In a world swamped by noise, echo chambers and rapid opinion-swings, our partner The Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) wanted to bring their new brand platform — Here’s to Reason — to life in a way that felt authentic, human and experiential.

The question was simple but powerful: how do you take something as abstract as “reason” and make people feel it?

That was the question we explored with The Sydney Morning Herald, when they invited us to help bring their Here’s to Reason platform to life at SXSW Sydney.

The result was The Common Ground: an immersive installation that invited people to pause, reflect, and literally step into the light when they agreed with a statement about life, media, or truth. Over a few days, more than 16,000 people did exactly that.

As Gareth Brock, our Head of Strategy put it: “The Common Ground was designed to help people pause and reconnect with reason. It’s not about who’s right or wrong, it’s about rediscovering dialogue and understanding. Partnering with Nine and Publicis Worldwide to bring this to SXSW was the perfect way to show how brand experiences can make ideas tangible and real.”

For us, it was a perfect expression of what curiosity can do: take a simple idea and turn it into something people can stand inside, interact with, and remember.

In a world that often rewards outrage over understanding, The Common Ground reminded us that curiosity isn’t just about asking questions — it’s about listening for the answers, too.

In the high-intensity world of FMCG (Fast-Moving Consumer Goods), brands don’t just compete on shelves – they compete for moments of attention. Every interaction needs to earn its place, build memory, and convert curiosity into choice. That’s where brand activations prove their value: creating tangible, emotional connections that turn casual consumers into loyal advocates.

At Curious Nation, we’ve seen what works (and what doesn’t) across the FMCG sector – from household names to challenger brands looking to steal share. The difference between a good activation and a great one? It’s not budget. It’s curiosity, precision, and relevance.

1. Make the familiar feel fresh

In FMCG, familiarity is both your biggest asset and your greatest risk. The best activations refresh what people already know about your brand, reframing everyday products in ways that reignite emotion and relevance.

Whether that’s a pop-up stall that celebrates a household brand, or packaging brought to life through interactive displays, the goal is simple: make consumers see (and feel) your brand as new again.

2. Create experiences that live beyond the moment

A strong FMCG brand activation doesn’t stop when the stand comes down or the sample runs out. It’s designed to ripple – through content, conversation, and word-of-mouth.

That’s why our activations are built to be shareable by design: giving people something they want to post, not something they’re asked to. When curiosity meets creativity, the impact travels further than any paid impression.

3. Design with data, deliver with heart

In a category driven by distribution and scale, data is your directional compass. Smart FMCG activations use insights from purchase behaviour, location, and audience intent to guide where and how to show up.

At Curious Nation, our Venue Selection Model ensures every roadshow, tasting, or pop-up reaches the right people – maximising trial, relevance, and ROI. But the real power comes from how we humanise those moments: blending insight with emotion to turn interactions into impact.

4. Align brand purpose with real world value

Today’s consumers buy into more than flavour or function. They buy into meaning.

FMCG brands that win don’t just talk sustainability or community – they show it. Activations that demonstrate genuine impact (like circular packaging experiences or community-driven sampling campaigns) do more than drive sales; they drive trust.

5. Measure what matters

The FMCG sector moves fast – but measurement shouldn’t be an afterthought. Beyond footfall or impressions, the most effective activations track sentiment, recall, and purchase intent. We build measurable frameworks around every campaign, so curiosity is commercial as well as creative. 

6. Use digital activations thoughtfully

Digital shouldn’t replace physical experience – it should amplify it. The best FMCG brand activations use technology as a bridge between the tangible and the imaginative. 

Take our Whitlock’s brand activation: “Tales of Delicious Demise”. An AR portal that transformed condiment packaging into a storytelling gateway, blending physical interaction with digital discovery.

When digital tools are used with intent, to surprise, delight, and extend engagement, they turn everyday products into immersive worlds that people genuinely want to explore.

Turning curiosity into conversion

FMCG brand activations are powerful because they meet consumers where they are – in supermarkets, festivals, forecourts, and high streets – and turn the ordinary into something worth shouting about.

If your brand’s ready to move beyond awareness and into lasting connection, it’s time to get curious. Check out our FMCG page here.

Cathay Pacific showcased its new Aria Suite in Business Class and updated Premium Economy seats in Australia through an interactive activation created by Curious Nation.

