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 AVANTGARDE, the agency behind Renault’s activation for a preview event for the R5 Turbo 3E.
The Brief:
AVANTGARDE have been working with Renault for two years, meaning they already have a strong relationship and understand the brand well and work collaboratively with the team.
In December 2025, following the agency’s previous work with AVANTGARDE, Renault came to the agency to create a one-off preview event for the R5 Turbo 3E. Renault wanted to spark brand awarness, drive sales and test drives for Renault vehicles. Through a collaborative process to develop the concept, they settled on a ‘house-of-brands style’ activation.
The idea was that it would feature three of Renault’s latest models; the Twingo, Renault 4, and Renault 5 E-Tech electric alongside the new R5 Turbo 3E. This gave rise to ‘maison renault’, or ‘House of Renault’.
The Execution:
Gabriella Richardson, senior project director at AVANTGARDE said: “Renault has a playful spirit which we really wanted to bring to life.”
This led the agency to introduce retro arcade machines, football tables and a smoothie bar. Richardson explained: “These experience touches, alongside tote bags and giveaways, were matched to the signature colours of each vehicle. It created physical moments with attendees that introduced them to the different personalities of each car, inviting them to explore which suited their identity best.”
She added: “This gentle playfulness created an interesting contrast with the Turbo on the other side of the space – a fierce performance vehicle. To give participants a way to explore this side of Renault, we created a racing simulator competition where people could compete against online gaming influencer Becky Evans, which was a connection that came from Renault’s great partnerships in the sector.”
The activation took place at Future Stores, which allowed the agency to create a ‘living, breathing’ billboard for the brand. Richardson said: “Content was the key, and after settling on the maison renault concept, that was where we started. We focused on content that was authentic and engaging to attract the eyes of passersby on Oxford Street and invite them into the space.”
Following this, they moved onto the experiential elements. AVANTGARDE were conscious that with four cars in the space they would need to focus on making it feel like an activation rather than a traditional car showroom. Richardson said: “This was a challenging trade off, as experiential elements needed to complement the vehicles rather than distracting from them. We focused on the small elements people notice and respond to. For example, the brand ambassadors wore racing-style boiler suits, far more interesting and playful than the suit-and-tie of traditional showrooms.”
The space was the biggest challenge in creating this activation. Richardson said: “Once you have four vehicles in Future Stores, there’s not much floorplan left to play with. Key for us was making the space feel full, while not inhibiting the customer journey. We designed the nine-day activation to be responsive; allowing ourselves room to pivot as we observed how people were engaging with the space.”
She added: “We went through multiple iterations of floorplan designs to get it just right, maximising every square foot in the building with quite clear zones, that clearly defined the areas around each car, and created vibrancy and buzz. We allocated the largest space to the Turbo to hero the vehicle as the centrepiece, with its own distinct content to encompass the unique nature of the vehicle.”
Finally, the agency introduced speciality events for the first day, with panel sessions and private introductions to the R5 Turbo 3E for car enthusiasts and prospective buyers. Richardson said: “This served as a brillaint ick off moment and set the tone for the rest of the activation.”
Throughout the activation collaboration was key. AVANTGARDE has built a good relationship with the venue, Future Stores, over several activations. Richardson said: “It’s a genuinely special space, both for its location and the technology available to create powerful representations of a brand.”
For this activation, the agency also worked alongside Publicis and MG OMD, respectively Renault’s creative and media agency, who manage media planning and socials for Renault.
They undertook a complimentary media buy with out-of-home assets displayed the length of Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road, extending the reach of the activation and inviting people to visit.
The Results:
The activation surpasses expecatations, reaching almost 700,000 people over the nine days. Those who entered spent an average of five and a half minutes in the space, and 240 people registered their details to find out more about Renault and the models on display.
Richardson said: The results of the activation were brilliant. Our merchandise sales surpasses all work we’ve done with Renault previously – obviously a huge win – and their teams were delighted with the content, which we produced by working in close collaboration with Renault’s Global team. We also had great feedback on how the brand ambassador team introduced customers to the activation and to Renault itself.”
She added: “Interest in the event was spearheaded by strong appetite from car enthusiasts and VIP buyers who were given a private, up-close experience with the R5 Turbo 3E for the first time. This initial wave was followed by over 10,000 walk-ins from the street, many of whom were being introduced to Renault’s house of brands for the first time. It was a really proud moment for us. The fact that we were able to deliver an exceptional and curated experience for both audience segments within the same space was pretty big.”
Renault said; “Maison Renault was another very successful activation using the Future Stores space, following on from our previous MAISON5 and MAISON4 activities previously held in the same venue. Once again, it brought our brand innovatively to life in front of a sizeable audience on one of the most iconic and busy streets in the world. Having worked with Avantgarde since July 2024, when we showcased Renault 5 at St Pancras Station and on three further projects, their input has been invaluable in making these activations happen.”
They added: “When we work with Avantgarde, we know that they understand our brand and what we are striving to achieve, which coupled with their experience helps us to advance activations efficiently and limit the challenges that such large scale and impactful projects inevitably present.”
Trends and Learnings:
In terms of learnings from this event, Richardson noted that for retail activations, it’s important to build in flexibility from the start to facilitate new ideas that emerge over the nine days. On the final weekend, AVANTGARDE created an activation to work alongside the London Marathon, which took place on Sunday.
Everyone with a medal or a bib could get a ‘turbo’ smoothie, aligning performance and speed. Richardson said: “For us it’s about being on hand and working collaboratively with the client to go that extra mile and really make the event sing. Being ready to respond to quick-turnaround trends and opportunities enables you to get better results.”
In terms of trends, the smoothie bar was the big trend piece. Richardson said: “We came upon this following the success of celebrity collaborations like the Hailey Bieber smoothie she created in collaboration with Erewhon Market in California. In this financial climate young people are looking for those little luxuries.
She added: “This simple value exchange increased dwell time and introduced shareability value for consumers, of having a unique smoothie in hand. As people waited for their drink to be prepared, they had an excuse to explore other elements of the space. With a drink in hand, people feel more at home in a space, leading to effective and organic engagement.”