Lights, Camera, Brand Activation | StudioXAG

Our Strategy Lead Daniel Wigham explores why film studios must think beyond digital and how physical activations are carving out space for emotional connection, shared rituals and unforgettable moments.

The state of streaming

Streaming households climbed from 320 million in 2017 to 670 million in 2022, and will pass one billion by 2040 (McKinsey & Co.). Yet as content multiplies, shared cultural moments vanish. As producer Stacey Sher observes, “We’re in a time of flux… what was on its way towards being broken is being broken in a different way.”

As studios pour millions into digital campaigns that may never register, the true return on investment lives in the multi-sensory experiences that resonate long after credits roll.

VML Intelligence predicts, “New emotional metrics are in the making. In the future, performance might instead measure signs of tranquillity, tears of joy, goosebumps or jaw drops.” If a title cannot be experienced in real life, igniting that spark, it risks becoming another scroll-past.

We just have to look at the launch of ‘Netflix House’ to see this ringing true, the streaming giant has its sights set on opening two 100,000 square foot immersive, story driven experiences in Philadelphia and Dallas, to tap into their fandom and drive memorable experiences past the screen.

Why is digital alone failing?

Content saturation and fleeting attention
Viewers breeze past thousands of titles in seconds. TikTok and Instagram Reels compete with trailers that vanish with a swipe. Appointment viewing has given way to algorithmic feeds that favour endless scroll.

Lost rituals and shared moments
Red-carpet premieres are now private livestreams. Cinema screenings sit half-empty when home set-ups offer comfort. Water-cooler chatter has been replaced by ephemeral social threads.

Streaming’s double-edged sword
Platforms scale reach but dilute culture. You may have hundreds of millions of subscribers yet struggle to create one unifying moment. Budgets flow into paid media with no guaranteed return.

Digital alone isn’t enough. Stories demand a physical tether.

How can studios launch experiences with impact?

Film studios’ experiential marketing will hit $128.35 billion in 2024, up 10.5% on the previous year. Some budgets are rising by as much as 80%. To turn budgets into moments that matter, studios must partner with agencies versed in world-building, sensory immersion and audience engagement.

Below are four StudioXAG activations that showcase how to bridge screen and street.

Coach, Rexy Roars on to Regent Street

When Coach’s mascot Rexy landed at the Regent Street flagship, we brought her to life at Hollywood scale. Working with the same specialists behind the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park and Game of Thrones, we sculpted an eight-metre T-Rex from scratch. Every scale and contour was overseen from initial model through to installation so that Rexy felt both realistic and playful within the store window.

We treated Rexy as a star attraction rather than a display prop. Presenting characters at a scale and level of detail that demands attention makes them impossible to ignore.

Charlotte Tilbury, Future of Fragrance

In Protein Studios we designed six scented spaces for Charlotte Tilbury’s fragrance collection. Each room embodied an emotion – sex, joy, calm, magic, bliss and power – using bespoke colour schemes, ambient soundscapes and curated scent diffusers. Guests entered under a rainbow bottleneck arch and moved at their own pace, guided by Charlotte’s recorded voice and interactive moments that revealed individual fragrance profiles.

We turned abstract emotions into immersive environments. Translating a story’s emotional beats into physical spaces creates memories that linger long after.

Universal Studios, Wicked x Liberty London

For Wicked’s holiday launch we transformed Liberty’s Great Marlborough Street windows and central atrium into scenes from Oz. Ten detailed windows depicted key moments, from the Grimmerie to the University of Shiz. Inside, a 3.5-metre Wizard head hovered above shoppers. Every element was hand-crafted, painted and lit to mirror the film’s visuals.

We built story scene by scene, transforming the customer journey into the path of a storybook, keeping visitors anticipating what wonders may lie ahead.

IKEA, HUS of FRAKTA

Ahead of IKEA Oxford Street’s opening we celebrated the humble FRAKTA bag by placing it in a luxury context. A supersized FRAKTA sculpture greeted visitors in the window. Inside, blue checkerboard walls and mirrored panels echoed the bag’s texture. Guests were invited to personalise their own bag with initial patches and turn their tongues blue with an unforgettable candyfloss moment. Before exiting through an infinity tunnel designed for one last immersive photo opportunity.

We elevated the ordinary into the extraordinary. Spotlighting a familiar object at an unexpected scale, plus playful personalisation, created an experience that felt both aspirational and accessible.

What’s in store for the future?

Tech is unlocking new ways for stories to spill off-screen. Here are a few thought starters for what comes next:

• Geo-fenced AR quests: Imagine fans hunting virtual artefacts across a city, unlocking secret scenes and exclusive content at each location.
• Haptic VR pods: Trailer drops could launch VR installations that recreate pivotal film moments with wind, scent and heat.
• AI-driven guides: Digital avatars greet visitors, remember past interactions and unlock personalised narratives as fans navigate a space.
• Modular worlds: Activations that evolve with each episode release, inviting return visits and continuous social buzz.

Key Takeaways

• Go multisensory: Engage sight, sound, scent, touch and taste to make experiences unforgettable.
• Scale creates spectacle: Present characters, props or settings at unexpected dimensions to command attention.
• Emotion drives immersion: Turn a story’s emotional shifts into rooms or moments that visitors can explore and own.
• Partnerships extend reach: Collaborate with retail spaces and cultural venues to tap into wider audiences.

If your story lived off-screen, what would it feel like? Let’s bring it to life.