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Rhode’s A.P Bakery takeover in Sydney. via @rhode

What actually happened

Rhode, the skincare line founded by Hailey Bieber, has never marketed like a typical beauty brand, and in 2026 it leaned all the way into experience. In February, it took over Sydney’s A.P Bakery in Surry Hills for its Australian launch: a four-day pop-up serving Rhode-branded lamingtons, coffees, pastries and blueberry buttermilk waffles, all themed around a new, Mecca-exclusive “Sugarberry” flavour of its Peptide Lip Treatment. The queue wrapped around the block.

Months earlier at Coachella, Rhode ran an invitation-only activation, reportedly timed to the day Justin Bieber headlined, complete with claw machines, balloon-pop games and a touch-up room stocked with product. This is a brand that, according to industry coverage, e.l.f. Beauty acquired in 2025 in a deal reported around $1 billion, and that landed on TIME’s 2026 list of the most influential companies. None of that momentum was an accident.

Why it worked

  • One world, rendered completely. The bakery wasn’t a logo on a wall. It was a fully realized environment where the pastries, the palette, the packaging and the product all told the same story. When every sensory detail agrees, people believe it.
  • A reason that existed nowhere else. A limited, location-exclusive flavour gave fans something they couldn’t get anywhere else. Scarcity turned a store visit into a pilgrimage.
  • Taste and smell, not just sight. Most activations stop at “photogenic.” Rhode built a multi-sensory moment (fresh-baked smells, edible tie-ins) which is far harder to forget than a backdrop.
  • Designed to be filmed. Claw machines, themed treats and a touch-up room aren’t just fun; they’re content prompts. Every guest left with a post, and the activation reached far more people online than ever walked through the door.

Rhode didn’t open a pop-up. It gave people a place to make a memory, and a reason to share it.

The part worth being honest about

Hype has a cost. Rhode’s Australian entry also drew criticism from some local creators over its PR strategy and questions of local brand loyalty. It’s a useful reminder: scarcity and exclusivity generate heat, but they can also read as gatekeeping if the community feels shut out. The brands that win long-term pair the buzz with genuine access.

What your brand can borrow

You don’t need a celebrity founder or a billion-dollar valuation to use this playbook. You need three things: a coherent world where every detail agrees, a reason to show up that exists nowhere else, and a moment built to be shared. A neighborhood bakery, a single exclusive product, and a well-art-directed room can do more than a month of paid ads.

The takeaway: the most powerful activations aren’t the biggest. They’re the most complete. Pick one idea and render it all the way down to the napkins.

That’s exactly the kind of moment we design at Storyboard: experiences built to live in real life first, then travel online. If you’re thinking about one, tell us about it.