College campuses have always served as fertile grounds for brand engagement with highly concentrated and centralized young consumers and plenty of real estate to choose from. But today, they’re also fueling commerce on the go and social media content, while inspiring brands to test clever, tour-ready experiential activations.
Whether they have a new membership program to promote or a new product collection to show off, brands are drawing in Gen Zers with Instagrammable backdrops and dynamic experiences primed for TikTok. Swag and a few prize opportunities don’t hurt either.
Take a look at five brands that are touring this fall with themed college campus pop-up shops, school buses and art installations. (For more on school buses, check out our recent report.)
Uber’s The One Shop
While Uber Eats showed up in Las Vegas for Super Bowl LVIII with the Get Almost Almost Anything Shop, Uber is hitting 13 college campuses this fall with a new pop-up shop concept: The One Shop. The bodega-inspired pop-up was designed with Gen Z in mind, incorporating colorful food props, campus favorite brands, dreamy art walls and plenty of selfie spots for content creation.
Kicking off at the University of Miami last month, The One Shop is offering students the chance to experience Uber One for Students, the brand’s new student membership program. Only members can enter the shop (students can register for a four-week free trial on-site), and they’ll have access to games, giveaways, swag and photo ops. The One Shop will be traveling through the end of October, with upcoming stops including The University of Texas at Austin, The Ohio State University, Purdue University and Penn State, among others. (Agency: Invisible North)
Stanley Studio H2O
Leaning into its specialty of keeping fans hydrated, drinkware brand Stanley is launching its college tour experience Stanley Studio H2O at the University of Wisconsin–Madison next week before traveling to 12 more campuses across the country through Nov. 9. Students, faculty and staff at schools ranging from DePaul University to Howard University to Florida State University will get to visit the pop-up to shop Stanley’s best-selling products and new releases, and have a chance to win select merchandise. The Stanley Create customization platform will be on-site for complimentary engraving of Stanley products purchased at the pop-up, which is running in partnership with Water For People, an organization that is helping to combat the global water crisis. Good vibes all around. (Partners: Newbridge Marketing Group; Lime Media)
Coke’s Fan Work is Thirsty Work Tour
Coca‑Cola Zero Sugar is partnering with Electronic Arts (EA) this college football season as the exclusive CPG sponsor of the new EA SPORTS College Football 25 video game. Online, fans can visit a microsite to scan their Coke Zero Sugar product to unlock game rewards, but IRL, students at 14 partner campuses will get to experience the Fan Work is Thirsty Work Tour. As part of the college tour, students and fans will be able to play EA SPORTS College Football 25 for free and create their own custom Coca‑Cola Zero Sugar x EA SPORTS College Football 25 Ultimate Fan Cards. The tour will also make stops at select pro football tailgates throughout the season.
IKEA Ready for College Bus Tour
Back-to-school shopping can be overwhelming, so IKEA set out with a custom blue branded school bus to show students at 30 college campuses how to incorporate its products into small-space campus living arrangements. Inside the bus is a walkable pink-walled showroom, filled with trendy, fan-favorite IKEA products arranged into vignettes like a bedroom, closet storage, a living room, a mini kitchen and a selfie station.
The exterior of IKEA’s school bus is wrapped in images of the iconic IKEA blue and yellow branded tote straps (a popular “moving in” bag for college students). Outside the “Home Away from Home” bus showroom, the outdoor footprint includes several touchpoints, such as a potting station, where participants can decorate a planter with fun designs and stickers, and then fill it with a plant to take back to their dorm; a photo op with life-size Dala horse sculptures, inspired by Swedish folk art; the chance to go “Swedish fishing” for discounts and giveaways; and a FRAKTA Bag Bar. Delve further into the IKEA Ready for College Bus Tour here. (Agency: Activate Inc.)
Photos: Courtesy of IKEA U.S.
Coach’s Wear Your Shine: The Tour
Traveling to campuses coast to coast from Sept. 28 to Nov. 29, designer handbag brand Coach is encouraging students to stop in its Wear Your Shine pop-up for moments of reflection, literally in its multipaneled, immersive mirror installation that will have participants posing for glam shots with the brand’s accessories. Attendees who sign up for Coach texts will be gifted a free latte, hot cocoa or mocha out of a branded beverage truck, and they’ll be able to get up close with the brand’s latest Shine collection.
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