Category: Live Communication

The Great Art Heist

They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But if Volkswagen Canada has their say, beauty will be in the hands of the person who’s stealing it. At least that’s the idea behind their latest ambient meets social campaign for the new Volkswagen Jetta GLI.

Since the beginning of October, agency Red Urban has created a series of pop-up art galleries across major cities in Canada, that feature “Light Paintings” made by the movement of the Volkswagen Jetta.

While the frames in the exhibits have been hung for all to admire, they haven’t really been hung that securely, allowing more daring admirers to claim the artwork for themselves. The thieves were also being asked to share their stolen items via Tweets and Facebook posts. Volkswagen Canada’s Facebook page has already started receiving photos from fans decorating homes and offices with the eye-catching imagery…

IKEA Manland

Last month IKEA in Sydney, Australia ran a four-day trial of Manland. They created a dedicated area in the store which men with short retail attention spans could use to escape the pains of weekend shopping at IKEA. In simple words, it was day-care for husbands and boyfriends who wanted to take a break from the shopping.

The store offered free hot dogs, Xbox consoles, pinball machines and nonstop sports action on TV. IKEA even handed out buzzers so women would get reminded to come back and pick up their men after a short session.

Turning “waiting time” into a branded service

Manland works because it is not pretending men suddenly love shopping. It acknowledges the reality. Some people will be there for the relationship, not the retail. So IKEA reframes the pain point as a service, the same way Småland turns “kids are restless” into a solved problem.

The mechanism is deliberately low-effort. You do not need an app, a QR code, or an explanation. You just drop in, decompress, and rejoin the trip with less friction and fewer arguments.

In big-box retail, weekend shopping is often a couple activity, and boredom is a conversion killer for the accompanying partner.

Why this becomes press, not just a gimmick

It is instantly legible. A “day-care for men” is a headline. The imagery does the distribution work. Consoles, sports, hot dogs, and a buzzer are all recognisable symbols, so the concept travels across cultures even if you have never been to an IKEA.

It is also slightly provocative, which helps. People argue about whether it is funny, patronising, or brilliant. That debate is oxygen for earned media.

The business intent: protect dwell time and reduce walk-outs

The practical goal is simple. Keep groups in-store longer, reduce the urge for someone to storm out, and make the trip feel easier, especially on peak weekend traffic. The PR upside is a bonus. But the operational benefit is the real value.

What to steal for your next in-store activation

  • Solve a real friction. If it does not remove pain, it will not spread.
  • Make the rules obvious. The best retail ideas need zero onboarding.
  • Build a “photo truth”. If the experience photographs well, it earns its own distribution.
  • Use time limits to keep it fair. A short session keeps it accessible and stops it becoming a hangout that blocks capacity.

A few fast answers before you act

What was IKEA Manland?

Manland was a short trial inside an IKEA store in Sydney. It offered a staffed, game-and-sports lounge where men could take a break while their partners shopped.

Why did the buzzer matter?

The buzzer turned “come back later” into a simple timing system. It made pickup predictable and helped manage capacity without complicated queueing.

Is this primarily an ad idea or an operations idea?

Both. It is an operations idea that creates PR. The experience removes friction inside the store, then the simplicity of the concept turns it into a shareable story.

What makes this kind of activation risky?

Stereotypes. If the tone feels insulting or dated, the press flips from amused to critical. The safest version is to frame it as optional decompression, not a judgment.

What should you measure if you do something similar?

Dwell time, drop-off rates, and satisfaction in exit feedback. For comms, track earned pickup and social sharing, but only after the in-store metrics look healthy.

Carlsberg: Bikers in cinema experiment

In a Belgian cinema, an “easy night out” turns into a small test of nerve. A couple walks in with tickets in hand. The room looks full. The only two empty seats are in the middle. The twist is that the audience is packed with intimidating bikers.

Carlsberg and Duval Guillaume Modem set this up as an experiment to reinforce the brand’s association with making the right choices. Reactions were recorded and edited into a viral film that rewards the people who stay seated rather than turn around.

The mechanism that makes it work

The mechanics are simple and deliberate. Fill the room. Leave two seats. Let unsuspecting pairs make a binary decision in public. Stay or leave. The tension is real because the setting is real, and the social pressure is visible to everyone watching.

Once a couple commits and sits down, the room flips from threat to approval. The bikers applaud, and the moment turns into a reward scene that makes the brand feel like it “saw” the better choice.

In crowded FMCG categories, social experiments work when they dramatize a value claim in a single, easy-to-retell moment.

Why it lands: social risk, then social proof

The audience experiences the same internal dialogue as the couples. Do I trust my instincts. Do I judge by appearance. Do I avoid discomfort. That tension is the hook. The applause is the release.

It also produces a clean moral without preaching. The brave are rewarded. The crowd is not actually hostile. The viewer walks away with a feeling that maps neatly onto the brand’s “good decision” positioning.

What Carlsberg is buying with this stunt

This is not about product attributes. It is about emotional territory. Confidence. Decency under pressure. And the idea that choosing Carlsberg is the grown-up, correct move when there are multiple options.

It is also engineered for sharing. The setup can be explained in one sentence, and the payoff is satisfying even if you only watch the last third of the video.

What to steal for your own brand experiments

  • Make the choice binary. The story works because there is a clear yes or no moment.
  • Stage tension, then earn release. If you create discomfort, you must repay it with warmth or justice.
  • Keep the “why” instantly readable. Viewers should understand what is being tested without narration.
  • Reward the behaviour you want to own. The applause is not decoration. It is the message.
  • Protect trust. If participants feel tricked or harmed, the brand loses the moral high ground.

A few fast answers before you act

What is the Carlsberg “bikers in cinema” experiment?

It is a filmed cinema stunt where unsuspecting couples enter a theatre filled with bikers and find only two seats left among them. Their decision to stay or leave becomes the story, and the people who stay are rewarded.

Why is this more shareable than a typical ad?

Because the premise is instantly understandable and the emotional arc is clean. Tension, decision, payoff. That structure travels well as a short video.

What brand message does the stunt communicate?

That “making the right choice” is a real behaviour under pressure, not a slogan. The brand borrows credibility by rewarding the choice on camera.

What is the biggest risk with social-experiment advertising?

Breaking trust. If the situation feels unsafe, humiliating, or coercive, the audience will side with the participants, not the brand.

How do you adapt this pattern without copying the stunt?

Create a public moment with a clear decision, then design a surprising but positive reward that proves your positioning. Keep the stakes emotional, not harmful.