Three Stripes, One Lockbox: An Adidas Activation at Battersea Power Station
We were recently thrilled to team up with creative agency DENT Studio to deliver an in-store Lockbox activation for global sportswear giant Adidas at their Battersea Power Station store in London. The result? A spin-and-win game mechanic that put pairs of fresh Adidas trainers on the line and kept the shop floor buzzing.
The Brief
Following an initial enquiry through our website, we engaged in a series of conversations with DENT Studio about collaborating with them on an in-store activation for their client, Adidas. They had a clear concept in mind: use our Lockbox activation as the centrepiece of an in-store moment at Adidas’ Battersea Power Station location, with pairs of Adidas trainers loaded inside as the prize.
The objectives we agreed were:
Drive in-store brand activation and theatre at the Adidas Battersea Power Station store
Deliver a memorable consumer engagement moment for shoppers in London
Capture customer data, including names, email addresses and marketing opt-ins
Add a layer of gamification and instant gratification to the in-store experience
Battersea Power Station, home to the Adidas flagship store and the venue for our activation.
As conversations progressed, the brief evolved and saw the introduction of a ‘Spin to Win’ wheel to the competition journey. Although we weren’t asked to produce the wheel, its addition still required a slight pivot in how we would ‘wire up’ the Lockbox activation. So, instead of the standard Lockbox experience, there was the ‘Spin to Win’ element beforehand, which meant only those who landed on a specific wheel segment would go on to play Lockbox. Alongside that, we worked through how many pairs of trainers would be up for grabs each day, so we could configure the Lockbox backend to deliver the right number of wins. Once everything was agreed, it was time for us to get to work.
The Solution
We designed and delivered a fully branded Lockbox experience, mounted on a custom plinth and integrated into the wider spin-to-win game mechanic running inside the store.
The Lockbox Build
Lockbox is one of our most popular digital activations: a tactile, prize-driven moment that turns a passive consumer into an active participant. For Adidas, the unit was to feel like a true brand-owned piece of kit, so we wrapped it from end to end. Our in-house studio printed and applied a custom vinyl wrap to both the Lockbox itself and the plinth on which it was mounted. The plinth was built around a lightweight but rigid aluminium frame, clad with Foamex sheets that gave us a clean, durable print surface for the wrap.
As part of its brief, DENT Studio chose to keep Lockbox’s clear windows on display for this build. (We sometimes block these out to add a layer of mystery to the activation, but here, the prize was the hook, so we wanted shoppers to see the trainers inside.) The interior of Lockbox was branded too, making sure every angle of the unit felt unmistakably Adidas.
Creative Approval and Artwork
DENT Studio supplied the artwork for the wrap. As soon as it landed with us, we produced a mock-up for client approval, and flagged a small but important issue: the original brushed-steel effect on the box artwork was rendering very light, almost white, on our print samples. Rather than push something through that we weren’t fully confident in, we sourced a few alternative artwork options and shared them with the client. Once they picked their preferred direction, we proceeded with the final wrap.
The User Journey
Once on-site at the Adidas Battersea Power Station store, shoppers were invited to take part in the spin-to-win game. There were various small prizes on the wheel, but landing on the Lockbox segment unlocked the headline prize: a chance at a brand new pair of Adidas trainers. From there, the journey was simple:
The shopper spins the wheel.
If they land on the Lockbox segment, they’re directed to a member of our staff with a handheld tablet.
They enter their details on the tablet (first name, surname, email address).
The Lockbox software generates a unique code and sends it to them.
The shopper types the code into the integrated digital keypad on the front of Lockbox.
If the code isn’t a winning one, that’s the end of their experience.
If it is a winning code, a congratulations message plays on the integrated screen and the Lockbox door pops open, ready for the customer to take their pair of Adidas trainers home.
It’s a simple flow on the surface, but the moment of pressing ‘enter’ on that keypad, not knowing if the door is about to open, is what makes Lockbox so engaging. That little flutter of suspense is the whole point.
The full activation footprint in store, with branded wheel, Lockbox plinth, and supporting ADIZERO signage.
Data Capture
Data capture was baked into the tablet step of the user journey. We collected first name, surname and email address, along with a clear marketing opt-in disclaimer, before generating each unique Lockbox code. Following the end of the activation, we securely sent the data to DENT Studio for them to share with Adidas.
Event Staffing
We provided two members of staff on each activation day. They were on hand to greet shoppers, explain how the spin-to-win and Lockbox journeys worked, encourage participation, support the data capture step and hand out the trainers to lucky winners. With a busy retail environment and a multi-step user journey, having confident, well-briefed staff on the ground made a real difference to how smoothly the activation ran.
Curveballs
As is often the case with live activations, there were a couple of small tweaks to make in real time, including some adjustments to the timing of the user flow. Our development team was able to make these changes remotely, so on-floor disruption was kept to a minimum.
The Results
The activation landed well with shoppers in store and delivered against the brief.
At A Glance
✅ 338 Lockbox interactions across the activation period
✅ An interaction rate of 19 sessions per hour
✅ 338 unique data records captured, including marketing opt-ins
✅ Five lucky pairs of Adidas trainers given away to winning shoppers
It’s worth noting that the 338 figure relates only to Lockbox interactions. Not every shopper who spun the wheel landed on the Lockbox segment, so the total number of customers who engaged with the wider game mechanic was much higher.
Feedback from the floor was positive. Shoppers enjoyed the experience and the team noted the store felt busier than usual during activation hours. Early feedback from DENT was also positive – exactly what we love to hear!
Drawing a crowd on the shop floor as part of the ADIZERO launch, at Adidas Battersea Power Station.
The branded adizero Lockbox with the digital keypad on one face and the headline prize in full view through the clear window.
Shoppers embraced the spin-to-win lead-in, bringing plenty of energy onto the activation floor.
Tapping in the unique code, the moment of suspense that makes Lockbox so engaging.
Contact Us
If you’d like to speak to us about creating a similar activation for an upcoming campaign or in-store moment, please get in touch. We’d love to hear from you. With many in-house departments, including production, we can create almost anything and cater for all budgets.
In addition, we have an array of ‘off-the-shelf’ solutions which are both budget-friendly and extremely captivating. And finally, we also have a fully immersive showroom, the Experiential Playground, which encourages visitors to get some hands-on experience of our kit and essentially try it before you hire it. You can book your visit to the Experiential Playground here.