GPJ and DARKHORSE, two agencies within Project, an employee-owned alliance of creative agencies, unveiled Binance Blockchain Week Dubai 2024 this week, producing the biggest ever flagship event for the world’s leading crypto ecosystem, Binance. The industry leading symposium brought together the brightest minds in Web3, blockchain, cryptocurrency and decentralized finance.

Experiential marketing is always evolving, and the industry is poised to outpace prepandemic spending this year. It’s no surprise, then, that 2024 has already proved to be a landmark year for experiential campaigns. With a wealth of impactful, original and delightful campaigns already in the books for 2024, Ad Age decided to bring back Ad Age Studio 30’s popular Best of Experiential roundup. This edition features insights from its esteemed panel of Amp insiders, including Motive, GPJ and OS Studios, shining a light on the year’s most inspiring and noteworthy work while showcasing the power of brand experiences that truly resonate.

You can probably surmise that someone is a bit of a creative visionary when they have a career that started in theater and moved to courting Gen Z and the exploding gaming culture. John Higgins has always had his finger on the pulse of what was cool, and now that insight is rewarding him and his company, OS Studios, with an impressive list of clients and wildly successful experiences for gamers.

Project has acquired its first international full service creative agency, MNSTR, marking a significant milestone in extending cross-Atlantic work for some of the world’s most significant culture-driving brands. MNSTR has crafted and executed innovative campaigns for prestigious clients such as Adidas, Netflix, Heineken, Deezer, Dior, Guerlain, Accor, Lacoste, and the Paris 2024 Olympics.

The LA Clippers partnered with Spinifex, best known for crafting immersive fan experiences, to bring a fresh perspective on sports venues. Spinifex mapped every seat and pixel, ensuring that every fan has a comprehensive view of the Halo Board, and resulting in the most realistic motion graphics ever seen.

Event Marketer sat down with the Head of Production at OS Studios, Megan Kuhlenschmidt, to discuss career advice, her favorite brand experience from the year and how she got her start in the industry.

If we learned anything in 2023, it was the sheer size and power of Taylor Swift’s army of fans—and the awakened desire in consumers for tangible, real-world experiences. The unprecedented frenzy the world witnessed around Swift’s Eras Tour ticket sales was as shocking as it was contagious, causing a literal craze around scoring a “Golden Ticket” and underscoring for advertisers the key touchpoints around experiences like these. “This year demonstrated consumers’ thirst for experience, and how people are willing to splurge on must-see moments, with savvy marketers deftly promoting or quickly capitalizing on these tentpole events,” said Nat Wittstruck, senior creative director at George P. Johnson (GPJ). “Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour showed the world that even multicity concerts could be unmissable.”

Ad Age interviewed top advertisers about their favorite Women's History Month campaigns and included insights from George P. Johnson. OS Studios and Wondersauce. “It’s encouraging to see brands wanting to celebrate and advocate for equality, especially in a climate where execs are understandably cautious of the backlash that anything controversial could cause,” said Sheila Srinivasan, creative director at Wondersauce. “This year, it felt particularly important to see campaigns successfully highlighting trans women, like that of Hershey Canada.” Srinivasan also pointed to Lottie London, Strava and Miller Lite as brands that met the challenge for Women’s History Month.

Zara Kerwood, creative technology director, George P. Johnson UK: "From a creative technology perspective, these technologies are a springboard to creativity. All great experiences have an idea at the heart of them. We use these tools to unlock experiences. Those experiences can be richer, deeper, and better shared with groups of people. That’s what will lead to value in the experiential space."