A sponsorship that feels like a reward, not an ad

In a crowded festival landscape where brand presence can blur into background noise, Westpac New Zealand teamed up with Saatchi & Saatchi NZ and Spark Foundry NZ to launch “Laneway Loot,” an immersive campaign built for true music fans at Laneway Festival 2026. The concept celebrates “the real ones”—the people who know every lyric, queue early, and treat live music like a lifestyle—by giving them a game they actually want to play.

The street as the first stage: collectible posters that disappear fast

The campaign kicked off with limited-edition street posters created with Laneway artist Jack Irvine. Inspired by elements of the 2026 lineup, the posters were placed in high-footfall locations across Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Hamilton. Here’s the smart twist: these weren’t just meant to be seen—they were designed to be ripped down and taken home. Most were claimed within 24 hours, and only then did the brand reveal itself: beneath each piece of art sat a Westpac x Laneway poster ad, exposed only when the “loot” was taken.

Social proof through “art heists”: content born from participation

To amplify the buzz, Breakout Room, part of Publicis Groupe, coordinated with influencers to document their own “art heist” moments. The result wasn’t just coverage—it was credibility. When fans chase a poster like a collectible, the format stops feeling like advertising and starts feeling like culture people want to own.

Westpac House: making the brand a destination on-site

At the festival, the Westpac-branded Laneway zone—“Westpac House”—became a dedicated hub for fans. Inside were 30 “Loot Lockers” packed with exclusive artist memorabilia and festival-themed prizes, including custom-designed gift cards and handheld fans. The key mechanic was access: to unlock a locker, participants had to prove they were a “real one” by answering artist-related questions. That single choice turns passive brand engagement into earned participation, because fandom becomes the ticket in.

The crown jewel: Locker #31 and a mystery that sustains hype

The standout layer was the mystery “Locker #31.” Festival-goers had to crack an artist-related code, with clues dropped throughout the day both on-site and on Westpac’s social channels. The prize was built to match the obsession: an all-expenses-paid trip for two to Laneway Melbourne the following weekend. That final challenge elevated the activation from “win stuff” to “live a storyline,” giving the day a narrative arc people could follow and talk about.

Why it works: fan-first design, behavior mechanics, and OOH with a job to do

“Laneway Loot” succeeds because it treats fans like insiders instead of an audience to be sold to. It rewards real signals of devotion—knowledge, commitment, early arrival—and creates a full journey that moves from street to social to festival to post-festival payoff. It also uses out-of-home in a way most brands don’t: not as a static impression, but as a trigger for action and a spark for conversation. When the medium becomes the mechanic, the brand doesn’t interrupt the experience—it becomes part of it.

The takeaway for brands: make participation feel earned

If you sponsor culture, presence alone isn’t enough. Design a system where people have to do something meaningful to unlock value—and make that “something” a genuine proof of belonging. When access feels earned, branding stops feeling like a logo placement and starts feeling like a memory people keep.