The 40 best outdoor brand activations of 2025
By James Herring on Monday, December 8, 2025
Brands spent 2025 pushing COOH and experiential marketing into bolder, stranger and more spectacular territory.
This roundup covers the standout builds, stunts and immersive experiences that earned attention on the street, dominated social feeds and set new benchmarks for creative impact.
Here’s a selection of widely shared hits (in no particular order) – as featured in the weekly Famous Five newsletter and on our LinkedIn page.
Our best billboards of the year list is here.
#1 Superman soared above The Shard in next-level stunt
Suspended more than 300 metres in the air, an 11ft sculpture of DC Studios’ new-look Superman hovered inside the spire of London’s tallest building. The activation, timed ahead of James Gunn’s reboot taking the film’s tagline “Look Up” literally.
#2 LEGO hits top gear at Miami GP with driveable F1 car parade
The Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix got a playful twist as LEGO took over the Drivers’ Parade with 10 fully driveable F1 cars – made almost entirely out of bricks.
#3 Severance stuns fans with Grand Central stunt
Severance fans got the surprise of a lifetime when the stars of the Apple TV+ series staged a wild promo stunt at New York’s Grand Central Station. The cast dressed as their Lumon Industries characters, performed inside a glass box recreated as the eerie Macrodata Refinement office. Watch the video > here
#4 Lewis Capaldi rebrands Aldi as “cap-Aldi” for surprise rooftop gig
Lewis Capaldi and Aldi turned a regular grocery run into a supermarket fever dream with a surprise live set from a rooftop.
#5 adidas takes over Shanghai with shoebox build
adidas took over Shanghai’s Yongyuan Road with its exclusive “Shell Toe Street” event, a tribute to the timeless sneaker. A show-stopping feature was a four-story structure wrapped as a stack of oversized adidas shoe boxes.
#6 Decathlon instal sports lockers in parks
Decathlon are rolling out sports lockers in outdoor spaces across the Czech Republic. The pilot project of smart lockers – allow customers to rent sports equipment free of charge. We’d love to see this in the UK.
#7 Tinder bins emotional baggage
A hot pink, bin lorry was spotted on the streets of Mumbai designed to help customers move on from the past. The ‘EX-press’ garbage truck will collect emotional baggage e.g love letters, photos, hoodies and soft toys – offering individuals a way to let go.
#8 Pantone marks 25 years of Coldplay’s ‘yellow’ with Wembley installation
To mark 25 years since Coldplay dropped ‘Yellow’, Pantone gave one of London’s busiest staircases a tonal glow-up. The public art installation, titled Yellow 25, adorns The Spanish Steps at Wembley Park transforming them into a giant colour swatch ahead of the band’s 10-day run. The installation moves through 58 shades of yellow, from muted pastels to bold golds, echoing the build of the track.
#9 Basel switches traffic lights to celebrate Women’s Euros
Basel gave its traffic lights a sporty makeover. As UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 kicks off, the city is marking the moment by swapping out green men on lights across the city.
#10 Kellogg’s giant weather vane
Kellogg’s installed a new giant at Ness Point, Lowestoft: a fully functional 21-foot weathervane shaped like brand mascot Cornelius the Cockerel. Erected the country’s most easterly point, catching the first light of sunrise and a fair bit of attention.
#11 Nike launch pop-up soup stall for runners
Set on Ersha Island (China), a hub for local runners, the shop serves traditional herbal soups in subtle Nike branding, tying performance to nourishment through the tagline “No effort goes unrewarded.”
#13 Disney delights with escalator takeover
Disney+ gave London’s Bond Street commuters a dose of unexpected self-reflection. In a clever escalator takeover, the streamer turned the mundane act of riding up and down into something a little more magical. Riders were met with digital reflections of their “spirit character,” ranging from Homer Simpson to Elsa to Buzz Lightyear.
#14 KFC’s ‘Out-Door’ campaign
KFC is taking “open 24/7” to a new level by removing the doors from its restaurants. The “Out-Door” campaign in the UAE turns these once-locked entrances into billboards, highlighting their around-the-clock service.
#15 Switzerland Tourism create miniature hotels for bees
Switzerland Tourism put a luxury spin on conservation, opening nine designer insect hotels, birdhouses and hedgehog shelters across the country. Each miniature stay is modelled after one of their partner hotels – designed via a national competition.
#16 McDonald’s unveils ancient mosaic in Rome
In a bold bit of trolling the fast food giant unveiled a fake ancient Roman mosaic in the Galleria Alberto Sordi that features toga-clad figures feasting on fries and Big Macs.
#17 The Ordinary highlights celebrity endorsement costs
The Ordinary took closer look at the price of fame with its Secret Ingredient Store, launched in New York City. The Deciem-owned brand filled its window with stacks of The Ordinary-branded dollar bills to illustrate how much more consumers might pay if celebrity endorsements were part of its business model.
#18 Striking crosswalk visualises pedestrian deaths
Over the last ten years, more than 20,000 people have been killed or injured at crosswalks across Turkey. In response, a municipality in Istanbul turned a crosswalk into a sobering piece of street-level data design. The project transforms a standard zebra crossing into a data visualization accident stats etched directly onto the asphalt.
#19 Samsung launches Galaxy S25 series with projection series
Samsung unveiled its new Galaxy S25 series with a striking projection mapping event on London’s Southbank. The event was broadcast live across Samsung’s social channels.
