The Kraken has long held this treasure close — but the time has come to share its riches! We were thrilled to once again team up with our friends at FUSE Create to build a series of custom prize spinner wheels and treasure glorifier bottle displays, showcasing Kraken’s new Gold Spiced Rum. FUSE, an award-winning creative agency, was assigned the challenge of coming up with a distinctive display for The Kraken Rum that could captivate audiences across a variety of promotional events. Their client required a one-of-a-kind custom display that could travel easily with sales reps across the country for activations at bars and other events. In addition to a captivating bottle showcase, the client sought a custom prize wheel that embodied the essence of The Kraken brand. After considerable concept development and design work, our team produced these custom portable displays, adding to Kraken’s product launch campaign with unforgettable flair.
Building Displays For Experiential Marketing
Crafting displays for experiential marketing activations requires precise attention to detail, as well as the fusion of diverse processes and materials to create an exceptional showcase. Experiential activations are a brand-centric marketing tactic that prioritizes user experience through interactivity and engagement. Rather than just trying to sell a product, the focus is on curating an enjoyable, unforgettable experience distinctively tied to the brand.
Instead of simply constructing a prize wheel, our task was to fashion one resembling a ship wheel, with The Kraken tentacle directing attention to branded graphics representing prizes. Rather than a conventional liquor display box, we created a stand resembling a rum barrel with a tentacle coiling around the bottle. Experiential marketing displays are all about elevating experiences to the next level by incorporating uniquely branded elements that captivate and excite users.
Project Display Requirements
TREASURE GLORIFIER DISPLAYS
PRIZE SPINNER WHEELS
Our team was able to create all of these elements in-house, from concept development and 3D-printing, to graphic production and carpentry.
Bottle display Fabrication
The bottle display consisted of two main elements: a barrel base and an intertwining tentacle wrapping around The Kraken liquor bottle. Our industrial designers initiated the process by conceptualizing these components through 3D renderings, along with identifying fabrication requirements and materials.
The tentacles were constructed out of resin using one of our 3D printers, a strong and durable material coupled with a sleek finish. Each tentacle took 18 hours to produce by 3D printing to achieve the desired form and detail.
The barrel was also fabricated using our 3D printer. Built into the barrel near the top is an inner lip designed to support a circular inset layer of clear acrylic. This platform, made with our CNC machine, holds the liquor bottle in place with a built-in recess. Concealed underneath this component is an LED puck light, which keeps the charger and light switch accessible while remaining discreet. A layer of film underneath the acrylic bottle platform diffuses the light upwards, casting an amber glow. At the base of the barrel, a curved inset provides a snug resting place for the tentacle. The tentacle itself was printed with an insert at its base, allowing it to slide over a pin on the barrel base to secure the fixture.
To create the desired finished look, multiple paint shades were airbrushed onto the barrel. A high-gloss black paint was used to create a shiny, wet look for the tentacle — as if it had just reached out of the sea for the bottle.
Prize Spinner Wheel Fabrication
Each prize wheel was designed around a ship wheel, with a flat 3D-printed prize pointer resembling yet another Kraken tentacle. The wheel was fashioned with 1″ metal pegs fastened onto the handles, designed to engage with a spring pin fixed to the back of the pointer. As the wheel gradually decelerates, one of the pegs will halt at the stopper, aligning the tentacle pointer with a prize item graphic.
The tentacle stopper was back-printed onto a clear polycarbonate material that weighs half as much as glass, and is much more shatter-resistant with a high impact resistance. Given the anticipated heavy usage of this game, durability was crucial in the selection of all component materials. To connect the tentacle pointer to the wheel support, a connected strip of material was inserted into a custom pipe slot and securely screwed into the support.
The prize graphics behind the wheel and the logo graphics placed front and centre of the wheel were direct-print on vinyl. The base of the prize wheel was fashioned from cedar to have symmetrical sloping edges, with a band painted and distressed to look like iron.
One challenge of this display was to create the perfect amount of distance between the wheel support and the ship wheel. It had to spin easily without wobbling and scraping against the wheel support. The fabrication process required careful consideration of the bearing and rod construction to ensure functionality.
Custom Display Shipping Case Fabrication
Vancouver was the first destination for these experiential marketing displays, which required custom shipping case solutions to protect them for numerous journeys ahead. Sturdy cases were constructed from MDF and equipped with draw latches, plus foam block inserts and pillars positioned to prevent any shifting during transit. Carefully trimmed 1″ tall foam blocks were created for the base of the displays to sit into, reinforced with foam pillars for maximum protection.
We’re thrilled with the result of these unique, interactive product displays for The Kraken, made possible with the innovative ideas of FUSE Create. Take a look at the behind-the-scenes video and explore the Kraken treasure chest display, another exciting project that we collaborated on with FUSE back in 2023!
NEED AN EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING DISPLAY?
All stages of your project — from design to fabrication — are completed in-house to ensure you receive the highest quality products on time and within budget. We collaborate with marketing agencies, major brands, and other businesses to bring your creative vision to life anywhere in the world.