Tag: australia

Fantastic Delites: Delite-O-Matic

In this latest example, ad agency Clemenger BBDO Adelaide set out to see how far people will go for a free pack of Fantastic Delites.

So a machine dubbed the “Delite-O-Matic” was created that gave people a free pack of Fantastic Delites by means of pushing a button hundreds of times or performing challenges. It was then put out on the streets to prove that because Fantastic Delites taste so good, people would go to incredible lengths to get them.

Sampling that people choose to earn

Interactive vending machines are a great way to get consumer participation and engagement on the ground. There are tons of examples out there, of which some have been covered here.

The mechanic that makes it watchable

The mechanism is effort-based reward. The machine sets an instruction, the participant complies, and the prize is dispensed only after the effort is visible. The escalating “work” becomes the entertainment, and the entertainment becomes the message.

In FMCG sampling and retail activations, interactive vending machines are a repeatable way to exchange effort for product trial.

That structure works because visible effort gives the crowd a simple story to follow before the product appears.

Why it lands

This works because it turns sampling into a story people can instantly judge. The point is not only “free snack”. The real question is what kind of visible effort makes a simple product feel worth watching and worth wanting. Each extra button press or challenge makes the product feel more desirable, and the crowd becomes a built-in audience.

Extractable takeaway: When you make the cost of entry visible, you turn a giveaway into a social moment. That moment carries the brand further than a silent handout ever could.

What to steal from Delite-O-Matic

  • Make the exchange legible: people should understand the rule in one glance, and the effort should be obvious on camera.
  • Escalate, then release: tension comes from “will they do it”. Satisfaction comes from the dispense moment.
  • Keep the prize simple: the product is the hero. The machine is the stage.
  • Design for bystanders: the best sampling stunts recruit a crowd even before the first pack comes out.
  • Let participation become proof: the more people comply, the stronger the implicit claim becomes.

A few fast answers before you act

What is the Delite-O-Matic?

It is an interactive vending machine activation that dispenses a free pack of Fantastic Delites after people complete button-mashing or challenge-style tasks.

Why use effort instead of a simple giveaway?

Effort creates a story. It increases attention, pulls in bystanders, and makes the reward moment feel earned, which boosts recall and sharing.

What’s the key behavioral trick?

Visible commitment. When people publicly invest effort, the product feels more “worth it”, and the scene becomes entertainment for everyone around.

Where does this work outside snacks?

Anywhere trial is the goal and the product is easy to dispense or unlock. Beauty samples, quick-service food, entertainment promos, and event activations.

What’s the main risk?

If the tasks feel humiliating or unfair, the tone can flip. The sweet spot is playful challenge with a clear, quick payoff.

NAB: The Honesty Experiments

Australian bank NAB positions Australians as an honest lot, and argues they deserve honest credit cards to match. To bring that promise to life, they conducted a series of “honesty experiments” and published the results on YouTube.

Incorrect Change

Lost Wallet

Leaky Pockets

From a product claim to a public proof loop

The mechanism is a classic credibility builder. A “public proof loop” means turning a claim into a repeatable test, then publishing the outcome so the audience can judge it. Run simple real-world tests where people can choose honesty, film the outcome, then let the audience do the judging rather than the brand doing the telling.

In retail banking categories, trust is built faster through observable behaviour than through promises and price claims.

The real question is whether a trust claim can be converted into something people can judge for themselves.

For trust-starved categories, this is a stronger play than another round of product-feature messaging.

Why it lands

These films work because they invite a low-friction emotional conclusion. People want to believe the best of others, and the experiments are structured to deliver that relief, then attach it to the brand stance. The content is also inherently shareable because it is about character, not about banking mechanics.

Extractable takeaway: If you want to own “trust,” do not describe it. Show a behaviour that audiences can recognise as trust in action, then connect it back to the product promise in one simple line.

Then NAB escalates to “thank you” in real time

To say thanks in the biggest possible way, NAB followed the experiments with a real-time stunt that thanked honest passers-by immediately after they returned lost objects.

What the second phase adds that video alone cannot

  • Immediate reciprocity. Honesty is met with an instant reward, not abstract praise.
  • A bigger emotional beat. Surprise gratitude creates a stronger memory than “you did the right thing.”
  • Proof at street level. The brand shows up in the moment of integrity, not after the fact.

