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Wafflin' - Vans Holiday Campaign

Overview
The Vans holiday campaign is one of the brand’s most important annual moments. We wanted to move beyond traditional promotional storytelling and create something playful, immersive, and commerce-connected.

We built a browser-based video game that blended brand, product, and retail into a single ecosystem. What started as a digital activation expanded into a true omnichannel experience, including custom-built arcade cabinets installed in select Vans stores and a connected loyalty giveaway.

The goal was not just engagement. It was to create a fun, ownable Vans moment that seamlessly connected play to product discovery and purchase.

My Role
I led the concept, experience strategy, and cross-channel integration across digital, retail, and loyalty teams. I partnered with engineering, retail operations, and external fabrication vendors to bring the physical arcade execution to life while ensuring the digital experience drove conversion.

The Approach
We designed the experience around three principles:

• Make product discovery feel playful, not transactional
• Integrate commerce naturally into gameplay
• Extend the digital experience into physical retail

Top holiday products were integrated into the game as power-ups. At the end of gameplay, those featured items were surfaced with a seamless add-to-cart option, creating a direct bridge from engagement to conversion.

In-Store Activation
To bring the experience into retail, we partnered with a fabrication vendor to design and build custom arcade cabinets running the game. These were installed in select Vans stores, including flagship locations.

In our NYC 5th Avenue store, we activated two large-format screens where users could compete head-to-head via iPads, turning the campaign into a social in-store moment.

We connected the arcade cabinet to a Vans Family loyalty giveaway, driving significant engagement and sign-ups.

Impact
• Double-digit increase in engagement and conversion compared to prior holiday campaigns
• Significant lift in Vans Family loyalty program sign-ups
• Seamless integration across web, retail, and CRM
• Established a repeatable framework for future omnichannel activations

in-store activation //