#20 Giant grass artwork celebrates Women’s Euros
Franco-Swiss artist Saype unveiled a striking artwork in Geneva’s Parc La Grange, celebrating women’s football at the Women’s European Championship. The 8,500 sq/m artwork was created using biodegradable pigments made out of charcoal & chalk.
#21 The Sphere landed on the Wicked Witch Of the East
The Sphere in Las Vegas dropped a house and a full-blown campaign — on the Wicked Witch of the East. Two 50-foot legs wearing oversized ruby slippers were seen sticking out from under the venue ahead of a new immersive Wizard of Oz show.
#22 Moët & Chandon flew a champagne cork balloon over Melbourne
Moët & Chandon flew a champagne cork balloon over Melbourne ahead of the Formula 1 Louis Vuitton Australian Grand Prix 2025. See the video.
#23 Emirates delivers Real Madrid match ball by ‘plane drone’
In a fun piece of live-event sponsor branding, Emirates delivered the official match ball for El Clásico via a custom ‘plane drone’.
#24 IKEA highlights home delivery with ambient activation
To promote its new Oxford Street store (and home delivery service), a taxi loaded with IKEA goods hit the streets, reimagining the chaotic and relatable post-shop journey home.
#25 Netflix drama gets crafty with COOH campaign
Netflix enlisted the talents of local knitters to create postbox toppers to promote the new (not so) cosy crime drama ‘The Thursday Murder Club’. A well crafted COOH campaign, speaking directly to an older fanbase of the book who’ll appreciate both the charm and the effort. By Meanwhile.
#26 Just Egg crash-lands into the UK with a plant-based bang
The US-born, mung bean-based egg alternative partnered with McCann Birmingham and The Vegan Food Group for a 360 campaign to mark its arrival. The launch is fronted by a 5-metre-high Just Egg carton that looks like it crash-landed on the concourse outside King’s Cross station
#27 Currys draws the line on phone theft with kerb campaign
Tech shop Currys trialled bold purple pavement markings on London’s Oxford Street in a new campaign to tackle rising phone theft. Dubbed ‘Mind the Grab’, the initiative is backed by Westminster Council, the Met Police, and Crimestoppers, and aims to change pedestrian behaviour in high-risk areas.
#28 Dumbbell postboxes promotes Gymshark event
Gymshark promotes upcoming London LIFT event with dumbbell postbox (aka ‘Pose Box’) street installation.
#29 Skoda turned penis graffiti into posters
Every year at the Tour de France, alongside elite cyclists and sweeping mountain views, there’s something a little less official making it into the broadcast: penis graffiti. This year, sponsor Skoda decided not to erase the problem, but reframe it to bring more attention to the women’s race.
#30 Road safety campaign uses XL ladder to highlight speed risks
Virginia’s Department of Motor Vehicles has taken a bold visual approach to raise awareness about the dangers of speeding – installing a 50-foot yellow ladder at the roadside. The ladder, which equates the impact of vehicle speeds is designed to show that being hit at 40 mph is comparable to a fall from 54 feet.
#31 Agency creates ‘revenge font’ from graffiti
They say revenge is a dish best served cold – but for independent creative agency DUDE, it’s best served creatively. After their East London office was hit with mindless graffiti, the team decided to turn the scribbles into something valuable: a brand-new typeface with proceeds to a local charity.
#32 Uber Eats pops up with XL ‘bag restaurant’
Uber Eats has given Britain’s lunch hour staple a luxury upgrade, serving gourmet meal deals from a 10-foot-tall delivery bag in central London.
#33 Tea brand tricks New Yorkers into taking a break
Pure Leaf encouraged New Yorkers to take a ten minute break – enticing them place their phone in a lock box in exchange for an iced tea.
#34 AXE turned a bus stop into an arcade game
In a fresh take on sampling, AXE and Ogilvy Greece just made waiting for the bus in Athens more fun and a lot more fragrant.To launch the new Cherry Fizz body spray, the brand turned one of the city’s busiest bus stops into a life-sized claw machine.
#35 Thai supermarket introduces rain-activated coupons for monsoon season
Supermarket chain Lotus’s has launched a creative campaign designed to make Thailand’s intense rainy season a little more rewarding. Using waterproof spray technology, agency VML stencils large coupons onto the pavement in front of its Go Fresh stores.
#36 Heineken moves North London pub to Lisbon
Heineken took two fan’s local pub (on wheels) all the way to Lisbon, to celebrate the weird rituals that die-hard fans swear by!
#37 Louis Vuitton cruise ship docks in central Shanghai
Louis Vuitton is taking its travel legacy seriously with a 30-metre tall cruise ship parked right in the middle of Shanghai. The monogrammed behemoth dubbed ‘The Louis’ isn’t setting sail anytime soon, it’s a concept store.
#38 Poker chip sculpture exposes hidden toll of gambling harm
A striking new installation at Westfield London turned heads — and sparked vital conversations. GambleAware, the UK’s leading gambling harm charity, has unveiled an 85,000 poker chip sculpture, with each chip representing a child aged 11–17 currently suffering from gambling-related harm.
#39 60ft Kim Kardashian balloon dominates Times Square
To promote its latest swimwear collection, Skims have installed a 60ft sculpture of co-founder Kim Kardashian in Times Square – but not everyone was happy about it.
#40 Breast Cancer UK puts “Street Nipples” on the map
Breast Cancer UK marked awareness month with an eye-catching street stunt: “Street Nipples”, launched in cities across the UK. The campaign uses reverse graffiti — pressure-washing pavements through breast-shaped stencils — to turn overlooked pavement studs into playful but pointed reminders about the importance of early detection.
