Giant Croissant Energy: Street PR Is Back and It’s Unhinged
- PAG
- Apr 2
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 8
Big, weird, and wildly public—brands are back in the streets, and they’re not being subtle about it. The new wave of street PR is less “flyer handout” and more “is this legal?” From edible pop-ups to fake parking tickets, the goal isn’t to blend in—it’s to be impossible to ignore.
So, here’s what’s out there and our take on this matter, welcoming you to this segment we like to call...
Is it cute, public annoyance, or are we having FOMO we didn't do it first.
Glossier’s Balm DotWorld Pop-Up in New York City
Glossier launched the Balm DotWorld activation across three NYC neighborhoods, featuring a balm-dispensing vending machine, customized photo booth, and charm kiosk. This immersive experience allowed fans to engage with the brand in a playful and interactive environment, enhancing customer connection and brand loyalty.
Pop-Tarts’ Edible Mascot Campaign
In December 2024, Pop-Tarts sponsored the Pop-Tarts Bowl, introducing an edible mascot—a giant, toaster pastry-shaped character. This unique approach allowed fans to interact with and even taste the mascot, blending entertainment with product sampling. The campaign generated significant media attention and consumer engagement, leading to Pop-Tarts’ largest earned media campaign to date.
Poppi’s Influencer Vending Machine Campaign
In early 2024, Poppi launched a bold marketing move by sending full-sized branded vending machines stocked with their prebiotic soda to 32 influencers. Designed to turn heads (and generate TikToks), the pastel machines quickly went viral—but not all press was good press. The campaign faced backlash for feeling out of touch, with critics questioning the environmental impact and extravagance of the stunt.
‘Severance’ Grand Central Station Pop-Up
To promote the second season of the Apple TV+ sci-fi drama “Severance,” a glass cube was set up in Grand Central Station featuring actors, including the show’s star Adam Scott, performing mundane office tasks using retro data processors. This immersive stunt generated significant social media buzz and attracted both current fans and new viewers by merging shock value with star power.
Jacquemus’ Giant Handbag Car Drives Through Paris
In April 2023, Jacquemus broke the internet — and maybe a few traffic laws — by sending giant Le Bambino handbag-shaped cars rolling through the streets of Paris. Real, driveable, and absurdly chic, the cars looked like CGI fever dreams come to life, blurring the line between fashion fantasy and urban surrealism. Passersby stopped in their tracks. TikToks exploded. Paris turned into a runway with wheels. As a PR stunt, it was pure spectacle — no messaging, no hard sell, just a brand being so confidently weird you couldn’t look away. Très disruptive, très iconic.
Kylie Jenner’s Sprinter Vodka Soda Pop-Up Fruit Stand
In October 2024, Kylie Jenner launched a surprise pop-up event in New York City to promote her canned vodka soda line, Sprinter. The event featured a fruit stand-themed setup where Jenner interacted with fans, offering samples of Sprinter’s four flavors: black cherry, peach, grapefruit, and lime. This unexpected activation blended celebrity influence with street-level marketing, creating significant buzz and media coverage.
New Realm Clo’s Faux Parking Tickets
Australian streetwear brand New Realm Clo took to Adelaide’s streets with a cheeky campaign: placing fake parking fines on cars. These “violations” humorously cited recipients for “lacking in style” under a fictional “Fashion Code,” complete with a QR code directing to their website.
PR isn’t playing it safe anymore. It’s playing for attention, interruption, and chaos — the beautiful kind. The kind that turns a vending machine into a controversy, a fruit stand into a cultural reset, and a giant handbag on wheels into art direction you can’t scroll past. In this era, if your brand isn’t being questioned, memed, or slightly misunderstood, you might not be doing it right.
Because the new brief is clear: take the street, take the feed, take the moment. Blur the line between absurd and iconic. Be the thing people text their friends “did you see this?” about. Disruption isn’t a tactic — it’s the baseline. Welcome to PR 2025, where the sidewalk is your media buy, and spectacle is your ROI.
Thank you for spending time at the Trend Desk
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