In this series, features and series developer Heather Nicholls takes you behind the scenes of some of the most compelling brand activations and events.
This week we meet Kru Live, the agency behind Crunchyroll‘s Ani-May event at Outernet London.
The Brief
As part of Ani-May, its month-long global celebration of anime, Crunchyroll wanted to create a free fan experience in central London that would bring some of its best-known franchises to life.
Taking over Outernet London’s Now Trending space on Charing Cross Road, the three-day activation centred around Blue Lock, My Hero Academia and Solo Leveling. Three of the biggest global anime franchises.
The ambition was to create an experience that would appeal to established anime fans while introducing Crunchyroll to new audiences, using Outernet’s large-scale screen infrastructure to immerse visitors in the worlds of the three shows.
Kru Live was appointed as lead experiential agency to produce and deliver the activation, creating an experience designed to drive participation, reach new audiences and turn a physical interaction into an ongoing relationship with the Crunchyroll brand.
Outernet’s in-house studio team created the large-scale screen content, with The Multiple Agency, Evolve OOH and Omnicom also contributing to the wider campaign.
The Execution
At the centre of the experience was a two-player motion game displayed across Outernet’s giant screens, allowing fans to compete head-to-head for the highest score.
A live leaderboard ran throughout the weekend, adding an ongoing element of competition and encouraging visitors to get involved. Attendees could also create personalised anime-style playing cards at a themed photobooth, with 2,423 cards produced across the three days.
A claw grabber gave visitors the chance to win enamel pin badges, while branded tote bags containing Crunchyroll merchandise were distributed throughout the weekend.
Ahead of the public opening, an exclusive press session was held for national, consumer and anime specialist media, alongside creators working across anime and events content.
The Results
The activation attracted 2,423 participants across the three days, with fans queuing for up to an hour to take part.
Feedback was particularly strong. Of those surveyed, 90% rated the experience eight out of 10 or higher, 76% gave it nine out of 10 or higher and 61% awarded it a full 10 out of 10.
The activation also reached beyond Crunchyroll’s existing fanbase, with 44% of those surveyed saying they were completely new to the platform. 83% opted in to receive future marketing communications, extending the relationship beyond the physical experience.
SJ Benham, CEO of Kru Live, said: “Outernet was the perfect setting for Ani-May, combining high-impact screens, interactivity and a real sense of cultural energy. Fandom is a huge opportunity for brands because the passion and community already exist. Our job was to give that fandom somewhere to come alive and connect in the real world.”
She added: “For me, the biggest measure of success was seeing fans willing to queue for up to an hour to take part. In a world where attention is increasingly hard to earn, that level of commitment says a lot about the power of a well-designed experience. We’re incredibly proud to have played our part in bringing Ani-May to life and creating something fans genuinely wanted to be part of.”