InBev, is a Brazillian-Belgian multinational brewing giant headquartered in Leuven in Belgium. Its portfolio of more than 200 brands includes international beers such as Budweiser, Corona, Stella Artois and Beck’s.

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Britvic’s Extend Your Weekend Monday morning event campaign for Lipton Ice Tea continues this Monday (July 11th) at London’s Truman Brewery in Brick Lane, with Adam Buxton’s Bike Powered BUG, where the comedian’s video- and music-based routine will be powered by participants on their bikes.

Buxton’s performance is one of three free hero events in the Extend Your Weekend series, which kicked off mid June with a brunch created by ‘culinary artists’ Bompas & Parr. The final hero event will be the Visions Festival Encore on August 8th, featuring selections from the Hackney festival weekend. Consumers can register for a draw for free tickets at www.extendyourweekend.co.uk.

The event series also features five paid-for events which consumers can buy tickets for from the website.

The Lipton summer campaign is a follow-up to last year’s Daybreakers campaign. The idea is to challenge London’s consumers to break with their usual Monday morning routine. All the activities are scheduled to end at 9.00am, and have been designed to let consumers “start their working week in a fun and uplifting way”, according to Britvic.

The campaign push is being supported by Out Of Home advertising including branded London bus sides, digital advertising and sampling activity to reach more than 600,000 consumers.

Kevin McNair, GB marketing director for Britvic, says: “We want to encourage consumers to beat the Sunday night blues and start their week refreshed. Lipton Ice Tea is such an iconic summer drink, and we are confident that Extend Your Weekend is a great way to drive consumer excitement.”

Last summer, Lipton ran a series of pop-up sampling experiences encouraging Londoners to “#Beadaybreaker” and look at their city in the same way that tourists do. The brand transformed key pedestrian zones and parking bays with a series of pop-up ‘parklets’ offering fun alternatives to the usual London street furniture that adorns London pavements. The parklets featured branded chill out zones, with comfortable seating areas and a bespoke bar, serving ice cold Lipton Peach Ice Tea.

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Freeman, the global provider of brand experiences, has appointed Brea Carter to the newly-created role of content manager and copywriter, in a move designed to enhance the company’s content marketing and news capabilities within the EMEA region.

Carter most recently worked at industry publication Event magazine, where, as news editor, she was responsible for covering event agency and experiential marketing news on a daily basis. Prior to this, Carter worked as a journalist across B2B and B2C print and online titles in Sydney, Australia.

Reporting into Sarah Mayo, Marketing Director EMEA, Carter will sit within the London-based agency team, and develop content in support of Freeman’s Expo and agency business, FreemanXP. Key responsibilities will include writing news, press releases, award entries and blogs for publication across Freeman’s website and social media platforms, as well as internal communications.

Sarah Mayo commented: “Brea will be a fantastic addition to the team, bringing with her a unique insight from her experience as a journalist, that will enhance our communication capabilities both internally and externally. We are very excited to have her join our highly creative, design-led brand experience team.”

“I am thrilled to be joining Freeman and FreemanXP during an exciting time of growth for the company in the EMEA region. I look forward to utilising my journalism background to build the reputation of both brands, by sharing the work that their talented teams produce across their respective industries and beyond.” added Carter.

Recognised by Advertising Age as the world’s largest brand experience company, Freeman creates integrated digital and live brand experiences to move markets, connect people, support growth and generate revenues for many of the world’s leading organizations.

A family- and employee-owned company, Freeman produces more than 5,000 expositions annually and 12,500 other events worldwide. FreemanXP uses the power of intersectional design thinking to create and deliver innovative, personalised brand experiences that drive results. It leverages Freeman’s experience, relationships and global resources to bring a whole new level of flexibility and scale to its clients’ programmes.

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Renault last week unleashed a fleet of 70 Renault Twingos throughout central London so the capital’s public could test drive or test ride for free, to raise awareness and engagement with the A-Segment super mini.

Renault is trying to position the Twingo as a fun city car, along the lines of the very similar Smart ForFour. It teamed up with Hertz to put 70 Twingos on the streets in five locations across London – Hertz’s Marble Arch branch on the Edgware Road, Westfield (in Stratford and White City), ExCel and Battersea Park – from Wednesday 20th April to Friday 22nd April for free test drives and rides.

The cars drove throughout London in groups of 10 via iconic landmarks and hotspots to attract test drives and engagement with the brand. Anyone who took a trip in a Twingo on Wednesday April 20th was entered into a draw to win tickets to a ‘Secret’ Spotify Gig in London on Thursday, headlined by Katy B, with a Twingo and chauffeur to take them there. Consumers unable to take advantage of a free ride in a Twingo were also able to enter the draw by uploading their details to a website.

James Boyer, Marketing Director at Groupe Renault UK & Ireland, said: “Twingo is the ultimate city car – trendy chic, fun as well as incredibly practical, so what better way to show it off to Londoners than with the most creative city test drive ever, one that comes to you, and that can even get you access to a unique concert that is sure to be a fantastic night.”

The marketing campaign was put together for Renault by Manning Gottlieb OMD, Hertz and experiential agency Fusion Events.

The campaign was supported by digital and print marketing including Renault’s own channels as well as a partnership with Spotify and Time Inc. Bloggers Roxy and Hannah Leigh will also be producing bespoke content as part of the editorial outreach.

It is the first time Renault has used live brand experience in the way to offer test drives and trips to consumers. The company now plans to use more live experiences to connect with potential purchasers and opinion formers.

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Red Bull Culture Clash limited can

Red Bull has launched a limited edition Culture Clash can to support its summer music event, Red Bull Culture Clash, which brings together four new crews and four new sounds in a showdown inspired by Jamaican soundclash culture.

The London event takes place in June, aimed at driving relevance and brand love for Red Bull with 18-24 year old consumers. From April 18th 2016, all Red Bull Energy Drink Cans will feature a limited edition design that includes striking visuals of the live Culture Clash, reinforced with in store POS. The event will also be supported with city wide advertising and sampling, while a competition on the Red Bull website offers fans the chance to win VIP tickets to the event.

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