It’s not just the temperatures that are sweltering right now. There have been plenty of red-hot sponsorship activations all July long that you have to see to believe. And that’s exactly what I’m here to help you do, see them!
As always, my goal is to help you realize what kinds of activations can be successful and discover ways that you can take your own sponsorship goals to the next level.
Okay, so without further ado, here are July 2024’s best activations!
LIV Golf’s Fan Village
Before the Olympics began, there was LIV Golf’s tournament, the biggest domestic golf tourney Nashville has ever seen. To kick off this monumental event in style, LIV Golf worked with global marketing agency 160over90 to present the Fan Village.
Guests could enjoy all sorts of cool activities and touch points at this oversized activation. For instance, there was a mini golf tourney game called the Hole-in-One putting experience. Guests were invited to hit a golf ball, but this wasn’t your average course.
Oh, no. Instead, it was modeled after a guitar. The faux instrument was 70 feet long, and players could smack the ball along the fretboard.
Besides that, there were also dunking games, refreshments, video predictions that were styled like a television broadcast, music, and a kids’ zone.
There was something for everyone. Fans could feel like TV sportscasters by sharing their thoughts on who would win the golf tourney. They could also play like their favorite LIV Golf stars on the putting green, explaining why this activation was a hole in one.
eBay Live Storefront at San Diego Comic-Con
The huge eCommerce platform eBay carved out its spot at SDCC with its eBay Live Storefront. The zone featured a studio for live broadcasts from stars and influencers.
Those who checked out the continual live entertainment could listen in and chat with eBay brand ambassadors. Guests could also check out displays and eBay products for sale.
I like the angle of this activation. eBay just as easily could have slapped a building wrap on a nearby wall like some other Comic-Con sponsors did. That would have been fine promotion for such a big brand. Instead, they took a more innovative approach to activations and got noticed.
NEST’s The Grapefruit Squeeze Pop-Up
Fragrance company NEST New York teamed up with Food Truck Promotions to create its very own pop-up truck. The New York brand was naturally at home in SoHo, where the yellow-and-white-striped truck with flowers adorned on the exterior parked for two days over July 12th and 13th.
NEST was in town to introduce its new summer collection called The Grapefruit Squeeze. The pop-up acted like a food truck in that it provided grapefruit lemonade to passersby for free. They also received some small NEST candles to give the brand a try.
Pop-ups are a classic sponsorship strategy because they’re so effective. They’re limited-edition, which gets people’s sense of FOMO going. Besides that, they also usually hand out freebies, another reason to explain why they’re so successful.
IMDb’s IMDboat at San Diego Comic-Con
IMDb is a brand that needs no introduction. The film powerhouse made a strong appearance at SDCC in partnership with NVE Experience Agency, debuting the IMDboat. It was a stationary boat, of course, but still brought the cruising experience to life.
Lots of other brands teamed up with IMDb to make the IMDboat a full experience. For example, Disney had a Lorcana TGC showcase and DiGiorno a Relax and Recharge Lounge.
Besides that, hopping aboard meant receiving a passport book. Those who went to all the stops and got their passports stamped received their very own IMDb misting fan and captain’s hat.
The two-deck activation had trivia from IMDb, cosplay contests, celebrity photographers, and exclusive interviews. It was the star-studded experience one craves at SDCC conveniently delivered in one awesome activation.
CIROC Limonata Villa
Malibu got just that bit trendier this July when the CIROC Limonata Villa was set up. This July 6th event was launched to celebrate the start of summer.
Despite that Malibu is gorgeous enough in its own right, CIROC made it even more so with its Italian theming, right down to the sunny yellow branded moped.
The greenspace had puckery Limonata cocktails available for guests to sip, gourmet small bites, and live music. The décor featured striped yellow and white umbrellas, a small and curvy swimming pool, wicker chairs, and a white and yellow CIROC Limonata fountain as the centerpiece.
Although it’s been extremely hot this summer, sipping cocktails in Malibu under an umbrella is probably one of the chicest ways to beat the heat. CIROC did good on this one.
Paramount+’s The Lodge at San Diego Comic Con
The activations are larger than life at SDCC, as proven by Paramount+. The Lodge isn’t a new concept for the streaming giant, and it actually appeared at SDCC last year. However, it was such a big hit that Paramount+ decided to bring it back for a second time. Can you really blame them?
Paramount+ has a litany of beloved franchises, and most of them were on display at this huge activation. For example, in a nod to Ink Master, there was a makeshift tattooing parlor. No, there weren’t real tats being drawn here, only airbrushed ones. The selections included mascots and characters from the top Paramount+ programs.