What to replicate from NAB’s honesty experiments

  • Pick one human truth. “Most people are honest” is clearer than a bundle of values.
  • Design the choice point. The story lives in a single decision. Keep it simple and legible.
  • Let people self-identify. The viewer should be able to imagine themselves in the situation.
  • Add a second act. If phase one proves the belief, phase two can reward it and deepen the brand role.
  • Protect credibility. Be transparent about rules and ensure the reward does not feel staged or selective.

A few fast answers before you act

What are the “honesty experiments” in one sentence?

A set of filmed, real-world tests where strangers can choose to act honestly, used to support NAB’s “honest credit cards” positioning.

Why do social experiments work for trust-based brands?

They replace claims with observable behaviour. Viewers decide what the outcome means, which feels more credible than advertising language.

What does the real-time thank-you stunt add?

It turns the brand from narrator into participant, rewarding honesty immediately and creating a stronger emotional memory.

What is the biggest risk with this format?

Credibility erosion. If viewers suspect manipulation, selective editing, or unclear rules, the trust message can backfire.

What should you measure beyond views?

Brand trust lift, message association with the product, sentiment, share rate, and whether the work changes consideration versus competitors in the same period.

Lynx: Invisible Ad with polarized glasses

Last month, McDonald’s in Canada created a billboard that could only be seen in the night with car headlights.

Now Lynx, for its “Unleash the chaos” campaign in Australia, replaces the windows of a house in Sydney with special LCD screens. Sexy hostesses stationed outside hand out polarized sunglasses to passersby, and the glasses suddenly unveil the chaos going on inside the house.

What makes this an “invisible ad”

An invisible ad is a message that is intentionally hidden in plain sight, then revealed only when the audience meets a condition. Here, the condition is wearing polarized lenses, which gate what the screens are able to show.

The result is a street-level experience that looks ordinary to everyone, but becomes explicit and chaotic for the people who opt in by putting on the glasses.

The mechanism: selective visibility creates instant intrigue

The setup is simple and bold. Take an everyday terrace house. Swap its windows for LCD panels. Hand out sunglasses that make the content readable. Suddenly the street becomes a live demo, with viewer control over whether they see it.

Because only people wearing the glasses can see the content, the contrast between “ordinary” and “chaotic” creates instant intrigue and pulls passersby into the demo.

Coverage of the activation describes it as part of the Lynx Anarchy launch, produced as a filmed stunt to capture reactions and extend reach beyond the street.

In consumer marketing, hidden-in-plain-sight stunts work best when the reveal feels like a reward you discovered, not a message delivered at you.

Why it lands: it feels like a secret you earned

Outdoor advertising usually broadcasts. This flips the script. The street stays “clean” until you choose to participate, and that choice makes the reveal feel more personal, more exclusive, and more share-worthy. It also borrows a familiar human impulse. If someone hands you “special glasses”, you want to know what you’re missing without them.

Extractable takeaway: If the audience has to take one small action to unlock the message, the reveal feels earned and sticks longer than a broadcast impression.

The real question is whether your reveal earns attention or merely feels like a trick.

What the brand is buying with this kind of stunt

  • Permissioned attention. People self-select into the experience rather than being interrupted.
  • A built-in talk trigger. The format is easy to explain and retell, even without showing the content.
  • Proof of product personality. The medium embodies the message. Chaos is not only said, it is staged.

Design rules for your next hidden reveal

  • Make the reveal binary. Either you see nothing, or you see everything. Half-reveals feel like malfunctions.
  • Let the audience choose. The opt-in moment (taking the glasses) is what creates commitment.
  • Design for spectators too. Even people who do not opt in should understand that something is happening, and feel curious.
  • Film reactions as a second asset. The live moment is local. The reaction video travels.

A few fast answers before you act

What is a brand “invisible ad”?

It is an ad designed to look blank or ordinary until a specific condition reveals it, such as headlights at night or special glasses in daylight.

What is Lynx doing in the Invisible Ad stunt?

Lynx replaces a house’s windows with screens and hands out polarized sunglasses that reveal hidden content, turning an ordinary street view into a private, chaotic reveal.

Why use polarized sunglasses as the trigger?

Because it creates an opt-in moment. People decide to participate, and that choice makes the reveal feel earned and more memorable.

What is the strategic benefit of hiding the message?

Hiding the message creates curiosity, controls who sees the explicit content, and makes the experience feel like a secret worth sharing.

How do you scale a one-street activation?

By designing it to be filmed, then distributing the reaction footage as the wider campaign asset.