Whippet Australia ECD Tod O’Reilly was in London late last year, and couldn’t resist making a quick trip to Google’s popular ‘Curiosity Rooms’ pop-up experience at 55 Regent Street.
Designed to drive hype around the launch of Google’s flagship Pixel 3 smartphone, three floors of the stunning period building were transformed into an immersive experience to artistically demonstrate the Pixel 3’s cutting-edge features.
The ‘Google Lens Laundrette’, in all its striking pastel pink retro kitschiness highlighted the mind-blowingly sophisticated AR tool that is Google Lens.
Just focus the Pixel 3’s camera on pretty much anything, and you’re presented with information and options aplenty. For example, Google Lens was able to identify a pair of Nikes spinning around in the faux washing machine, explain what they were, and give suggestions on where they could be purchased. Super cool.
Venture upstairs to the seriously Instagrammable, abstract room created by L.A-based artist Darel Carey. Using just electrical tape, Darel had created a mind-bending masterpiece to change the viewer’s perception of space – which made for a perfect backdrop to demonstrate the Pixel 3’s Group Selfie feature in action.
Heading, or rather sliding, back downstairs allowed for the Pixel 3’s Top Shot feature to shine, where the phone automatically analyses a photo you’ve taken, then recommends alternative shots you could have taken based on a bunch of different factors like lighting, exposure time and even whether everyone’s eyes were open. Genius.
As the saying goes, nothing lasts forever, with the doors to Google’s ‘Curiosity Rooms’ closing after 5 busy weeks. We did note, though, that the Curiosity Rooms were just a few tube stops from Google’s first ever pop-up store on Tottenham Court Road in 2015. Fast forward almost four years, and the world’s second biggest internet company still has no permanent retail locations, although it’s building a strong reputation for cool and creative pop-ups.
It seems that when it comes to getting consumers to experience a new brand or product, nothing beats a real-world store – even if it’s fleeting.
