The Best of 2023: Top Brand Activations and Events

For us as a company, 2023 was an epic year of milestones and growth. We continued to dedicate time and resources to advance our digital marketplace, lo:live, implementing our most significant upgrade yet across search, locations and spaces, and planning and booking. We took a huge step towards our ambition to be the world's first GLOBAL marketplace for brand experience as we officially launched into Europe, with more exciting news to come in 2024!

Despite continued economic turbulence, brands continued to execute innovative and creative campaigns, recognising marketing spend to be an investment and not a cost to ensure the long-term health and profitability of their brands. Across the industry, campaigns grew in ambition, committing efforts to become more sustainable in line with consumer demand, the pop-up trend continued to rise as brand strategies focussed efforts on designing experiences to be fully immersive, and the phygitial shift became more prevalent alongside tech developments.

Take a look at some of our favourite campaigns booked with us in 2023 below:

Making a stylish statement with a distinctive backdrop, All Saints debuted their Spring/Summer '24 collection with a runway show in the Grade II-listed Kingsway Tram Tunnel in London. Sourced by our expert location team, the former station is one of a kind, ensuring the event was memorable. It's fantastic to see this iconic space being brought to life and put to good use. Get in touch with the team to find out more about our black book of unique locations across the globe: hello@locationlive.com

The Clarins activation is a prime example of strategically locating to optimise success and ROI. The activation was positioned outside Boots, where the brand drove purchases directly from their stand into the store so that interest in the products could immediately be transformed into sales. Selecting the right location for your brand activation is vital to hit your targets. That’s why we create collections of the best spaces, from sector to season, so that you can strategically plan your campaign in minutes. Browse our collection of spaces strategically located for beauty brands HERE.

Timing your activation to align with key dates attracting your audience has a huge impact on its success and ROI. For brands targeting families, activating during school holiday and half term breaks at locations offering family entertainment is a game changer. Sky Kids is the perfect example of strategic timing, optimising their activation’s engagement by launching at Westfield Stratford City during February half term. The experience offered visitors an art and chill out zone in partnership with Crayola, including a giant mural for drawing, workshops for kids to learn new creative skills, and a screening room to watch new Sky Kids content. Visit our Family Fiesta collection HERE to explore and book this and other locations attracting a family audience.

Prime Energy knew how to cause a stir to celebrate selling 1 billion bottles, with influencers Logan Paul and KSI launching a golden pop-up offering the chance to win $500,000! Kitted out with gold paraphernalia, including a golden pair of trainers and boxing apparel, visitors were challenged to crack a six-digit code on a bulletproof case containing a gold PRIME bottle. If the code wasn’t guessed within 48 hours, the bottle would be destroyed, with fans queuing down the street to be in with a chance. Incredibly, one lucky winner managed to crack the code and walked away with the life changing sum! Located in Piccadilly in central London, our expert team sourced the perfect space for the pop-up. Get in touch to find the right location for your next campaign: hello@locationlive.com

For four weeks, Champagne brand Veuve Clicquot celebrated its 250th anniversary with an exhibition to immerse visitors in the brand’s cultural heritage. Viewed through a creative lens of an all-female team, the pop-up showcased art inspired by the ‘Dame of Champagne’ Madame Clicquot, as well as hosting: a boutique retailing 250 year branded items, a restaurant serving exclusive dishes designed to pair with the Champagne, a vineyard, and literature and music rooms. An expansive unit to allow the brand to execute each of the campaign's elements in a high-end environment, 55 Regent Street ticked all the boxes. Contact the team to find out more about our range of pop-up units: hello@locationlive.com

After successfully sourcing two ideal locations for their first ever UK pop-up’s in December 2022 and February 2023, Lounge Underwear trusted our expert global scouting team to source the perfect location for their first pop-up in Berlin! Customers could purchase the brand’s underwear and other apparel, as well as meet one of the brand’s key German influencers and purchase her range. Read our blog and get in touch with our team to find out how you can go international with location:live: hello@locationlive.com

Dedicating themselves to continuously improving their sustainability efforts, Absolut Vodka prides itself on having one of the most energy- efficient distilleries in the world. Bringing together their efforts with the fashion industry's recycled clothing movement, the brand launched ‘The Absolut Swap Shop’ combining their ‘born to mix’ ethos with its dedication to sustainability. Planned and booked through our expert team, customers were able to swap their clothes for pre-loved garments, curated by celeb stylists. A place designed to encourage people, pre-loved clothing, and perspectives on fashion to mix, the pop-up coincided with the launch of the brand's new limited edition bottle that celebrates the power of togetherness, diversity, and inclusion. To find the perfect space for your next campaign, contact the team: hello@locationlive.com

Non-traditional OOH and projection mapping is an ever-evolving medium, with Nissan’s Formula E campaign bringing life to London’s skyline, lighting up this iconic building from the north side of the river for the first time. The projection played with light, shadows, and reflections to create a sense of speed and excitement, transforming 110 The Queens Walk into a giant Nissan race helmet to showcase their cherry blossom livery. It was a pleasure helping this project come to life. Contact the team to find out more about non-traditional OOH locations: hello@locationlive.com

For a static placement to make an impact and resonate with consumers, it needs to grab the attention of passers-by and be striking enough to be memorable. Sky Kids’ placement of a giant light-up sculpture of the kids TV show character ‘Miffy’ did just that, making an eye-catching statement. In need of the perfect location, Observation Point in Southbank allowed the campaign to have significant exposure and be noticed by thousands. You can book this space in minutes on the lo:live platform HERE.

Created by our fabulous friends at Backlash, a giant Pandora jewellery box celebrating all types of love launched in Potters Fields Park! Inspired by the brand's Christmas campaign ‘Loves, Unboxed’, visitors were able to explore some of the UK’s most talented up and coming artists’ unique interpretations of love, as well as create their own piece of art, aligning with the brand’s values for self expression. You can explore and book this distinctive space on the lo:live platform HERE.

Creating an activation that is truly engaging is not only monumental for the impact it has on consumers that participate in the offering, but significantly increases reach with word of mouth marketing as participants share their experience with others. Netflix’s activation to promote the new Murder Mystery movie release immediately caught the attention of Westfield Stratford City shoppers with an unmissable giant guess who game. As well as countless visitors playing the game, the activation drew in crowds of spectators to watch the game unfold. You can book this space seamlessly on lo:live HERE.

Demonstrating how the golden ratio mathematical formula is applied to luxury watchmaking and creativity, premium swiss watch brand Jaeger-LeCoultre launched an immersive sound and light show, with the ground-breaking British musician TØKIO M¥ERS composing a new soundtrack especially for the show. The experience was held within a 1931 cinema and cafe inspired by the world’s first drive-in movie theatre, where the public could experience watchmaking in a new cultural context. Positioned at Battersea Power Station, this premium and iconic location aligned perfectly with the brand’s identity and activation ambitions. Explore and book this location on lo:live HERE.