The activation, which took place in Sydney and Melbourne, gave travellers a preview of the airline’s premium cabin products now available on its refurbished Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. The aircraft operates daily between Sydney and Hong Kong and has recently been introduced on the Melbourne–Hong Kong route.

Curious Nation designed the activation by transforming retail spaces into a mock flight experience. Visitors checked in at a custom-built airline desk, received printed boarding passes, and were able to test the Aria Suite or Premium Economy seat. The experience included a photo booth, instant giveaways, and the chance to win two return Business Class flights.

The Aria Suite includes sliding privacy doors, 24-inch 4K monitors with Bluetooth audio, and LED lighting. The updated Premium Economy seat was also on display as part of the airline’s ongoing cabin product upgrades.

“We set out to create a ground-level experience that matched the premium quality of Cathay’s new Aria Suite,” Steph Babin, managing partner at Curious Nation, said.

“By recreating a taste of the inflight journey in unexpected places, we’re sparking curiosity, building emotional connection, and allowing people to physically feel the difference. It’s a great example of how experiential can bring brand promises to life in a tangible, memorable way.”

Genevieve Brock, head of marketing, southwest pacific, at Cathay Pacific, added: “Our new Aria Suite represents a significant investment in passenger comfort and design excellence. This activation allows us to showcase the artistry and innovation behind Cathay Pacific’s premium cabins in a way that connects directly with travellers.

“It’s about demonstrating our commitment to thoughtfully crafted experiences that go beyond traditional airline service.”

The activation took place at Chadstone Shopping Centre in Melbourne and Westfield Chatswood in Sydney. Media placements, planned by Spark Foundry, supported the activity, alongside public relations by Soda Communications.

This article originally appeared on Mediaweek. 

Whether it’s an all-day exam cram, a spontaneous social event, or just a hard day at work, for many young Kiwis life doesn’t always go to plan and meals often pays the price. But Wattie’s is solving these lunch and dinnertime conundrums with a new integrated campaign creatively led by brand activation agency Curious Nation and Kraft Heinz’s internal agency, The Kitchen.

Wattie’s ‘Got You’ reframes frozen meals as the everyday hero of flatting life, when life throws us a curveball – it’s faster than takeaways and quicker than cheese toasties. Building on Wattie’s long-running brand platform ‘Feed the Love’, it showcases the convenience of Wattie’s frozen meals for a new generation in the moments they need them the most.

The iconic Kiwi brand has teamed up with MILKRUN to deliver bonus “Wattie’s frozen meal bundles” straight to the doors of hungry flatmates in minutes.

During the first phase, MILKRUN will deliver more than 2,500 Flatties Packs, each containing three Wattie’s frozen snack meals to eligible MILKRUN NZ users in suburbs across Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury, Waikato, and Dunedin. It will be accompanied by four weeks of MILKRUN-led bundle offers and digital promotions.

Gareth Brock, Head of Strategy at Curious Nation, said: “This idea was all about showing up for young Kiwis in a way that feels real and relatable. We didn’t want to lecture them about planning, but we wanted to celebrate the chaos of flatting life and meet it with something fun, fast and genuinely useful. ‘Wattie’s Got You’ gave us the creative platform to reframe frozen meals as the unsung heroes of those unpredictable moments. Delivering them straight to the doorstep through MILKRUN made the idea tangible, memorable and shareable.”

Andrew Donegan, Managing Director of Wattie’s, said: “Wattie’s frozen meals are made for the days when you’re exhausted, busy or just forgot to plan. This campaign speaks directly to young Kiwis showing that frozen doesn’t mean compromise, it means convenience, speed, and seriously tasty food that has your back when life gets hectic.”

In its latest work for Wattie’s, Curious Nation developed the creative platform and brokered the partnership with MILKRUN. Wattie’s in-house agency, The Kitchen, developed the creative concept to execution, with production by ANTI. It is being amplified through TVNZ+, out of home, in-store activation and social.

Want help crafting brand activations that put people first? Get in touch.

Saturday nights on sticky dance floors and queueing for cocktails are long gone for me. As a mother of a two-year-old, I’ve swapped the high heels for high boots and am learning to line dance. But while ‘boot scootin’ may not be particularly glamorous, it’s joyful, fun, and a celebration of a growing desire for shared experiences that are part of a broader cultural movement which brands should take notice of.

