Ahead of the pandemic, the shortcomings in the marketing industry’s narrow definition of experience, and the oversaturation of advertising and content online resulted in ineffectiveness and a lack of value for consumers and communities.

The limits of the lockdown restrictions both demonstrated the universal demand for shared experiences in society and created an opportunity for people to create new ways of coming together in person, online and in culture – showing the way forward for the experience economy.

TRO wanted to explore this further, so put together a whitepaper to explore shared experiences and their relevancy in a post- pandemic economy. A YouGov Plc online survey conducted on behalf of TRO in the UK, with a nationally representative sample size of 2041 adults found that since the beginning of the national lockdown in March, 67% of UK adults who took part in an event purely through online content found the experience enjoyable, which demonstrated that online alone would not cut it.

While people are eager to share experiences in person as soon as possible, the newfound benefits of online events will have long-term impact. Those who thrive will adopt an ‘and’ rather than an ‘either/or’ mindset. With various trends emerging in the worlds of fan experiences, pop-ups, retail, product trial/sampling, B2B and the virtual space.

The whitepaper also included interviews with industry experts:

• James Kirkham, Chief Business Officer at Defected Records
• Shekhar Deshpande, Head of Strategy, Global Clients at Facebook
• David Thompson, Head of Training, IM Retail (SEUK) at Samsung
• Hannah Brown, Chief Strategy & Business Development Officer at Formula E
• Alice Ratcliffe, Head of Brand at Appear Here
• Patrick Keogh, Events and Partnerships Lead at Huckletree

 All detailing the impact that the pandemic had on their industry and respective businesses, spanning music, digital, consumer technology and retail.

This whitepaper defines the concept of shared experiences and explains how they can be created to achieve mass audience engagement, community building, cultural relevance, commercial success and more, even in the face of the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

We identified three key core components to a successful shared experience as meaning, which leads to moment which leads to memory in a virtuous cycle. To get the most value out of this process, brands can’t afford to leave it to chance.

To find out more, the whitepaper can be downloaded from this link or contact annie.mbagwu@tro.com.

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By Sandra Mardin, Strategy Director TRO UK

New Normals is a content series focused on the rapid evolution of the experience economy in response to the global pandemic. Through our global network, we share stories and insights from around the world, with this edition focusing on how gaming and theatre are combining to create post-COVID experiences.

Immersive theatre pioneers Punchdrunk has announced a partnership with leading location-based gaming company Niantic. A collaboration that has the potential to deliver intimate immersive experiences at a previously unobtainable scale.

Although a UK company, Punchdrunk have already established themselves on the global stage with the performance of Sleep No More to the US and Chinese audiences. In fact, it was precisely this show that inspired the collaboration with Niantic, the US-based Pokémon GO creators.

“We’ve often heard audiences comparing the show to a game. It’s an idea that’s fascinated us for some time and led us to imagine what would happen if we integrated game mechanics and digital technology into our work. We believe that the future of interactive audience experience will be at the cross-section of gaming and theatre,” Punchdrunk explains.

Niantic’s Real World platform gives Punchdrunk the opportunity to take the immersive theatre experience outside of physically bound spaces and disperse it into the wider environment. In a hint of what’s to come, they say they intend to bend the rules of the genre and redefine the norms of mobile gaming.

What does it mean?

Although the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions are beginning to ease, delivering engaging live experiences while adhering to social distancing is still a considerable challenge. Combining theatre-making skills with the thrill and scale of mobile gaming may just be the answer. This type of cross-sector collaboration won’t just affect the traditional theatre experience as we know it but open new avenues for brand theatre.

Cross-sector collaboration in a crisis results in much stronger commercial results, according to Harvard Business Review; as companies are better prepared to solve rapidly changing, complex problems. Rather than falling back on timeworn solutions, immersive brand experiences that used to be bound by physical locations can now be reimagined through the lens of AR gaming.

“We can imagine a future where audiences are individually distanced while intimately immersed in intensive performances and simultaneously connected to one another on a global scale” according to Helen W. Kennedy and Sarah Atkinson; professors of Creative and Cultural Industries and Screen Media, respectively.

During the lockdown, we witnessed many attempts at remote experiences; however, none could quite match the depth of engagement of live, unscripted, two-way interaction. We are now seeing a glimpse into a future where physical distance is no longer a barrier to immersion and where reaching audiences at scale doesn’t take away from the live 1:1 experience.

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BMWi took over the streets of Berlin with the first-ever electric vehicle convoy through the city. ‘Berlin Electrified’ sought to generate mass awareness of the Formula E season finale, with two groups of influencers on a unique trip experiencing Berlin’s vibrant culture and bringing fans along for the ride.

