Surprising Spaces

Flip the space’s intended purpose

Who needs stairs or an escalator when you can slide down instead? In Germany, Vodafone accelerates Leine-Center Laatzen visitors to Giga Speed, transforming an escalator into a bright red slide. Visitors, accelerated to top speed, experienced how data feels in the provider’s lightning-fast fibre-optic network. A 10 metre long slide, selfies in a wind-tunnel setting and a whole new way to experience a brand. A moment to spark some joy, make our audience do a double-take and get outside their thinking of what’s a normal shopping centre experience. It’s a huge benefit of being a privately owned space, where if you ask – we’ll do our best to make it happen and find a solution (with the help of some understanding health and safety officers!)

Westfield Stratford City also saw a similar setup, converting half the stairs into a slide – so the idea is catching on around our centres!

Enhance a space’s best qualities

It’s another question of ‘can we use a space that’s not on the ratecard?’ where Starbucks spotted the great Living Wall at Westfield London. A green wall measuring 1,400m², with over 35,000 plants, was a perfect and fresh canvas to promote Starbuck’s frozen iced teas ‘Teavana’. Decorated with 3D fruit was one thing, but being able to smell and taste the product from the wall itself? It’s a Willie Wonka inspired experience – by using mist spray bursting from the wall to give shoppers a wonderful surprise and delight on so many senses. Added bonus of being in close proximity to drive to store and promote the new range.

Create that water-cooler conversation moment

Tudum! The infamous sound of Netflix arrived at Westfield Forum des Halles in Paris. The deal includes a joyful 'Tudum' Christmas tree, media domination and, most importantly, billboard with messages changing nearly every week. What we love most is that these aren't straight forward messages to promote releases, it's about promoting conversation with Netflix's signature wit and smart copy writing, showcased on a nostalgic cinema marquee signage, the epitome of classic entertainment. Using the billboard to keep up with the changing conversation of the week as seen on Twitter, it becomes a social moment of 'what will they talk about next?' for visitors who regularly pass the site. We've seen this special Netflix billboard in major cities across the globe and we are proud to amplify Netflix's messaging in the heart of Paris on our platform. It’s a perfect example of how hard our assets can work with the right creative and how a bespoke partnership still ladders up to the brand’s wider conversation and other platforms.

Every year we ask our teams across Europe to give us their best in class examples of how to use a space creatively. And often, its where a client has come to us for something purely bespoke to the environment.