5 high-impact retail marketing campaigns: when advertising becomes an adventure

How Migros, Pringles, L'Occitane, IKEA and Lidl inspire their customers

25.03.2025

A nap at the train station, lemons on the catwalk or a pop-up store at a dizzying height – when retailers and manufacturers take a creative approach, marketing becomes a real spectacle. With extraordinary campaigns, brands not only attract attention for a short time, but also create experiences that stay in the memory. Here are five ingenious campaigns that show how to surprise and delight customers.

IKEA: Relaxed travel with the "Sleepomat"

‘Schlafomat’ from IKEA in a train station; Copyright: IKEA Deutschland

From March 10 to 15, 2025, IKEA set up the so-called ”Sleepomat“ ("Schlafomat" in German) at the Hamburg-Altona, Cologne and Düsseldorf train stations. This interactive machine offered travelers products such as neck pillows, sleep masks and snacks to make their journey more comfortable. Through simple interaction, such as taking a picture of themselves yawning at the photo spot, users could receive a code to unlock the Schlafomat and take a suitable sleep product with them. Of course, the campaign was also intended to boost retail sales: A screen was built into the machine where interested parties could pick up tips for better sleep and information on bedroom planning at IKEA, as well as exclusive offers for World Sleep Day. And by playing small games, travelers could win IKEA vouchers.

Attention, emotion, conversion! Promotional and marketing activities can have a major impact. To do so, they must be applied in a targeted manner and implemented with the best tools. You will find inspiration for this in our Retail Marketing dimension at EuroShop!

Fashion-Show von Lidl in den Wilhelm Studios in Berlin; Copyright: Lidl Deutschland

Lidl: freshness meets fashion on the catwalk

In collaboration with the fashion magazine Highsnobiety, Lidl organized a special fashion show at the Wilhelm Studios in Berlin. In front of numerous celebrity guests, supermodels such as Karolína Kurková presented outfits in which fresh fruit and vegetables served as fashion accessories. Pepperoni, pumpkin, pineapple and many other types of fruit and vegetables were used as colorful and unusual accents on the catwalk. A special eye-catcher was a necklace made of lemons, which stood out against the black and white dress. Lidl also presented a streetwear collection with fruit and vegetable prints specially designed for the event. This campaign is intended to underline Lidl's commitment to conscious nutrition with fresh produce.

Migros: The “Merci Bus” on an anniversary tour through Switzerland

Migros sales trolley from 1986 as the ‘Merci Bus’; Copyright: Migros Archive

To mark its 100th anniversary, Migros sent a sales van from 1986 on tour through Switzerland as the “Merci Bus”. From March 6 to October 18, 2025, it will make stops in 100 municipalities and bring people closer to local Migros products. Each stop was turned into a small celebration where the local population was treated to coffee and cake. Migros also gave away a particularly popular product in each municipality to thank its customers. The campaign was also intended to recall the beginnings of the Migros sales van in 1925, when it set off on its journeys with six products – and to evoke nostalgic feelings.

Immersive and multi-sensory: this is what customer loyalty will look like in 2025. From big data to community building, we have taken a close look at the most important retail marketing trends in 2025.

Pop-up store in an original L'Occitane au Brésil cable car gondola; copyright: L'Occitane

L'Occitane au Brésil: pop-up store at lofty heights

At the end of 2024, L'Occitane au Brésil opened a pop-up store in an original cable car gondola from 1972 at Bondinho Pão de Açúcar in Rio de Janeiro. This unique location not only offered visitors a breathtaking view of the Sugar Loaf Mountain, but also an immersive brand experience. The store reflected the brand's Brazilian identity and offered exclusive body care products. In addition, the pop-up store was established as a new tourist attraction with cultural events and activities.

Pringles: Digital fan campaign for the soccer World Cup

A Pringles advert on the roadside; Copyright: Pringles

Pringles launched the #PringlesFlipFlag campaign for the 2024 FIFA World Cup. Fans were able to use QR codes on digital advertising spaces and social media to vote on which country flag should be displayed on the digital advertising spaces booked by Pringles. By entering codes that could be found on the limited edition cans with country flags, the votes could even be increased tenfold. This interactive campaign allowed fans to show their support for their teams and creatively amplified tournament fever.

These examples show how diverse and innovative retail marketing campaigns can be to attract the attention of customers and strengthen brand loyalty at the same time.

Sources: Lidl Deutschland press release, Migros story, IKEA Deutschland press release, Group L’Occitane press release, Pringles press release

It's not just pop-up stores and social media campaigns that help with customer loyalty. Personalization, targeting, engagement: We have more insights on how AI helps retailers in loyalty marketing.

Portrait of Julia Pott, member of the EuroShop editorial team, with shoulder-length brown hair, hoodie and open smile; copyright: beta-web GmbH

The portrait was AI-generated.

Author: Julia Pott | EuroShop.mag

Julia Pott has been working as an editor in the retail sector for eight years – initially at the retail magazine iXtenso, at times also as editor-in-chief. Today, she is responsible for the concept, editorial plan, content and design of the online magazine EuroShop.mag on behalf of the EuroShop and EuroCIS trade fairs. Her contributions combine editorial depth with a feel for trends and topics that drive the retail sector.