Top 10 Brand Activations of 2025

To announce themselves as the official energy drink partner of England’s Women’s football team, Lucozade created a series of exceptional POS retail displays that stood out above the rest.  

In order to tap into football fandom in-store and deliver a sense of match atmosphers  , they tapped into other iconic pillars for emotion – such as the pregame huddle. This creativity created a connection that went beyond passive product placement within events - it brought the partnership to life. 

Walker's Shortbread digital airport activation highlighted how digital screens can excite consumers in-store on an achievable scale. 

Their ‘Free Shortbread Finger’ vending machine not only enticed customers and triggered engagement, it used brand storytelling: customers had to answer (simple) questions about Walker’s history to unlock the free sample, learning what sets the brand apart and creating memorability. 

Plus, clever and considered location placement – in the stressful setting of an airport – created something fun, inexpensive, and a treat (to accompany going on holiday!) that would create a strong positive brand impression. 

Bailey’s brand activation showcased how brands should be jumping on the power of ‘trending’, and what Gen Z (soon to be the highest spending cohort) is talking about on social media. 

The cream liqueur is typically associated with seasonal drinks and specific celebrations. However, through listening to and identifying trending topics such as ‘Sweet Treats,’ ‘Little Treats,’ and ‘Self Care’ to create their café experience, they opened a new stream of growth - demonstrating how listening to cultural trends can generate relevant and timely engagement opportunities. 

Lime capitalised on the popularity of drive-thrus as brand activations with their playful and novel twist. 

Embracing the bakery boom, riders could collect a free pastry while using Lime bikes or scooters. Not only an immediate revenue driver as it is users mid-lime bike who can unlock the giveaway, the activation also highlighted the versatility of Lime bikes – not solely practical transport but also an apparatus of leisure activities.  

It also created a shareable moment (with Lime bikes trending in 2025), and combined, highlighted how, when done with purpose, activations can achieve multiple brand KPIs simultaneously – awareness, conversion, and new growth. 

H&M’s standout brand activation showcased upgrading existing brand-consumer interactions  by elevating the fitting room experience.  

They turned a traditional changing room into a fully immersive nightclub experience at flagship stores in New York and Barcelona. Visitors could curate their own audiovisual environment, selecting songs from genres like pop, indie, or hip-hop, with LED screens and synchronized lighting effects responding to the music.  

Here shoppers not only had fun and energetic experience but could try clothes on in context (a night club), to improve the likelihood of satisfaction with purchase. 

Lego’s Formula 1 activations exemplified the power of sports partnerships from designing replica trophies at the British Grand Prix for winners to hold, to a pink Cadillac podium transport at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Lego used their unique creative lens to deliver a ‘wow’ factor from a brand partner.  

Lego leveraged their unique cultural position, and how this could directly fit into the F1 experience (including direct interaction from the drivers themselves), showcasing how effective brand activations at sporting events can share the spotlight alongside the action, not be overshadowed by it. 

American Express’s activation at Coachella exhibited how the power of exclusivity and intimacy can be impactful even at large-scale events. Restricted to card members, inside their pop-up customers could create keepsakes, take photos and relax in a creatively designed space resembling a Pinterest board.  

In an event that is so big both physically and culturally, it can be easy to lose that essential customer relationship,  Amex is known for giving card holders the VIP treatment, and this activation build on this reputation.  

19 Crimes’ wine bottles are a masterclass in how small touches on packaging can create a brand activation even within the product itself – and their limited-edition bottles for 2025 Halloween expanded on this even more  

Continuing with the signature QR code strategy to bring the packaging to life, 3 unique bottles also feature illuminated accents that brought the illustrated monsters alive even more. A small touch, but with a memorable impact, and one with re-usability, as customers could reuse the packaging as décor for future Halloween celebrations.   

Breast Cancer UK took one of the core messages of their cause – cancer catching patients when they don’t expect it – and brought it to life through brand activation. They turned pavements into a surprising, attention-grabbing medium, hiding ‘lumps’ in plain sight (pavement studs). 

By placing tactile, visual messaging in locations where consumers wouldn’t normally expect it, the campaign captured attention in a way traditional advertising wouldn’t –extra effective for a charity where marketing needs to be approached with a different lens. This creative approach created awareness and emotional resonance with passersby.