Beyond the branded moment: What makes a pop-up connect?
In a market saturated with branded pop-ups and fleeting activations, a new white paper from Dashing x Ideally challenges brands to rethink what real engagement looks like.
“Beyond the Branded Moment: What Makes a Pop-Up Resonate?” draws on fresh research to show that the true value of brand activations isn’t about being seen, but about being remembered.
Moving From Being Seen to Being Remembered
"Presence is easy. Memory is rare," says the report, which dives into data from hundreds of Australian consumers and uncovers the real impact of pop-ups in today’s retail landscape.
As Damian Madden recently noted in a podcast with Dashing, there’s a crucial difference between ‘looking’ and truly ‘seeing’—and it’s the job of retailers to push beyond the expected.
When a human is positively surprised, the brain releases dopamine, strengthening the neural connections tied to that experience and making it more likely to be remembered. The research found a clear pattern: activations that evoke emotion, invite participation, and offer something tangible are far more likely to spark loyalty and conversation than those relying on giveaways or generic visuals.
2. The emotional effect
3. Do, don’t just show
4. Serve the Few, Not the Many
5. Let Customers Tell the Story
6. Playbook: How to Build for Memory
7. Be the Brand They Remember