We’ve entered a new era of connection. The days when performance-based events like Tough Mudder, Colour Run or Spartan where the ultimate expressions of community have diminished. These were built on grit, spectacle, and sweaty selfies. Now the momentum has shifted, and in their place we’re seeing the growing popularity of events not necessarily centred on physical prowess, but on presence and participation that’s grounded in community and emotion.

From morning raves where dancers trade vodka shots for matacha lattes, to book clubs that are becoming social events above the prose, breathwork brunches and even the explosion of pickleball, the trend lines are clear: people aren’t chasing status anymore, but looking for softness, belonging, and the emotional charge of feeling something real with others.

Emotion is the new endorphin. Look no further than Lise & Sarah’s Disco Club started by two friends who missed nights out dancing with their girlfriends. In 2022 the pair hired a room at Brisbane bowling club and pressed play on the music they love to 80 women who also wanted a friendly, fun time dancing. Its success has now seen it sell-out events across Australia.

There’s something powerful about these new experiences. They’re gentle, but not passive. They invite participation, encourage connection, and create a sense of shared rhythm that’s hard to find in an era defined by digital dislocation.

Why connection, not competition, is the new wellness currency

Loneliness is on the rise, particularly among Gen Z and Millennials. Despite being the most digitally connected generations in history, they’re also among the most isolated, and in this context, emotionally supportive, real-world spaces aren’t just nice to have, they’re essential.

At the same time, our social habits are changing. The ‘sober curious’ movement is no longer niche, it’s mainstream. Gen Z is drinking less than any generation before it. Events like morning raves, cacao ceremonies, and alcohol-free social clubs are stepping into the void, offering energy, euphoria and emotional highs, all without the hangover.

And then there’s wellness. Once a solo pursuit, today it’s a collective focusing on moving, feeling, and decompressing together. Whether that’s dancing under disco balls or walking five kilometres in silence with strangers, we’re seeing a reframing of what it means to feel well, and who we want to feel it with.

Brand partnerships need a softer touch

This rise in emotionally intelligent, community-first experiences isn’t a fad. It’s a signal of deeper behavioural change. People no longer aspire to exclusivity but crave belonging. In a world obsessed with visibility, intimacy is becoming the ultimate flex.

These aren’t flashy, VIP-list events, but grassroots-led and often hyper-local. And because of that they’re high-trust and high-influence environments which for brands presents a powerful opportunity for presence, not performance.

This shift is as much an opportunity as it is a wake-up call. Traditional sponsorships and partnerships are often about visibility – big logos and bigger activations. But in these emotionally attuned spaces, audiences aren’t looking for spectacle, they’re looking for support.

Brands don’t need a lofty purpose to show up meaningfully, they just need to bring emotional intelligence. A warm-down space at a run club. A post day rave hydration bar. A branded playlist that captures the mood of the morning. Small gestures which garner deep impact. The key is to integrate, not interrupt, not just branding the event but belong to it.

Some brands are already understanding the new vibe. Maple Social Club in Sydney has partnered with Messina for the Messina Car Park Party that ran from 2pm to 5pm, while Caffeine Club in Brisbane offers beats before breakfast and has partnered with fitness clothing brand LSKD.

In this new landscape, the most powerful brand move isn’t domination. It’s participation. Respectful, quiet, intentional presence. A willingness to be part of something, without needing to own it.

Join the line, earn your place

So yes, I spend my week nights line dancing now, and I’m not alone. What might have once felt daggy or niche is now a symbol of something deeper: people showing up, together, just to feel good. No competition. No perfection. Just a shared sense of joy. Line dancing captures everything this new wave of community-first events represents – it’s low pressure, high connection, and undeniably human.

For brands paying attention, there’s a clear takeaway: you don’t need to lead the conga line. But if you’re willing to lace up your boots, learn the steps, and move with people rather than in front of them, you’ll find a place in culture that no logo ever could.

Want help crafting brand activations that put people first? Get in touch.

This article originally appeared on Bandt.