There was also a huge area dedicated to SpongeBob SquarePants since the show is in its 25th year (my, how time flies). The Jellyfish Fields area replicated life under the sea in Bikini Bottom, complete with jellyfish spotting. Guests got fun glasses to enhance the experience upon entering.
And if you were feeling hungry? Well, The Lounge had Turtle Power Pizza, a pizza parlor themed after Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the latest Turtles-themed show.
There were also areas for Criminal Minds – Evolution that featured real whodunnit crime-solving and Star Trek, where guests could customize a Starfleet.
Whew! You can take a video tour of the entire activation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59AuwsYXGfU
No wonder this one works so well. It’s jam-packed with fun, intrigue, and freebies.
The Penguin’s The Iceberg Lounge Experience at Bloom Nightclub
Although not officially on the grounds of SDCC, The Iceberg Loung experience was still tied in with the event. HBO Max sponsored the activation to put attention on its new show called The Penguin. Yes, like the Batman villain.
The activation made nearby Bloom Nightclub look like something straight out of comic book pages. The limited-time, two-day event took guests down the seedy-looking (but in a cool way) Iceberg Descent into the Gotham lounge where The Penguin normally dwells.
Being in the themed lounge was cool enough, but there was a lot more to this activation. For example, Samsung had set up several large-screen televisions that displayed exclusive show content.
There were tons of photo ops, live music and dancing, and actors that recreated the entire Iceberg Lounge experience. And, as proof of being there, guests could get stamped with a temporary tattoo themed after the show.
This is another one of those activations where I must ask, what’s not to love? It’s a multistory, immersive experience that creates the kinds of memories that get people buzzing on social media.
Adult Swim On the Green’s Pirate Parrrty at San Diego Comic-Con
The activations outside of SDCC were practically as cool as the ones inside, especially if we’re talking about the Pirate Parrrty hosted by Adult Swim. The themed event was part of Adult Swim’s On the Green fest, a yearly entry into SDCC that has appeared over 12 years.
In each year since it first debuted, the Cartoon Network adult programming block Adult Swim has teamed up with GDX Studios. The two know how to make memorable activations together.
This year, the theme was pirates, as I’m sure you could gather. By day, there were games and giveaways, and after dark, guests could check out exclusive screenings. Oh, and guests could also ride on ginormous inflatables, making for the ultimate photo op.
Get a feel for the whole experience via this video.
Adult Swim has entrenched itself as part of the SDCC experience, a role it obviously doesn’t take lightly. It makes its sector of the comic convention as fun as possible. And while I always say that the size of your activation doesn’t matter, Adult Swim proves that larger-than-life setups can attract a ton of attention.
#FXSDCC at San Diego Comic-Con
Stepping into #FXSDCC was immersive simply because it was a multi-experiential event. Taking place outside of the SDCC grounds (although there were indoor components), guests could experience the best of FX’s original programming through this activation.
For example, viewers of The Bear could enjoy a special experience in an indoor area decorated like the show’s restaurant. Limited-edition merch was up for grabs, as were chef’s specials that were rotated out daily.
Plus, you could traipse along a replica of the mansion in Staten Island from What We Do in the Shadows or visit Paddy’s Pub from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia for a photo op.
These kinds of memories are what comic conventions are all about, but FX had the budget and the space to do it up big.
Hulu’s Animayhem at San Diego Comic-Con
It was all-out pandemonium in the best way possible at the Animayhem activation at SDCC.
Attracting a large portion of the 130,000+ who converged to check out SDCC, this Hulu activation took place outside of the SDCC convention hall in a parking lot. The activation was modeled after a factory with everything in 2D.
Inside the factory were interactive moments like memorabilia and vignettes from The Simpsons, Family Guy, Bob’s Burgers, and Futurama. I mean, Hulu, Campfire, and 3CS recreated the Slurm Factory from Futurama using oversized props and inflatables as well as the aforementioned 2D elements. It looked like it came straight out of the show.
Besides that, guests could lap up experiences at the LardLad Donut Factory from The Simpsons and an area themed after American Dad that challenges guests to work with Roger to reassemble the Alien, who had just undergone CIA dissection.
Wrapping Up
So those were the most star-studded and fantastic activations of July 2024. And I do mean fantastic, since many of these were from major brands with ginormous budgets.
The biggest takeaway I want for you to have is this: the best activations fulfill your audience and your sponsor. You don’t need your activation to have giant inflatables or screens or 3D elements. If it meets those basic goals, it’s a success!
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Chris Baylis is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Sponsorship Collective.
After spending several years in the field as a sponsorship professional and consultant, Chris now spends his time working with clients to help them understand their audiences, build activations that sponsors want, apply market values to their assets and build strategies that drive sales.
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