Following the success of International Delight’s award-winning 2024 Cold Foam House experience at Coachella, where the brand first introduced its Cold Foam Creamer innovation, Inspira was tasked with building on that momentum for the next chapter, to design an experience that would continue to position International Delight at the center of coffee conversations.
Our north star was clear: dominate the category. To do so, International Delight needed to show up bigger, bolder, and more engaging than ever. While last year’s focus was launching and raising awareness for Cold Foam, this year’s objective was to strengthen brand equity and deepen affinity among Gen Z and Zillennials—generations that value fun, flavor, and self-expression in every part of their routine, including coffee. We aimed to showcase shared values between the brand and its audience, connecting International Delight’s “wild-child personality” to the Zillennial disdain for all things "basic" and "boring"—like black coffee.
To guide our approach, the activation had to be culturally relevant and impactful. It needed to take place at mainstream cultural events—music, entertainment, collegiate, or sports—meeting consumers where they celebrate and connect. It also had to highlight International Delight’s wide variety of traditional creamer and cold foam flavors, empowering this generation to dial up flavor through an authentic coffee moment. Finally, the experience needed to generate media attention and social buzz through influencer and user-generated content, creating lasting brand impressions that fuel purchase intent.
Together, these objectives and requirements formed the foundation for an experience that not only built on past success but elevated International Delight as the brand that brings flavor, fun, and togetherness to every moment by showing up in ways that feel playful, modern, and culturally relevant.
Grounded in our objective to reach Gen Z and Millennials, our strategy began by validating where these audiences naturally gather. Research showed that three-in-four consumers attend music events for escapism, social and cultural experiences, and community, while 52% of Zillennials also planned to travel to a music festival within the next year. Recognizing that 73% of Coachella’s audience is between 18-34, it solidified the iconic music festival as the clear choice yet again. Lastly, research showed 75% of 18-34-year-olds customize their out-of-home coffee orders, so we knew our experience needed to dial up flavors to connect culture, coffee, and personalization.
With our objectives, goals, and strategy secured, Inspira developed the International Delight Flavor Studio—a concept translating at-home coffee rituals into an immersive, festival-ready moment. Recognizing that consumers often mix flavors at home, we invited fans to “creeeeeamiiiix” it up at Coachella by remixing flavors and dialing up their coffee, the way a music producer dials beats.
Outside, a 30x30 mirrored exterior reflected festival energy and California sun, boosting user-generated content as festival-goers waited in line. Inside, four “mixing boards” and video booths anchored the corners, while a central circular couch with branded pillows and a tower of products offered relaxation. Oversized speakers, a DJ booth, and a Barista Bar stocked with creamers and cold foams lined the walls, while hanging disco balls energized the space from above.
Wearing fuzzy bucket hats inspired by the Cold Foam Creamer can’s gold cap, brand ambassadors then generated hype and delivered brand education as they guided guests through each step of the connected experience. The journey began at a Mixing Board station, where attendees created custom drinks by choosing from hot or cold coffee, seven creamer flavors, and five Cold Foam toppings. Then through a partnership with Next/Now, they selected a music genre, answered vocal and lyrical prompts, and chose an overall music video vibe, before moving into an animated and responsive green-screen recording booth to record an AI-generated music video featuring a song personalized by their responses.
Following their performance, guests then picked up their custom coffee at the Barista Station and exited the space as their AI-generated video was delivered directly to their phones—turning each interaction into an immediately shareable, social-ready moment. Lastly, in partnership with Hunter PR and Linqia, influencers and creators brought the party to life both inside the Flavor Studio and online, extending brand conversation beyond Coachella.
A defining feature of the International Delight Flavor Studio experience was the integration of Next/Now’s AI technology, which transformed a traditional sampling activation into a personalized, interactive, and shareable brand moment. Next/Now designed and developed the full interactive workflow and generative content engine, including the user interface, personalization logic, motion graphics, and automated media delivery, ensuring a fluid participant journey and cohesive visual identity that anchored the experience’s digital storytelling.
Participants approached an interactive kiosk and registered to take part in the AI-powered journey—an opportune data capture moment. The system guided users through a brief quiz, prompting five questions to determine their International Delight flavor profile, while three questions captured their music preferences. Using this input, the AI algorithm selected a pre-written lyric framework and inserted ad-libbed phrases from the user to generate a fully customized song tailored to the participant. Users previewed their AI-generated song directly on the kiosk, ensuring an immediate sense of ownership and excitement.
Attendees then entered the music video booth, performing a 30-second dance to their personalized song against animated, responsive visual backgrounds. This integration of music, visuals, and coffee flavor choices created a multi-sensory experience that blended creativity, technology, and brand interaction. Following their performance, participants collected their custom coffee drink at the Barista Station and received a link via email or text to their personalized music video and song—making the experience highly shareable and extending engagement beyond the physical activation.
Through this AI-driven component, International Delight became the first Danone brand to leverage emerging AI technology in a consumer-facing activation, resulting in over 2,000 personalized videos and signaling innovation, modernity, and cultural relevance. The Next/Now AI integration heightened personalization and amplified engagement, creating memorable, interactive moments that resonated with Zillennials and positioned International Delight as a playful, forward-thinking brand, strengthening long-term brand relationships.
The International Delight Flavor Studios experience delivered exceptional results across experiential engagement and integrated media amplification, exceeding client goals while reinforcing the brand’s playful, flavor-forward personality.
From an experiential standpoint, Inspira’s design and activation strategy drove meaningful consumer interaction. The experience served over 14,500 total samples, 45% ahead of target, with 81% of attendees opting to remix flavors, highlighting the success of the personalized “creeeeeamiiiix” concept. Generating more than 19,600 total interactions, guests were deeply engaged, with 14% returning for a second visit and an average dwell time of 22 minutes. With a major emphasis on user-generated content, the AI-powered music video component produced nearly 2,100 customized music videos, with 97% of participants consenting to share their content—demonstrating the seamless integration of personalization, technology, and brand engagement.
Beyond the on-site footprint, the activation translated beautifully for influencers, driving authentic, relatable content from creators and talent. The curated Flavor Studio extended the story online, amplifying reach and cultural relevance while over-delivering on impressions and engagement.
Through a coordinated, integrated approach with Hunter PR and Linqia, the campaign significantly expanded earned and paid media impact. The activation garnered 409 million earned media impressions and 67 placements, representing 126% year-over-year growth. Influencer participation generated 14 million organic impressions (358% above goal), 44,000 organic engagements (466% above goal), and 5.4 million total video views (1,040% above goal). Paid social across Meta and TikTok delivered 8.3 million impressions and 4.1 million video views, achieving a 54% view-through rate—more than six times the 8% industry benchmark.
Together, these results underscore how Flavor Studios fused high-touch experiential design, AI-driven personalization, and strategic influencer amplification to drive measurable outcomes and lasting brand connections well beyond the festival footprint.
Festival-goers raved about the Flavor Studios:
“My favorite experience at Coachella this year!”
“Sunset Beats needs to be in the store NOW!”
“The vibe in the Flavor Studios was so hype! The DJ was amazing!”
“I came back for a 2nd time after trying the Irish Crème yesterday! I’m obsessed with this flavor and need it in my coffee every day!”
“Got the Almond Cherry & Sunset Beats. Never tried it before, but I’d get this outside.”
“Caramel Macchiato for everything and that’s all you need to do. Nothing else.”
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