Tag: Retail activation

McDonald’s Free WiFi: Turning SSIDs into Ads

In Spain, McDonald’s offers free WiFi to all its customers. Since the WiFi signal reaches quite far, customers in surrounding restaurants also tend to use the McDonald’s network.

So McDonald’s decided to attract new customers via their own WiFi network. They simply changed the signal’s name into a message and embedded a promotion into it. 🙂

The simplest media channel you already own

This is a tiny idea with a very clear mechanism. A WiFi network name is a broadcast surface. It shows up exactly when people are deciding where to sit, what to order, or whether to move.

Instead of treating WiFi as utility, McDonald’s treated it as a micro-channel for demand capture.

Why the WiFi name works as advertising

  • High intent moment. People looking for WiFi are already in “connect me now” mode.
  • Local reach. The signal spills into nearby venues, where potential switchers sit.
  • Zero-click visibility. You see the message before you even connect.
  • Low cost, repeatable. Updating an SSID is simple, fast, and scalable.

Where this crosses from clever to strategic

The strategic move is not the pun. It is the use of owned infrastructure as a distribution channel. When your message sits inside a system people actively scan for, you reduce friction and increase the odds of action.

It is also a reminder that not all “digital” has to be an app. Sometimes it is just naming.

What to take from this if you run retail or CX

  1. Audit your hidden touchpoints. SSIDs, receipts, kiosks, queue screens, packaging, all are media surfaces.
  2. Message at the decision point. Proximity channels work best when they align with immediate behavior.
  3. Keep the offer instantly understandable. People scan lists quickly. Clarity beats cleverness.
  4. Test and rotate. Like any channel, vary the message to learn what actually moves footfall.

A few fast answers before you act

What did McDonald’s do with its free WiFi in Spain?

It changed the WiFi network name into a message and embedded a promotional offer into the SSID to attract people nearby who could see the network on their devices.

Why does the WiFi signal matter here?

Because it reaches beyond the restaurant itself, meaning people in surrounding venues can still see and use the network, making it a local acquisition channel.

What is an SSID in this context?

It is the WiFi network name that appears in a device’s list of available networks. Changing it changes what people see before connecting.

Is this a “growth hack” or a real marketing tactic?

It is both. It is a lightweight tactic, but it is grounded in a real channel. Owned infrastructure that reaches potential customers at a high-intent moment.

What is the transferable lesson for brands?

Look for owned, ambient digital surfaces where people already scan for utility, then place a clear message there that can drive immediate action.

Sony: Headphone Music Festival AR posters

People in Tokyo who wear headphones, or simply want to try new ones, were treated to an augmented reality music festival from Sony Japan. Four popular local rock groups were turned into original AR performances, then “played” through band tour posters placed in busy locations. Sony-branded headphone trial stations were set up nearby so anyone could join in.

The loop is clean. Spot the poster. Scan it. Get a performance that feels like it is happening in your surroundings. Then step over and compare that moment on Sony headphones.

In dense urban retail markets, AR works best when it turns everyday street media into an immediate try-before-you-buy demo.

What makes this feel like a festival, not a tech demo

The execution is essentially a pop-up concert system distributed across the city. The posters act as stages. The phone acts as the ticket. The headphone stand acts as the product trial. That chain of touchpoints is why the experience reads as “festival” rather than “app feature.”

Standalone takeaway: A retail AR activation lands when the trigger is already in public view, the payoff is instant, and the path from wow-moment to product trial is one physical step away.

The mechanism: posters as portals

Instead of forcing people into a microsite or a branded app maze, Sony uses a familiar object. The tour poster. The poster becomes the launch surface for AR content. That matters because it removes the biggest friction in mobile AR. The “what do I point my camera at” question.

In supporting materials, the technology is described as Sony’s SmartAR and a smartphone app that recognises the posters and overlays 3D performance content into the live camera view. The mechanics stay invisible to the audience. They just see the band appear.

Why it lands for headphone marketing

Headphones are hard to sell with words. Most people cannot translate driver specs into feeling. This activation sells through a direct comparison. You hear a performance, then you hear it again through the product the brand wants you to try.

It also frames Sony as the host of the music moment, not just the logo next to it. That is a stronger association than “better sound.” It is “better access to the thing you love.”

