Scooptopia
An ice cream pop-up in the heart of town.
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Spatial activation design for Four Square
Four Square were launching a bold new flagship store in the heart of Britomart—their first in the central city. But with weeks to go until the doors opened, the license to sell alcohol was tied up—and months away from approval. This left a large footprint instore that needed to be filled. And quickly.
Note: This project was completed while Josh was employed by FCB, and they have graciously allowed its publication here.
Instead of a barrier, we saw the perfect opportunity to engage with the central Auckland locals, loudly announcing the arrival of the new store. Four Square have a deep existing connection with ice cream. Many Kiwis flock to their stores while on their holidays to grab a cone, and we wanted to leverage that connection—creating the biggest and best Four Square ice cream experience our customers had seen.
Working with the team at Retail Dimension, we brought the Four Square brand to expressive life as we created our ice cream boutique. The hero touchpoint was our expressive archway, a fantastical layering of light and colour, sprinkled with delicious messaging.
Concept
Refurbished hardwood floors, heritage brickwork, and the freshly installed wine fridges meant there were plenty of factors we had to work around. We settled on a modular approach, intermixed with custom fabrication, which gave the feeling of permanence, but ensured that our install could be re-used for future activations.
Our new brand graphic elements were perfectly suited, we leveraged our bespoke typefaces, already packed with gooey personality, and selected a fresh colour palette, applied in dazzling chequers, that tapped into milk bar vernacular.
Behind the counter, the existing refrigeration units were used to display large format photographic prints, shot by Victoria Baldwin.
Extra touchpoints, including an infinity mirror, 100s & 1000s table tops, and a drippy leaner all were crafted to engage the customers, and provide plenty of additional sharing opportunities.
Likely Suspects:
Josh O’Neill (at FCB)
Collaborators:
Photography by Victoria Baldwin & Michael Braid, Project management & Creative Direction by the wider FCB New Zealand team.