It’s a familiar scenario most of us have experienced. You’re rushing through a train station or weaving down a busy city street, when someone hands you a free soft drink or a muesli bar. This is sampling, and while it’s great for quick reach, it’s not the same as brand trial. Sampling gets products into hands while trial get products into minds, and if executed well is a powerful lever for brand growth.

The difference might sound subtle, but it’s critical. Sampling is a tactic. It’s fast, broad, and often unforgettable if it isn’t relevant or not branded in a way that sticks. Trial, on the other hand, is an outcome. It happens when someone experiences your product in a moment that means something, and at its core should be an always-on strategy to spark memory, build brand codes and drive real-world usage.

Marketers often confuse sampling and trial, but in doing so miss one of the most powerful drivers of brand growth. The best marketers know that sampling isn’t the goal. It’s just the start. When designed well, it becomes a pathway to true trial, an experience that creates memory, meaning, and momentum.

This article was originally published on Bandt.com.au. 

But here’s the kicker: retail media is not a strategy in itself. It’s a channel – an incredibly powerful one, yes – but still a channel.

When we think about retail media in the right way, it helps us build better marketing plans, achieve more consistent results, and set clearer expectations for how this channel supports business outcomes.

Retail media’s rapid rise

It’s no surprise brands are leaning into retail media. The ability to reach shoppers close to the point of purchase, combined with rich first-party data, makes it an enticing proposition.

But in the rush to invest, many marketers are treating retail media as if it requires an entirely separate strategic approach. That’s where problems start to emerge.

The role of retail media within the marketing mix

Like any other channel — search, social, programmatic — retail media should be selected and used based on what it can deliver within your broader marketing objectives.

Too often, we see brands running retail media in isolation, without clear alignment to upper-funnel activity or their brand strategy. That can lead to fragmented messaging and inefficient spend.

Instead, we recommend building retail media into your full-funnel plan:

• Understand what role it plays at each stage of the funnel
• Use it to complement (not replace) your other activity
• Set measurement frameworks that capture its contribution to your wider goals

A strategic mindset shift

When you treat retail media as a channel — not a standalone strategy — your planning and execution become more sophisticated. You’ll be clearer about how it fits with brand campaigns, CRM, trade marketing, and ecommerce.

You’ll also set more realistic expectations internally. Retail media can drive sales and support brand growth — but it’s not a silver bullet. Like every channel, its success depends on how it’s integrated and optimised.

Want expert help building an integrated, full-funnel retail marketing plan that gets results? Get in touch.

This article was originally published on AdNews. 

We’ve always believed that the best ideas don’t just make people look — they make people feel. That belief sat at the heart of our recent activation for ABC’s new series, The Piano — a show that celebrates the spontaneous, emotional power of music in everyday life.

So we asked ourselves: what would it look like if we took that idea — raw, unscripted musical talent — and made it tangible in the real world?

The answer: Circular Keys.

For one unforgettable day during Sydney’s Vivid Festival, we transformed Circular Quay into a live stage — not for a performance, but for possibility.

Playing with wonder

The Piano, hosted by Amanda Keller and featuring global icon Harry Connick Jr. alongside concert pianist Andrea Lam, invites amateur pianists to play in public spaces — unaware they’re being watched by two musical legends. The show is built on surprise, emotion, and everyday brilliance.

To bring that energy into the world, we built a 15-metre, custom-made, walkable piano that responded to movement — lighting up and playing notes with every step. Think less fingers-on-keys, more joy-under-foot. It became a playground for all ages, where people stumbled across a piano big enough to dance on, and did exactly that.

And yes, the irony of creating something so analogue in a world full of screens wasn’t lost on us. That was the point.

The sound of surprise

Throughout the day, performers brought the piano to life — with renditions of Clocks and Baby Shark, plus more than a few improvised solos from spontaneous walk-ups. And then we dialled things up: Andrea Lam, one of the stars of the show, appeared unannounced for a live performance — bringing world-class classical music to the feet of surprised festival-goers.

We’ve seen a lot of brand activations — but there’s something about watching a world-renowned pianist play next to a toddler hopping out Chopsticks on the same keyboard that captures the spirit of what we aim to do: create connection through curiosity.

Why it worked

Our brief from ABC was simple: generate awareness for The Piano and get people talking. We knew this needed to be more than a performance — it needed to be a moment. Something shareable, yes — but more importantly, something people would remember.

