EXPERIENCES BEYOND THE STADIUM – A WORLD AT PLAY

Bank of America turned its FIFA World Cup sponsorship into a fan participation experience through more than two million free collectible bracelets with 140 themed beads inspired by host cities and teams. The activation ran across FIFA Fan Zones and community roadshows allowing fans to build, trade and collect throughout the tournament.

Fan Bands connected with Bank of America’s audience by moving beyond a traditional sponsorship model and gave fans a tangible reason to interact with the brand. The collectible beads connected to host cities and teams, allowing people to customise and create a personal link to the tournament. By taking the experience into public spaces and community locations, Bank of America reached fans beyond only match attendees.

Brands can create stronger connections by designing experiences to encourage participation. Adding personalisation, collecting and sharing can extend engagement beyond a single moment and activations that work across different environments, from major event spaces to local communities reach wider audiences to create meaningful interactions.

LEGO transformed Rockefeller Plaza into a FIFA fan destination centred around an 8.47-metre-tall LEGO World Cup trophy. Combining a large-scale installation with interactive building stations, collaborative builds and personalised, giving visitors multiple ways to engage with the brand.

Every element connected back to LEGO’s core idea of creativity through play.

The trophy attracted massive amounts of attention, while the surrounding experience encouraged visitors to interact further. This design gave fans an active role within the experience (as well as a great photo opportunity).

Large-scale installations can act as entry points into more engaged experiences. A strong hero element should connect to the wider brand idea, with clear next steps to encourage participation. When each part of an experience supports the same message, audiences can form a clearer connection with the brand. Memories made easy.

Panini turned its FIFA World Cup 2026 Sticker Collection into an opportunity to bring together collectors from across locations in the US and Mexico for the world’s largest sports sticker exchange event (as recognised by Guinness World Records!). Bringing a familiar collecting tradition into public spaces, the exchange connected fans through trading, participation and community all within a brand space.

The exchange worked as a brand touchpoint by building on an existing fan ritual.

Collecting and exchanging stickers already had meaning for supporters, so Panini created a space for those interactions to happen - at scale. The world record element and public exchange locations encouraged fans to take part and to become a part of something bigger the event. A community at play.

Effective experiences are created by identifying the activities audiences already value and designing spaces that directly support those behaviours. Experiences that help people connect with each other build stronger relationships than experiences focused only on brand messaging (and sometimes breaking World Records).

Visit Seattle created a drone scoreboard experience for FIFA World Cup 2026, turning live match results into a public display above Seattle. Using 400 drones near the Space Needle, the activation combined real-time data, technology and local landmarks to create a moment of awe for fans in the city. One moment: thousands of impressions.

Turning match updates into a public experience by linking drone technology with a recognisable landmark, Visit Seattle created an experience connected to the city’s identity. The scoreboard gave fans a reason to gather outside the stadium and engage with the tournament together in a new setting.

Brands can use technology to strengthen the connection between people and place. Digital experiences work best when they seamlessly support a clear idea, location or story. When technology has a purpose beyond novelty, it can assist to create stronger connections between audiences and brands.

Nike transformed retail and community spaces into football destinations across global markets for the World Cup. The spaces used storytelling, customisation, athlete appearances and local programming to bring fans closer to the game (and their brand). From flagship store takeovers to neighbourhood football hubs, each experience reflected the culture of its location.

The string of activations worked by building each experience around local football communities rather than using one format everywhere. Each space had a clear purpose, from showcasing product innovation to hosting grassroots football activities and fan gatherings. This helped the brand connect with people through the places and activities they already valued.

Brands can use physical spaces as places for engagement – even more relevant when they reflect local communities and culture - giving people a reason to participate.

Designing for a specific region and audience helps brands build experiences that connect powerfully to communities.

“In the US specifically, World Cup-related experiences were up 403% compared to 2022, with attendance up 572%.  That’s not a marginal shift — it’s a signal that brands themselves reallocated budget from one way advertising to experience as the primary emotional channel….”