How Fanta's Generative AI Experiential Activation is Inspiring South African Customers to Take Bold Steps

Fanta has taken experiential marketing to new heights in South Africa by integrating generative AI into its latest campaign, creating an immersive, multi-sensory experience that has left customers buzzing. While digital experiences often struggle to captivate audiences, Fanta’s innovative offscreen approach, designed to engage all the senses, has proven that consumers are eager for new technological and creative innovations in marketing.

The pop-up activation, held at Newtown Junction, was described as an "Alice-in-Wonderland-Meets-Willy-Wonka's-Chocolate-Factory" experience, all in Fanta’s signature orange.

“Fanta was launching its best-tasting orange yet—fizzier and tastier than ever before,” said Zodwa Gunuza, creative director at The Hardy Boys, a VML company. Gunuza, along with creative director Peter Doubell and ECD Geoff Paton, spearheaded this first-of-its-kind activation. “A line in the brief suggested, ‘You don’t drink Fanta, Fanta drinks you.’ That inspired us to create a brand experience that mimicked what Fanta does to your tastebuds. We wanted consumers to feel the rush, experience the fizz, and leave with a sense of … aaaaah.”

"We were so nervous that no one was going to come in," says Rachael du Plessis, client director at The Hardy Boys. "But it had to be authentic. That was the whole point — it was the surprise element that we had to capture on film." 

The experiential marketing installation converted an ordinary warehouse into an indoor amusement park, completely invisible from the outside.

"Each room in the installation represented the different forms of exhilaration that tasting new Fanta Orange creates in the mouth," says Gunuza.

According to the brand, huge LED screens and surround sound created an exhilarating rush, simulating the experience of reaching the top of a rollercoaster and then hurtling downwards. 

Next, there was the Bubble Room, where suspended orange balls combined with a hall-of-mirrors effect created a surreal — and highly Instagrammable — immersion, completed by the gentle sound of bubbles popping in the background, the brand adds.

"Arguably the most spectacular room of all, the Rocking Room featured pressure-activated pads on the floor that, when you stepped on them, triggered sounds that were brought to life as spectacular visuals on wraparound LED screens," says Gunuza. "Liquid danced and pulsed to people's steps, each pad triggering a different audio-visual experience, from subtle streams to crashing waves."

There was also the Fresh Room, designed to embody the breathy "aaaah" you make after finishing your last sip of Fanta. Here, soft orange streamers swayed in a light, refreshing orange-scented breeze as people reached the end of their immersive Fanta Flavour Fantasy, adds the brand.

In the face of political instability and economic uncertainty, consumers are seeking moments of enchantment to escape daily stress, according to VML's 2024 Future 100 Trends Report. Brands that can offer magical and delightful experiences are poised to stand out in a crowded market.

A prime example of this is the Fanta Flavour Fantasy campaign. Originally conceived as a glorified sampling event, the campaign transformed into a sought-after sensory experience. Visitors had to sip Fanta to enter, with each sip unlocking the next room in the installation. The immersive experience became something people eagerly participated in, captured, and shared.

"Our goal was to have around 200 physical walk-throughs, with the expectation that the campaign would gain significant traction online," says du Plessis. "But in the end, 1,000 people walked through, predominantly from our target Gen Z audience."

Du Plessis emphasizes that meticulous attention to detail is crucial for a successful experiential marketing campaign. "We aimed to create a premium experience, so there was no room for shortcuts in production. Cutting corners could have easily led to negative viral attention," he adds.

The Fanta Flavour Fantasy installation was built from scratch over about three weeks, with creative teams collaborating from Cape Town, London and Johannesburg, according to the brand.

"Nothing like this had been done before, so we were learning as we went along," adds du Plessis. "The day before, we were still testing and fixing things; but once it launched, we didn't have any hiccups at all."