“The Piano is a celebration of untapped talent, community and the transformative power of music. Our goal was to bring that spirit to life in a way that felt both joyful and unifying. Circular Quay gave us the perfect stage, where the public became the performers, and the amazing content was amplified across social media.” said Stephanie Babin, Managing Partner at Curious Nation.

We created something you could stumble across and be part of — whether as a dancer, a pianist, or someone just passing by. It was immersive, low-fi, and utterly human — and it resonated across social, drawing thousands of shares, smiles, and musical steps.

As ABC’s Siobhan McGeown put it: “The Piano is a show that surprises and uplifts, and Curious Nation’s activation captured that essence beautifully. It was utterly memorable and the perfect way to build buzz and introduce Australians to a show they’ll fall in love with.”

What we’re really talking about

For us, this wasn’t just about promoting a show — it was about reintroducing a bit of magic to the public space. We live in an age where most brand interaction happens through screens. But we believe the future belongs to brands that create real-world moments that make people feel something.

Moments you don’t just watch — you walk on.

To find out how we can create a moment that matters you, check out our experiential & events marketing page.

I remember when getting lost in thought meant exploring a quirky side street or stumbling upon a hidden café. These days, my curiosity often feels hijacked by algorithm-fed content and endless scrolls of familiar posts.

Curiosity is the lifeblood of human progress, pushing us to question the familiar and explore new frontiers. It fuels creativity and innovation, prompting us to challenge assumptions and uncover deeper truths about our world. At a time where information is abundant and easily accessible, it is curiosity that compels us to look beyond the surface and seek out meaningful experiences.

Coca-Cola chairman and CEO James Quincey laid it out at the recent Adobe Summit in the US. As AI-generated content floods every corner of our screens, live experiences will become “the only thing you can’t avoid”. He warned that consumers are no longer satisfied with a barrage of uninspiring content. Instead, they are ready to embrace genuine, creative moments that break the mould of passive consumption.

And that digital consumption itself is also on the decline, with research from Dr. Gloria Mark, Chancellor’s Professor of Informatics at the University of California, indicating that the average attention span on a screen has decreased from 2.5 minutes in 2004 to just 47 seconds in recent years.

Therefore, it is no longer enough for marketers and brands to simply feed us information or quirky videos and memes if they want to drive real outcomes – brands need to ignite experiences that spark wonder and invite deeper engagement, building deeper and long-lasting connections with consumers who are longing for more than a quick hit digital fix.

And we have examples of some doing it well. Airbnb has launched ‘Categories’, inviting guests to explore stays ranging from castles to treehouses and even off-grid properties. They are not just renting out rooms but offering a passport to adventure that taps into our innate desire to discover the unexpected. With ‘Icons’, another new Airbnb category, people can enjoy experiences never previously available, such as spending the night in the floating house from the film ‘Up’, spending the night in the Ferrari Museum or a stay in Prince’s Purple Rain house. Brian Chesky, Airbnb co-founder and CEO, captures it perfectly: “As life becomes increasingly digital, we’re focused on bringing more magic into the real world… we’ve created the most extraordinary experiences on earth.”

In Australia, Secret Foodies is revolutionising how we experience culinary adventures. By orchestrating secret dining events shrouded in mystery until the last minute, the brand creates a palpable buzz and a sense of exclusivity that traditional restaurant bookings simply cannot match.

Red Bull also knows how to play the mystery card. Its ‘Unforseen’ events are notorious for keeping details under wraps, offering just enough information to pique curiosity without giving away the full story. This strategy transforms every Red Bull event into an invitation to participate in a larger-than-life experience – a chance to break away from the mundane and dive into something genuinely exciting.

Independent brand strategist, Eugene Healey, captured the essence of this shift perfectly. “When everyone goes broad, it becomes cool to go deep. The coolest people in our society right now are the ones who are the most deeply obsessed with their hobbies and passions.”

It’s also apparent there is a growing appetite from marketers to embrace real-life, in-person, connections. In 2024, spending on experiential marketing was expected to hit US$128.35 billion – rising to above pre-pandemic levels for the first time, according to PQ Media’s B2C and B2B Experiential Marketing Forecast 2024-2028. This trend was confirmed in the US where American consumer spending on experiences during the 12 months ending August 2024 rose by 32%, according to Earnest Analytics.

