NYX Cosmetics came to us with a campaign platform and a need for a creative activation that would get people gossiping. We developed and interpreted their platform, ‘If you NYX, you know’ from a hidden gem, to rumours, to a well kept secret. While looking at the psychology of secrecy we found that a secret shared (rather than used to exclude) creates a strong sense of community. This concept of spilling a secret to bring people together, combined with product names like Fat Oil, led us to, ‘Spill the gloss.’

This became our springboard that influenced everything from the overarching concept through to the influencer invitations. A newspaper headline exclaiming big news from the influencer was headed for London’s South Bank.

We transformed an iconic London black cab, inside and out, to look like it’s been discovered smack bang in Central London, right by the beautiful bustling South Bank, covered in none other than NYX ‘Fat Oil’. With an eye-catching and instantly shareable interior, full of evidence of the best night of someone’s life, we were careful to position the cab so that the rear window perfectly framed Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament in user content.

Drawing inspiration from immersive venues like Stormzy’s House Party, we blended old and new textures with retro, Y2K nostalgia textures and patterns. We had to be careful to cover areas of the cab that we needed to protect (the driver’s seat, the interfaces etc.) with drapes and objects like giant bubbles. We intended to create the feeling that there were enough elements to explore inside that the audience would find little easter eggs, as though they were almost somewhere they shouldn’t be.

After our influencers and brand ambassadors dropped teasers that they’re about to reveal a big secret spilling it all on London South Bank, our aptly dressed and slightly mischievous clean up crew arrived on the scene of the NYXident in pink jumpsuits with matching megaphones to ‘control the spill’ (and by that we mean, spill as much gossipy gloss as they possibly could). 

Passersby were encouraged to head into the cab to take Instax, photos and, most importantly, share a secret. These were filmed from the back of the cab and then shared with the whole of the Thames via megaphone. The secret spillers were then given NYX Cosmetics products for spilling the gloss, and encouraged to apply them in the various mirrors, hubcaps and other reflective surfaces.

Every element of our NYX-ified taxi was considered and adapted to maximise content creation opportunities and ways to try out products. The windows became lightbulb-framed Hollywood mirrors, hubcaps were adapted with fish-eye mirrors, the interior had a table (with a mirror of course) to balance your phone on for selfies, while the front passenger seat was overtaken by a full length mirror, a radio blasting, and a variety of products to try. Inside and out from every angle, we created brand and experiential immersion, creating a huge public-reaction and some unforgettable gossip.