Everything from experiential pop-up activations to viral cafes and the unmissable sensory marketing trends!
While marketing trends change with the blink of an eye, here are a few campaigns that have caused ripples amongst brands to get on board with the shifting tide.
Pop-ups as Experiential Marketing
Brands are using pop-ups as a form of experiential marketing to establish themselves as a lifestyle and provide a temporary yet memorable interaction with consumers to drive sales.
In the last month, London alone saw major brands such as Blank Street, Prada, and MERIT setting up their activations. Blank Street, the cafe chain known for its matcha, launched “Press for Picnic” in Charlotte Street, London and New York to give away 100 picnic baskets of 2 matcha drinks and 2 cookies with a picnic blanket. Prada hosted a picnic-themed pop-up in London to showcase its popular fragrance and makeup products, capturing the essence of the season and London’s picnic culture. MERIT celebrated its exclusive launch into Sephora UK earlier this February. By featuring hot cross buns, tea & coffee, complimentary samples and much more, passersby interacted with the brand. Summer Fridays launched their Endless Summer Beach Club pop-up on Bondi Beach, Sydney, earlier this February to spend time with their consumers with free scoops of ice cream, exclusive merch, complimentary samples, and more.
Pop-ups can be used for various purposes ranging from brand awareness to product launches and demographic diversification. This has been a global strategy for brands by tapping into the old-school model that relies on interacting with consumers. Skift Meetings published a report that 93% of consumers who said brand experiences are more impactful than TV and internet ads, according to research by Statista and Event Marketer.
Sensory Marketing Trends
2025 has seen a rise of brands using sensory marketing trends to make you crave their products (quite literally!). This idea also stemmed from the ‘Absurdity Venn’ that overlays two things that people know and like. By pairing a product with food, it creates a sense of familiarity and becomes more palatable. The images are designed to evoke the five senses through flavour and smell while viewing, further leaving a lasting impression of desire.
The brand that has been dominating this space is Hailey Bieber’s skincare line. While Rhode has been the trendsetter with this style of marketing using whipped cream to berries, Jacquemus’ buttered toast left a lasting impact. While Marc Jacobs notched it up by partnering with model-turned-influencer, Nara Smith, who is known to bring her extravaganza to cooking.
Overall, according to studies published by Mood Media, sales increased by 10% during the sensory marketing trial.
“Viral” Cafe Experiences
Brands have been creating “viral” cafe experiences that tend to become the trending “IT girl’ spots across social feeds. While one may not be able to buy a £2000 bag, an overpriced coffee and cake are affordable for many. This is also an outcome of the current economy, where food is quite literally a luxury, with a nod to Gen Z’s “little treat culture”.
Brands like Dior, Ralph Lauren, Miu Miu, Prada, Yves Saint Laurent, and many others have joined this brandwagon. Why? The campaigns display the “Lipstick Effect”, according to which, when times are tough, people are more likely to indulge in small luxuries.
Using the ‘FOMO’ tendency to remember their brands through economic fluctuations, brands have been creating these “instagrammable” spots that exude a sense of superior social exclusivity against the paradox of the fear of missing out.
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