Each team was tasked with a set of content challenges including SIM racing and a special BMWi3 Sound Machine activity during their trip, while fans were asked to vote for their favourite team via Twitter and Instagram using the hashtags: #BMWConvoyEsports or #BMWConvoySound.

To bring the event to a close TRO facilitated a strategic activation between BMW and Formula E to deliver a unique all-electric or hybrid Drive-In Cinema experience, providing customers, fans and partners with the best view of the race action, further elevated through a special live performance from renowned music artist, Lost Frequencies.

Client Partner, Rob O’Siochain, commented: “TRO believe in the importance of shared experiences, now more than ever. This activation, which was turned around in record time, demonstrated how brands can still deliver for their consumers during challenging times, whilst respecting and following important COVID19 regulations.”

For further information please contact Annie Mbagwu on:  Tel: +44 208 232 7214 / Mob: +44 7531 096331 Email: annie.mbagwu@tro.com

About TRO

TRO is a global leader in brand experiences, having been awarded as The Drum’s Experiential Agency of the Year in 2018.

TRO is famous for live events, sponsorship activation, product trial and more for current clients including BMW, British Airways, Google, Molson Coors and Lucozade Ribena Suntory.

The agency has offices in London, Manchester, Norwich, Milan, Paris and Shanghai and is part of Omnicom Experiential Group (OEG) along with, Auditoire, DoIt!, GMR Marketing and Luxury Makers.

Visit our website, follow TRO on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

About Omnicom Group Inc.

Omnicom Group Inc. is a leading global marketing and corporate communications company. Omnicom’s branded networks and numerous speciality firms provide advertising, strategic media planning and buying, digital and interactive marketing, direct and promotional marketing, public relations and other speciality communications services to over 5,000 clients in more than 100 countries.

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Logic Vapes are bringing the #1 selling pod device*, Logic Compact, to cities around the UK.

Logic’s Shape & Vape is an immersive and disruptive experiential pop-up shop and a highly visible brand experience; tailormade to suit adult smokers and vapers.

To create the required brand impact, a 2-container approach was used, utilising a 10m x 10m site footprint, in keeping with Logic’s brand look and feel; whilst facilitating product trial and retail.

Adult smokers and vapers who have purchased a starter pack (device and a pack of pods) can then make their appointment in the Shape & Vape salon, which includes hair cutting, beard trims and gel manicures.

Shape & Vape was live at 10am – 8pm at Bishops Square, next to Spitalfields Market in London until the 22^nd of November and now moving to Wellington Square in Manchester from the 25^th – 29^th of November. The pop-up will be rolling out in 2 other cities locations in the first quarter of 2020.

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TBWA\MCR and TRO have partnered to create an unforgettable event for JD Area Managers, to showcase The North Face brand ahead of 2020.

The idea was to take attendees out of their comfort zones, and into the heart of The North Face brand, with a unique evening full of challenges, surprises, educational and emotive talks, world and personal firsts and real shareable moments, all held in a carefully selected venue to inspire and add theatre, at Manchester Climbing Centre.

Alongside a retail showcase, there were also key talks from famous climbers James Pearson and Caroline Ciavaldini, and later that night, entertainment came from DJ Carly Wilford, Aitch and DJ WIN.

Daniel Bickerton, Head of Design at TBWA\MCR said “The Climbing Centre being housed in a converted church gave us the perfect springboard for the event creative, faith plays such a vital role in climbing, having faith in yourself but also in the team you have around you. These principles sit perfectly for the JD Managers in their everyday but even more so for this event that started with their faith in The North Face as they were blindfolded in their journey to the church.”

The venue was brought to life internally and externally with projections and impact lighting, revealed to guests as they arrived in branded transport.  Bouldering, climbing and outdoor-themed activities were carefully curated to link

to The North Face product range, interspersed with educational and emotive talks which knitted together to create a truly entertaining, inspiring and memorable experience.

Michelle Horn, Senior Project Manager at TRO, said “Our aim was to create a unique experience for the managers to share, something that would get people talking and leave a lasting memory. By combining a dramatic setting with a variety of relevant experiences we were able to make a real impact in a short space of time.”

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Experiential agency TRO has been working with Japan Tobacco International UK (JTI UK) to design and build “Logic Steamtown” – an interactive consumer installation made up of industrial, steam-powered machinery and anachronistic inventions. The visually stimulating, all-encompassing set provides the perfect backdrop for adult smokers and vapers to learn about JTI’s Logic Compact e-cigarette brand.

The festival environment creates an excellent opportunity for adult smokers and vapers  to take time out during the festival and visit Logic Vapes Convenience store where they can trial and purchase Logic products.

