Yet, that’s exactly what happened to unsuspecting passersby at a pop-up experience in Newtown Junction that could be described as Alice-in-Wonderland-Meets-Willy-Wonka’s-Chocolate-Factory. But orange.
It’s a regular day at the busy Newtown Junction precinct in Johannesburg. People are doing everyday things – running errands; going to college; making TikToks. Even the rather large wall, freshly painted in bright orange geometric shapes that appears to have sprung into being overnight is not necessarily unusual in an area known for its arty vibe. But then there’s the bottle. Perched on a podium against the aforementioned orange wall, a lone bottle of Fanta challenges passersby in bold capital letters: “DRINK ME IF YOU DARE”.
“Fanta was launching its best tasting orange yet – fizzier and tastier than ever before,” explains Zodwa Gunuza, Creative Director at The Hardy Boys, a VML company, who, along with fellow Creative Director Peter Doubell, and ECD Geoff Paton, was part of the team behind the first-of-its-kind experience. “A line in the brief suggested, ‘You don’t drink Fanta, Fanta drinks you.’ That was our cue. What if we could create a brand experience that mimicked what Fanta did to your tastebuds? What if consumers could feel the rush, and experience the fizz in a full-on sensory experience that left them feeling… aaaaah?”
Candid Makes Perfect
Back at Newtown Junction, half an hour has gone by.
“We were so nervous that no one was going to come in,” recalls Rachael du Plessis, Client Director at The Hardy Boys. “But it had to be authentic. That was the whole point – it was the surprise element that we had to capture on film.”
Finally, cautiously, someone approaches, uncaps the sealed bottle, takes a sip… and disappears, as the platform they’re standing on rotates, seemingly swallowing them into the wall. Life continues. But a handful of people who saw what happened have their interest piqued – where did they go?
Into the Flavour of Fanta
The answer is an experiential marketing installation that converted an ordinary warehouse into an indoor amusement park, completely invisible from the outside. “Each room in the installation represented the different forms of exhilaration that tasting new Fanta Orange creates in the mouth,” explains Gunuza.
First up, the Rollercoaster Room: Huge LED screens and surround-sound created an
exhilarating rush, simulating the experience of reaching the top of a rollercoaster and then hurtling downwards. “Just like Fanta being swallowed,” explains Gunuza.
Next, there was the Bubble Room, where suspended orange balls combined with a hall-of-mirrors effect created a surreal – and highly Instagrammable – immersion, completed by the gentle sound of bubbles popping in the background.
“Arguably the most spectacular room of all, the Rocking Room featured pressure-
activated pads on the floor that, when you stepped on them, triggered sounds that were brought to life as spectacular visuals on wraparound LED screens,” says Gunuza. “Liquid danced and pulsed to people’s steps, each pad triggering a different audio-visual experience, from subtle streams to crashing waves.”
And finally, there was the Fresh Room, designed to embody the breathy “aaaah” you make after finishing your last sip of Fanta. Here, soft orange streamers swayed in a light, refreshing orange-scented breeze as people reached the end of their immersive Fanta Flavour Fantasy.
The Magic of Experiential Marketing
According to VML’s 2024 Future 100 Trends Report, an in-depth global study, consumers want to be enchanted. In a time of political instability and economic uncertainty, they’re looking for moments of respite from the stress of daily life. Brands that can deliver magical experiences that delight audiences will stand out from the noise.
As Du Plessis notes, Fanta Flavour Fantasy was, in essence, a glorified sampling campaign. People had to sip their Fanta to enter and, once inside, a sip would activate the next room. But by crafting a sensorial experience around it, the tasting became something people wanted to take part in, capture, and share with others.
“Originally, we were only aiming to get about 200 physical walk-throughs and the idea was that it would go huge online,” explains Du Plessis, adding that influencers were invited to come and experience the installation. “But in the end a thousand people walked through! And they were, by and large, exactly our target Gen-Z audience.”
Meticulous attention to detail is key to a successful experiential marketing campaign. Cutting corners on craft or execution is a quick way to go viral online for the wrong reasons! “We wanted this to be a really premium experience,” says Du Plessis. “So, we couldn’t take any shortcuts with production.”
The Fanta Flavour Fantasy installation was built from scratch over about three weeks, with creative teams collaborating from Cape Town, London and Johannesburg. “Nothing like this had been done before, so we were learning as we went along,” adds Du Plessis. “The day before we were still testing and fixing things, but once it launched, we didn’t have any hiccups at all.”
With generative AI bringing fantastical visions to life digitally, it’s becoming harder to wow an audience onscreen. However, by thinking offscreen and creating visceral, immersive experiences that engage all the senses, brands can create positive impressions that last.
View the work here.
