The Urban Playground

My team mate Hannah researched into 'The Urban Playground' as a trend, and this is what she discovered.

Brands today are expected to be innovative and creative as consumers become accustomed to surreal ideas. This has resulted in it becoming increasingly important for brands to “remain experimental and original, in contrast to more conventional or established ideas.” (Melius, L. in WGSN 2011: Online)

With a new trend in urban and outdoor entertainment brands are jumping on the band-wagon to “convert the unexpected into urban playgrounds” (Marshall-Johnson, R. in WGSN 2010: Online). In 2010 artist duo, FriendsWithYou turned the city of Toronto into a magical world of colour and fun with a series of interactive art installations for the Wish Come True Festival to create, what was called, the Rainbow City (see below).

Consumers love the simple but “innovative ideas that come from creating a personal space in the city” (Marshall-Johnson, R. in WGSN 2010: Online) and with an increase in aspects such as rooftop entertainment and events this is set to take off into the marketing world to give brands the opportunity to develop a relationship with their consumers in their own, personal space away from other competitors.