Sol de Janeiro Rio Radiance SPF Launch: a Celebration of Experiential Marketing Excellence

A few weeks ago, we were shortlisted for The Drum Awards 2024 in the Experiential Activation to Launch a Brand/Product category with the Rio-Apply Kiosk activation developed to launch Sol de Janeiro’s Rio Radiance SPF Collection.

This nomination highlights our team’s dedication and creativity to each project, blending culture, strategy and design to create experiences that resonate with audiences globally. But beyond that, it also sheds light on the evolution of experiential marketing as an integrated strategy and the relevant results it can drive to brands aiming to innovate and achieve long-term impact. Let’s dive a bit into it then.

Innovation and Impact Through Experiences

Experiential marketing is, by its very nature, creative. It’s about crafting inspiring and culturally relevant experiences that compel emotions and resonate with your audience on a deep-seated level. By tying your brand or product to an IRL activation, you can powerfully frame its perception within a specific lifestyle sphere or position it as an innate part of an emotion or vibe. When integrated into other marketing touchpoints, this strategy can lead to even more lasting results after the experience ends.

The Rio-Apply Kiosk is a perfect example of how the ability to create integrated, thoughtful, culturally relevant experiences can push boundaries in experiential marketing. Our goal was to introduce Sol de Janeiro’s new product line while evoking the vibrant, sun-soaked spirit of Rio de Janeiro, integrating the brand’s ethos of joy, diversity and sensorial experience into each stage while also applying a hybrid mindset to the creative strategy.

The Rio-Apply Kiosk: Bringing Rio’s Sunshine to Global Audiences

Sol de Janeiro and its iconic skincare and haircare products are known for ‘capturing the beauty of Brazil in a jar.’ With suncare products climbing ever-higher on people’s wellness and self-care agendas, the brand launched the Rio Radiance SPF Collection to expand its footprint in this growing category.

We’ve partnered with the Sol de Janeiro to craft a strategy that would support the release and bring the soul of Rio de Janeiro to life. Leaning into our cultural understanding and brand storytelling approach, the Rio-Apply Kiosk concept was born, designed to harness the electric energy and spirit of Rio and build a genuine connection between the brand and its audience.

Conceptualised as an immersive and scalable activation, the Kiosk served as a multisensory journey. From the colours to the textures, it was a true reflection of Carioca life, offering consumers from any part of the world a chance to experience Sol de Janeiro’s products in a way that felt authentic and engaging. This was possible due to the modular aspect of the project, allowing it to be easily adapted to various markets and event sizes.

Crafting the Campaign: Strategy Behind the Success

To successfully stand out in the competitive skincare industry and support the brand’s key goals, we had to provide an engaging experience that struck the right chords on both an emotional and cultural level. To make it happen, the strategy was set on a three-stage journey: attract, engage and convert.

The first was designed to immediately draw people in. The glamorous side of Rio life resonates around the world, providing a fantasy escape for many where a sea of colours, sights and sounds herald endless summer vibes. The Rio-Apply Kiosk embodied this mood. Inspired by the lively beach kiosks that line Rio’s coastline, the installation popped with vibrant visuals, bold typography, and an inviting atmosphere where visitors could relax and soak in the tropical vibes. It became a hangout spot where consumers could enjoy the relaxed energy of Rio while learning about the new Rio Radiance SPF Collection.

Following this, it was essential to engage visitors in an interactive, educational and entertaining way. We designed the experience to reflect Sol de Janeiro’s sensorial approach, allowing audiences to explore the products through touch, smell and visuals. The kiosk featured stations for product sampling, where visitors could experience the lightweight, non-greasy texture of the Rio Radiance SPF products. Sandcastle-building stations and photo spots added layers of fun and engagement, while educational touchpoints, including SPF product tutorials and interactive quizzes, deepened the experience. This allowed visitors to understand the importance of suncare and connect with the product’s unique benefits in a memorable way.

Finally, the project had to convert engagement into sales. The Rio-Apply Kiosk was designed to showcase the products, and also facilitate real-time feedback and purchasing decisions. Through sampling spots, visitors could try out the new SPF collection, receive branded gifts, or participate in SPF quizzes for a chance to win products. The lead capture opportunity allowed Sol de Janeiro to engage beyond the activation, nurturing those relationships through digital channels. In addition, the positive feedback loop helped boost the brand’s presence.

Cultural Insight As the Foundation 

Rio-Apply Kiosk’s success was largely due to our team’s expertise in tapping into the right global cultural insights. We know Rio de Janeiro is a city with a special place in the public imagination – a symbol of sunshine, vibrancy, and the unique allure of the Brazilian spirit. To make sure our interpretation would resonate across different markets, social listening focused on global perceptions of Brazilian culture was placed at the core of the strategy development. Themes such as sun, glow, and tropical beauty stood out as universally associated with Brazil, then guiding the design and execution of the whole activation.

Looking Ahead: The Future of Experiential Marketing

Our nomination for The Drum Awards is a testament to the power of experiential marketing when rooted in relevant cultural insight and executed in an integrated way. At MG Empower, we are dedicated to continuing to push the boundaries of what’s possible in marketing, delivering innovative and impactful experiences that connect brands with their audiences on a deeper level – while delivering long-term results. 

If you want to discover more about our work or just chat with our experiential marketing experts, get in touch today.