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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.