A thing (or two) to do
Hot experiential summer has arrived! If you haven't marked the assortment of July holidays on your calendar yet, now's the time: National Piña Colada Day falls on July 10, World Emoji Day is celebrated on July 17, and National Chili Dog Day goes down on July 29. If you can't tell, we're excited that this summer has so much on offer. Here's what's on our minds this month, in experiential and beyond…
– Rob Blasko, VP Creative Strategy
A thing (or two) to do this summer It’s officially Summer, people! So before we dive back into the crazy busy event season that is fall, let’s treat our bodies and minds! Stimulate your taste buds with any of these creative homemade ice cream recipes. Dive into a swimming hole to escape the heat (check out this handy map to find the closest ones to you). Pimp up your picnic with these cute mason jar sun teas, or let others cater the whole experience for you and your loved ones. Finally, turn your backyard into your own movie theater and end a hot summer day on a high note. Not sure what cocktail to make to accompany your movie night? Here are seven options to pick from. Now relax and enjoy! Cheers!
– Anna Le Breton, Executive Producer
A thing to watch The long-awaited Summer Olympics are finally here and will officially begin with the Opening Ceremony on July 23rd. U.S. trials have already sparked anticipation across the nation as we come together to celebrate not only the return to the Olympics, but also the return of being able to celebrate together in person. The one-year postponement will only make athletes and fans that much more invested in the games. I am stoked to see what brands have planned for this highly anticipated event and am interested to see how new sports like skateboarding will be incorporated into activations and sponsorships. While the 2021 Summer Olympics are taking place in Tokyo, don’t miss out on the opportunity to remotely cheer on our athletes going for gold from your hometown.
– Caroline Cole, Marketing Intern
A thing everyone will be doing After a year of being stuck at home, people are desperate to board a plane, train, or boat to head to anywhere in the world that’s open and accepting reservations. It doesn’t need to be said, but the revenge, of course, is against the pandemic and not so much travel itself. It's a glorious combination of wanderlust and making up for a lost year. People across the globe are ready to book a trip to make up for the lost time and experiences with a vengeance. With this, I think back to the frontline worker recipients from the Honeymoon for Heroes activation we produced in 2020 for Southwest and Chase and hope that they are planning lots of trips with their awarded points. Welcome to the Summer of Revenge Travel. See you out there!
– Nicole Finn, Account Director
A thing to experience There are some works of art that can transcend even their own creators' limitations, and when this happens, it is a marvel that no one should dream of missing! By using modern animation techniques, the breathtaking Van Gogh Exhibition allows us to see Vincent Van Gogh’s artwork in an incredible and brand new light. He is famous for his paintings that show momentum while remaining completely still - and now, we can see this implied movement in real-time through this immersive and truly impressive animated experience created by Massimiliano Siccardi. Immersive projection experiences are definitely on trend as seen with the Geometric Properties at ARTECHOUSE NYC, SuperReal also located in NYC, Illuminarium in Atlanta, and ILLUSION in Los Angeles.
– Jeremy Wechsler, Motion Graphics Designer
A thing to sign up for Who doesn't like getting rewarded for doing something you were already going to do? Most of us are already stacking our points using credit cards to hopefully offset some future travel. And with the Seated app, it's giving me money back for just eating at certain places and submitting a picture of my receipt! Swiping my card to get points and then uploading my receipt to get some cash back is the only double dipping we should be doing! Think of it like Ebates/Rakuten, but for food!
– Cameron Mo, Associate Controller