The business intent behind the street setup

The intent is not just awareness. It is footfall and trial. The AR content pulls people in, but the trial stations convert curiosity into a product experience. If you can get someone to listen for 30 seconds, you can start building preference.

What to steal from this execution

  • Anchor AR to a physical trigger people already understand. Posters, packaging, signage, tickets.
  • Make the payoff immediate. The first five seconds decide whether AR feels magical or annoying.
  • Keep the bridge to trial short. If you sell hardware, put the demo within sightline of the trigger.
  • Use content that earns replays. Music clips, reveals, limited drops, rotating “sets” work better than static overlays.
  • Design for scanning in real conditions. Glare, crowds, bad signal, rushed users. Make recognition forgiving.

A few fast answers before you act

What is the Sony “Headphone Music Festival” idea?

It is a street-based AR activation where tour posters trigger AR music performances on a phone. Sony pairs that content with nearby headphone trial stations so people can immediately test the product while they are engaged.

Why use posters instead of geofencing or QR codes?

Posters provide a clear camera target and an obvious reason to scan. They also carry cultural meaning. A tour poster already signals music and discovery, so the AR layer feels natural.

What makes AR effective for selling headphones?

It creates a controlled listening moment in an uncontrolled environment. The activation gives you a reason to put headphones on right now and compare the experience immediately.

What is the biggest pitfall in poster-triggered AR campaigns?

Recognition friction. If the scan fails or the experience takes too long to load, people abandon it. The trigger must be reliable and the content must appear quickly.

How do you measure success for this kind of activation?

Track scans per poster location, completion rates for the AR experience, and trial-station interactions. If possible, connect trial interactions to store visits or product interest signals.

Disney: Mickey Mouse brings magic to NYC

You step into the Disney Store in Times Square and suddenly you are “in” a Disney moment. A live screen blends you into a scene and Mickey appears alongside you, reacting in real time as the crowd watches.

Disney Parks uses the installation to celebrate Mickey Mouse’s 83rd birthday this month, turning a store visit into a small piece of theatre that people naturally photograph and share.

The mechanism is straightforward. A live camera feed captures guests, then an augmented reality layer places Disney characters and effects into the scene so it looks like the magic is happening around you, not only on a separate screen.

In flagship retail environments, live augmented reality installations convert foot traffic into shareable content by making the store itself behave like media.

Disney is also using a Twitter hashtag #DisneyMemories to track the experiences at Times Square and the campaign, so the physical moment has a simple, searchable social trail.

Why this lands in Times Square

Times Square is already a stage. The installation does not fight the noise with more noise. It creates a personal moment inside the noise, where the viewer becomes part of the story. That shift from watching to participating is what earns the stop-and-stare crowd.

Hashtag as a lightweight amplification layer

The hashtag is not the idea. It is the plumbing. It lets Disney connect hundreds of individual “I was there” posts into one visible stream, without asking people to learn a new platform or download anything beyond what they already use.

The same live AR pattern shows up elsewhere

This style of live augmented reality is showing up more often in brand-led events, because it creates instant participation without complex instructions. You have already pointed to similar executions from National Geographic and Lynx, where the screen becomes a “portal” and the audience becomes part of the scene.

What to steal for your own live-event experience

  • Make the first second readable. People should understand what is happening from across the room.
  • Design for bystanders. The crowd experience matters, because the crowd is the distribution engine.
  • Attach one simple social handle. A hashtag or keyword is enough when the moment is already worth sharing.
  • Keep the tech invisible. The audience should remember the feeling, not the hardware.

A few fast answers before you act

What is the Mickey Mouse Times Square augmented reality installation?

It is a live in-store experience at the Disney Store in Times Square that places guests into a real-time scene with Disney characters using an augmented reality layer on a live camera feed.

Why does this work as a retail activation?

Because it turns a store visit into a participatory moment. People do not just browse. They become part of a scene worth filming and sharing, which extends reach beyond the store.

What role does #DisneyMemories play?

It creates a single social thread for many individual posts, helping Disney track and aggregate the shared experiences without adding friction to the in-store moment.

How is this different from a typical photo booth?

The difference is live spectacle. The experience is designed to be watched by a crowd in real time, so bystanders become part of the energy and the story travels further.

What is the most common failure mode for live AR event installs?

Confusion and delay. If people cannot instantly understand what to do, or if the experience queues too long, the crowd dissolves and the social output drops sharply.