As AI continues to democratise access to general knowledge, space needs to be left for those who choose to pursue niche interests with a fervour and curiosity that truly stands out. Where broad, superficial understanding is the norm, depth and dedication have become the ultimate status symbols.

Brands must act as catalysts for curiosity, providing spaces where consumers are invited to explore, interact, and engage on a more profound level. The ones that will succeed are not those that have the most content but the ones that make us stop scrolling and start wondering, because the pursuit of genuine, unfiltered experiences remains at the heart of what makes us human.

By Meredith Cranmer.

This article originally appeared in Mediaweek.

At Curious Nation, we see it play out all the time: the brands that play it safe, fade. The ones that dare to stand out — and actually connect with their audience — win hearts, minds, and market share.

There’s one cost no brand can afford: the cost of being dull. This truth isn’t new, but it’s gaining sharper relevance in an era where sameness dominates the customer journey. Surprise and delight aren’t just nice-to-haves — they’re a strategic advantage. Miss the opportunity to create a moment, and you may be missing the chance to build long-term brand equity.

The customer journey is full of expected touchpoints — so when a brand breaks the pattern with something genuinely unexpected, it cuts through. Personalised, thoughtful moments of surprise not only create emotional connection, they drive talkability and, more importantly, memory.

Experience drives equity

According to Kantar, only 25% of a brand’s equity comes from comms like paid media. The other 75%? It’s built through experience — how people interact with your products, services, and brand touchpoints.

Too many brands focus on what they’re saying, and not enough on what they’re making people feel. If your brand experience is forgettable, you’re not just missing potential — you’re leaking value. Dullness doesn’t just mean silence; it often leads to disengagement, lower loyalty, and reduced lifetime customer value.

That’s where surprise and delight become essential — because they’re what people remember. And at Curious Nation, helping brands engineer those moments is right in our wheelhouse.

Why surprise and delight works

Modern consumers don’t just want a product or service — they want something that resonates emotionally. They want to feel something. That’s why these moments work so well. They speak to something human.

And when they’re personalised? Even better. When a brand nails that perfect small gesture or unexpected activation, it shows real understanding. It creates a deeper sense of connection — and earns loyalty that money can’t buy.

One brilliant example is Monzo’s ‘ATMmm’ pop-up with Greggs. Born out of data showing that millions of customers were buying Greggs using Monzo, the brand teamed up with the high street giant to create a pop-up ATM that dispensed free sausage rolls (vegan included, of course). A playful, unexpected idea that turned a moment into a movement — and reinforced brand love in the process.

Experiences build brands – not just ads

It’s easy to assume brand fame comes from big ad budgets. But the most powerful brands today are built on exceptional experiences — the ones people talk about, share, and remember.

Take Disney. They don’t just operate theme parks — they create magic in every interaction. Even the soap dispensers in Tokyo Disneyland offer a surprise: Mickey Mouse-shaped foam. These moments aren’t just charming. They’re strategic. They transform the mundane into something truly memorable.

And if Disney can add joy to a soap dispenser, what’s stopping everyday brands from doing the same? The opportunity isn’t limited to premium players — in fact, challenger brands are often more effective at using surprise to differentiate. They can’t outspend the giants, but they can absolutely outsmart them.

Consistency first. Then, surprise.

There’s a balance, of course. You can’t build surprise and delight on a shaky foundation. Get the basics right first — product, service, reliability — and then layer in the magic. A great customer experience is the starting point; surprise is the amplifier.

Or as we like to say: you need a great sausage before you add the sizzle.

When done right, surprise and delight moments feel like an extension of the brand — not a gimmick. They reinforce your values, not distract from them.

The real cost of playing it safe

In a world where attention is a currency, playing it safe is expensive. It leaves you invisible. It lets other brands — braver, bolder ones — take your place in the minds and feeds of your audience.

So here’s our challenge to you: don’t settle for ordinary. Be the brand that breaks the scroll, starts the story, sparks the emotion. Set aside some space (and some budget) to get closer to your customers through experiences they never saw coming.

Because in today’s landscape, the brands that surprise and delight aren’t just remembered — they’re loved.

And the ones that don’t? Well, they’re just background noise. And that’s a price no brand can afford to pay.