There are plenty of standard ways to introduce yourself to a brand. You can send a safe, forgettable cold email. You can slide into a CMO’s LinkedIn InMail with a generic pitch. Or you can pray your latest case study becomes Hot Dog Summer.
Don’t get us wrong. We work in advertising. We know those tactics still have value. But when your message is competing against hundreds of nearly identical ones, you need something people actually remember. Something that sticks like the sticky sesame glaze on Sprouts’ Chili Tofu Bowls.
Fruit costumes at 5:30 in the morning? 10/10 would recommend.
When Sprouts celebrated the grand opening of its new CityNorth flagship store next to its corporate headquarters, we decided to do something different. Instead of asking for attention, we earned it. We showed up in fruit costumes to celebrate a brand we genuinely love and prove that great marketing starts with authentic human connection.
Why This Grand Opening Was Worth Showing Up For
This grand opening was more than a ribbon cutting. It was a chance to celebrate a brand many of us already love. Our office is full of die-hard Sprouts shoppers, and it’s common to hear debates about the ideal meat-to-bread ratio on a Jalapeño Cheddar Focaccia sandwich or whether Black Garlic Wings are better in the oven or air fryer.
3:2 focaccia-to-salami ratio and air fryer, no contest.
Our goal was simple:
- Show Sprouts we exist.
- Show we genuinely understand their brand.
- Show we’d love the opportunity to partner.
Those messages could have been delivered in an email. Instead, we believed the grand opening deserved something bigger. We needed to show Sprouts what ON Advertising is all about.
The Death of Cold InMail and the Power of Physical Activation
The digital world is more crowded than the MLB playoff race. Decision-makers receive countless emails, LinkedIn messages, and sales pitches every week. The challenge isn’t writing a better message. It’s getting someone to notice it.
That reality inspired our grand opening stunt. Rather than becoming fodder for spam folders, we leaned into physical activation. And when we say leaned, we mean literally grinded. (See social videos for proof.)
Our goal was to create something that would crack people up, spark conversations, and demonstrate the creative bravery we encourage our clients to embrace every day.
Experiential marketing works because it gives people a story to tell. Long after emails disappear, people remember the unexpected moments that made them laugh.
Every Great Grand Opening Starts Behind the Scenes
What looked spontaneous involved a lot of planning. Our creative team, strategists, developers, media team, account managers, and leadership all helped bring the idea to life.
Our design team and senior web developer created a 24-hour homepage takeover dedicated entirely to the grand opening. We also:
- Sourced fruit costumes for the agency
- Created supportive mock protest signs
- Produced social content featuring a banana with an identity crisis, an apple diagnosed with “worm,” and Real Sprouts Wives of AZ
- Planned fruit-themed dance-offs and guessing games
On paper, it was gloriously absurd. Around the office, questions like “Who wants to be the strawberry?” and “Is this apple costume going to restrict my upper thigh movement?” became normal conversations.
That’s usually a pretty good sign a creative idea is working.
The best ideas usually start with someone saying, “This is gonna sound crazy but…” and a team willing to run with it.
Taking the Show to the Sidewalk
The morning of the grand opening, we suited up at 5:30 a.m. and took over the sidewalk outside Sprouts.
People drove by and saw us. They laughed. They probably took photos and videos. We succeeded in what we set out to do.
Most importantly, Sprouts noticed, and well, let’s just say they weren’t as enthusiastic as we were.
So, we closed up our tent and joined in the celebration; we even got a rose and a Sprouts swag bag! But hey, who knows how that will turn out?
Either way, we showed up, showed our support, and created a memorable introduction.
What Marketers Can Learn from This Grand Opening
Not every campaign requires fruit costumes. But every campaign benefits from taking creative risks.
The biggest lesson is simple: brands need to find ways to break through the noise and create real connections.
- Create experiences instead of interruptions.
- Show your audience who you are.
- Build campaigns people want to share.
- Don’t be afraid to do something unexpected.
The campaigns people remember are rarely the ones that blend in.
Creative Courage Makes Brands Impossible to Ignore
Creative courage has always been at the heart of how we approach our work at ON Advertising. It’s about stepping outside the expected, embracing bold ideas, and trusting that the biggest opportunities often come from taking risks.
This grand opening activation reminded us that great marketing doesn’t come from following the usual playbook. It comes from creating genuine connections, finding unexpected ways to engage audiences, and having the confidence to try something different.
Will this gesture lead to a partnership with Sprouts? Time will tell. However, one thing is certain: memorable marketing requires courage, authenticity, and a willingness to go beyond what people expect.
We Are ON Advertising
We’re the largest minority-owned agency in the Southwest, and we didn’t get here by playing it safe. We bring creative courage, bold strategy, and real-world execution to every client we touch. Ready to build a campaign that actually gets noticed? Let’s talk (fruit costumes optional).