The interactive “Engine Room”, challenges visitors to weave their way around a series of steam pipes without getting buzzed while visitors get to rock out to their best tunes at the “Steam House Tavern”.

Steamtown Residents will also be in attendance, bringing the stand to life with fire performances and costume characters, immersing guests in a theatrical show.

Logic Steamtown has already toured Isle of Wight, NASS, Latitude and YNot festivals and will be visiting Boardmasters, Lost Village and Sundown in the coming weeks.

Lynn Bardsley, Activation Director at TRO, said: “Working with JTI our objective was to create a stand out Logic destination and hub that delivers unique trial and engagement experiences to all those who visit. Competition between brand experience spaces within festivals  has never been higher and we knew that to achieve our objective we needed to create something that stood out from the crowd. Steamtown has a Logic brand and product inspired identity and is like no other stand.”

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The Mercedes-Benz Vans pop-up store opened at Trinity on 1st July for six weeks and is showcasing the X-Class Element Edition alongside the Vito Premium Van, with visitors being able to buy their chosen Mercedes-Benz vehicle live in-store.

Experiential agency TRO continue their partnership with Mercedes-Benz Vans UK Ltd, to deliver its third-ever pop-up store, this time at the Trinity Centre, Leeds, building on the success of the Brands’ first two stores back in 2018.

Situated in the lower mall, the Mercedes-Benz Van pop-up store features interactive elements showcasing the Brands’ future strategy,  by bringing to life technology such as electric drive, drone delivery, and mobility solutions so that visitors can learn more about what the near future holds for the Brand. In addition to this, the store features interactive touch screens, enabling customers to find their ideal Mercedes-Benz Van, a virtual reality bike simulator and lifestyle merchandise will be on display to purchase.

Network recruitment vacancies for any visitors interested in exploring career opportunities will also be highlighted, and there will be the children’s area which has proved popular at other locations.

The Mercedes-Benz Vans Trinity Pop-Up Store can be found at the Trinity Centre in Leeds.

The Store is open:

Monday to Saturday: 9am – 8pm

Sunday: 11am – 5pm

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Marketing services group Omnicom has created a new ‘Global Experiential Practice Group’, a network consisting of its market-leading experiential agencies, including Auditoire and Luxury Makers of France, DOIT! from Germany, GMR Marketing of the US, and, from the UK, TRO.

The group said in a statement that Omnicom Experiential Group “will form a borderless experiential network… Building upon Omnicom’s core growth strategies, the Experiential Group is focused on: strengthening new business development; creating customized teams for clients; better targeting of internal investments; improving expertise and knowledge across management teams; and creating more opportunities for our employees. Agencies within the Practice Area will continue to retain their strong individual brands and cultures.”

Cameron Parsons, CEO of GMR Marketing, observes: “Omnicom Experiential Group provides us an opportunity to combine the strengths of our individual agencies to create an unmatched global offering for today’s leading brands. We know that marketing is changing at the speed of culture. Now, more than ever, creating a truly meaningful connection and building consumer trust through experiences gives us the power to change how people think, feel and behave.”

Omnicom Experiential Group will include 1,600 practitioners across 29 offices in 16 countries with leadership in five global hubs: London, Milwaukee, Paris, Sao Paulo and Shanghai. The agencies making up the group create over 65,000 activations every year, driving more than a billion engagements (digital and physical).

Omnicom says that with one in three Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) saying they will set aside between 21% and 50% of their budgets for experiential elements (2017 Freeman Global Brand Experience Study), its new network is poised to capitalize on the sector’s growth.

Omnicom Experiential Group is led by a board consisting of the founding members, Cameron Parsons, CEO, GMR Marketing, Cyril Giorgini, CEO, Auditoire and Michael Wyrley-Birch, CEO, TRO Group.

“We all know that more and more people seek experiences over material objects. Omnicom Experiential Group gives us a global toolbox of capabilities and talent to bring brand experiences to life anywhere, anytime.” adds Cyril Giorgini, CEO of Auditoire. “For global brands with a need to deliver global strategies with local insight, there is no better solution.”

Michael Wyrley-Birch, CEO, TRO Group, says: “In the current environment where fast-changing technology and customer requirements are driving change, speed is a key competitive edge for our clients. As a borderless agency, we can develop global strategies and creative that are relevant and implemented by our local experts at the speed that keeps our clients ahead of the competition.”

Omnicom Group (www.omnicomgroup.com) is a leading global marketing and corporate communications company. Omnicom’s branded networks and numerous specialty firms provide advertising, strategic media planning and buying, digital and interactive marketing, direct and promotional marketing, public relations and other specialty communications services to over 5,000 clients in more than 100 countries.

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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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