BRANDS ARE ACTIVATING THEMSELVES INTO REAL LIFE
Brand activations used to be fairly easy to spot. Big temporary structure. Lots of logos. Queue outside. Gone again three days later.
But some of the more interesting examples recently barely feel like activations at all. Instead, brands are borrowing from places and rituals people already like.
Corner shops. Ice cream bars. Cafés. Running clubs. Block parties.
It makes the brand feel less like something you’ve been invited to experience and more like something that has temporarily entered real life.
MAKING THEMSELVES USEFUL
Glossier recently turned its SoHo flagship into a bodega for its apple-themed Balmdega activation, mixing products with the visual language and snacks of a classic New York corner shop.
The Ordinary has been playing in similar territory with its Mini Mart format across Asia, packaging skincare like convenience food with onigiri-inspired lip balms and bento-box sets.
There’s something quite smart about using formats everyone already understands.
You don’t need a huge explanation of the concept. People know what to do in a shop. They know how to browse a market stall. They know how to order from a café.
The brand gets to have fun with the format without asking the audience to learn a completely new one.
Image Credit: ©The Ordinary, used for review purposes
INSERTING THEMSELVES INTO DESIRABLE RITUALS
Other brands are finding their way into things people already want to do.
Loewe Perfumes took over The Dreamery ice cream and wine bar in Islington to launch its pistachio candle, turning the scent into an actual pistachio ice cream.
It gave people a relatively easy way into the world of Loewe, even if a handbag or perfume wasn’t on the shopping list.
Balenciaga’s Boost activation pushed further into wellness, with smoothies, adaptogen bars and branded Barry’s takeovers across multiple cities.
Both work because the brand becomes part of an existing behaviour rather than inventing one from scratch.
Going for ice cream. Getting a smoothie. Doing a workout.
The experience already makes sense. The brand just gives it a new layer.
Image Credit: ©Loewe Perfumes, used for review purposes
FACILITATING SOCIAL CONNECTION
There’s an even simpler version of this happening too.
Brands are hosting the occasion and letting the people attending provide most of the energy.
Block parties. Run clubs. Community dinners. Open bar tabs.
The brand doesn’t have to be the most interesting thing in the room.
Sometimes being the reason the room exists is enough.
Image Credit: ©Balenciaga, used for review purposes
WE SEE:
Maybe the starting point for activation ideas needs to shift.
Rather than immediately asking what big branded experience can be built, it’s worth looking at the places, services and rituals people already enjoy and asking whether the brand has a credible way into them.
Because when the format already belongs to culture, the brand has much less work to do.
The best activations right now often don’t really feel like activations at all.
Published 29 September 2026 · Ella Palmer, LOVE
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