Phantom pop-up: Puig and JCDecaux unveil futuristic Paco Rabanne activation at Heathrow Airport

The fragrance blockbuster activation returns to Heathrow Airport Terminal 2 as Puig, JCDecaux and Edge unveil the futuristic Paco Rabanne Phantom activation

UK. Puig has partnered with JCDecaux to launch a futuristic pop-up activation at Heathrow Airport Terminal 2. The striking installation celebrates Phantom, Paco Rabanne’s latest masculine scent and the world’s first ‘connected’ fragrance. It will run until the end of 2021.

Phantom, which was pre-launched in global travel retail on 1 July, will be rolled out in domestic markets from August. The ground-breaking fragrance has been described as a ‘futuristic aromatic’ scent and is available at the World Duty Free store in Terminal 2.

 The activation provides a vibrant and experiential hub to engage and entertain passengers at Heathrow Terminal 2 during its six-month run 
Customer simply tap their mobile phones on the Phantom bottle cap to discover exclusive Phantom content, personalised playlists, filters, AI games and more

The activation — the result of a collaboration between the brand owner, JCDecaux, Heathrow Airport and creative agency Edge — takes centre stage at Terminal 2 and is the first blockbuster pop-up to occupy the space in 2021.

The 6.3 metre-high display features a striking chrome, metal and black colour palette that takes design cues from Paco Rabanne’s key sci-fi motifs. Brand ambassadors guide customers through the experiential activation and illustrate the leading-edge innovations used to develop the new Phantom scent.

As an added gamification element, customers can challenge the A.I.-powered Phantom robot in a dance battle, by recreating the robot’s dance moves to unlock an exclusive Phantom filter on their mobile phones. The filter can be shared on social media for the chance to win a special gift from Paco Rabanne.

Digitally-driven, sci-fi-inspired: The activation’s chrome colour palette takes inspiration from Phantom’s fragrance campaign which is displayed on screens at the pop-up

As reported, Phantom was developed using ‘Augmented Creativity’ technology, a cutting-edge process that leverages A.I. to enhance human inspiration. The scent opens with energising lemon top notes, creamy lavender, patchouli and vetiver heart notes and closes with wood vanilla and base notes.

Phantom features Paco Rabanne’s first-ever connected fragrance bottle with contactless chip. Users can simply tap their phones on the robot-shaped bottle to take it off. They can also use their mobiles to discover the Phantom universe and explore exclusive Paco Rabanne content, download interactive filters, personalised playlists, augmented reality games and so much more.

Phantom is available in 100ml and 150 formats and comes in a 200ml refill bottle.

Can you out-robot a robot? Travellers can challenge the AI-powered Phantom Robot to a dance battle to unlock an exclusive filter and win prizes by sharing the filter on social media

Beyond a bottle: Phantom marks Paco Rabanne’s first connected fragrance and can be opened using a mobile phone

“The activation is a demonstration of confidence in the future of travel retail and a great example of how we are evolving at Heathrow,” commented Heathrow Airport Retail and Property Director Fraser Brown.

“As travel restrictions begin to ease, we look forward to welcoming back more of our passengers who can now visit the stand to play the dancing robot game and sample the fragrance.”

“As we move closer to a welcome return for widespread international travel, it’s great to see Puig taking ownership of this iconic location at Heathrow Terminal 2,” added JCDecaux Airport Sales Director Arianne Riddell.

“Their unmissable brand immersion promoting the launch of Phantom provides an exciting and engaging experience for passengers as well as the opportunity to purchase the new fragrance at World Duty Free.

“Passengers are looking forward to enjoying the magic of international travel once again and inspirational brand experiences such as this Puig installation shows how advertising can help enhance the passenger experience still further.”

Click here for the latest edition of The Moodie Davitt eZine, in which we speak to Fraser Brown about the pace of reopening, UK travel rules and the future for travel retail.

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