UK. Dior Parfums (LVMH Beauty), in a Quaternity partnership with London Heathrow Airport, Avolta and JCDecaux, unveiled the enchanting ‘Ball of Dreams’ animation on 28 November. The immersive retail experience was launched with a dazzling ballet performance that delighted passengers in Terminal 2.
The Moodie Davitt Report Brands Director Hannah Tan was on location for the event, which was attended by top executives from LVMH Beauty, Heathrow, Avolta and JCDecaux. These included LVMH Beauty Senior Vice President Travel Retail Dior Alireza Danai; Heathrow Retail Director Fraser Brown; Avolta UK Head of Beauty Delphine Poultney and JCDecaux Commercial and Partnerships Director Richard Simkins.
The multi-storey Dior Ball of Dreams animation showcases the brand’s triple-axis portfolio of fragrance, makeup and skincare. Designed to captivate and engage travellers during the holiday season, the space blends luxurious retail theatre with elegant aesthetics inspired by the opulence of a festive ball in Versailles.
Gilded accents, ornate decorations and engaging retail experiences create an inviting yet high-end environment that draws passengers into the Dior experience.
A golden Dior Christmas Tree is decorated with hero products, while the latest Dior festive campaigns, starring actress Anya Taylor Joy and singer/entrepreneur Rihanna, play on a digital screen above.
Travellers can indulge in a range of services tailored to elevate their journey at the animation. These include fragrance consultations of the La Collection Privée range, five-minute flash makeup and skincare services, and plenty of retail theatre, including a Ladurée macaron flipping game and masquerade-inspired postcards.
Driving traffic between the activation and the Dior Parfums counter in Terminal 1, Beauty Advisors offer passengers golden tickets inviting them to visit the animation and engrave their Dior Parfums purchases.
This initiative is a testament to the collaborative strength of Dior Parfums, London Heathrow Airport, Avolta and JCDecaux. The animation enhances Heathrow’s reputation as a global shopping destination, while also reflecting Dior’s commitment to creating unforgettable moments for its customers, the partners said.
Welcoming guests to the event, Danai said: “I’m delighted to invite you all to the Ball of Dreams and to launch the holiday festivities at London Heathrow.
“Our aim with the Ball of Dreams is to surprise, enchant and to bring a new experience to all travellers at Heathrow. We are inviting them to a Ball of Dreams in Versailles with traditional masks; to experience seasonal makeup looks including sparkling lips; to capture the moment with postcards, indulge in the Dior art of gifting and play a fantastic game with Ladurée macarons.
“Our objective is to make our travellers dream like us and leave the Ball of Dreams with an unforgettable experience.”
“With this lavish pop-up, Dior has brought the enchantment of Christmas to Heathrow travellers,” Poultney said. “We are offering exclusive services and experiences, personalised gifts and everything our travellers could want for Christmas. At Avolta our mission is to delight our customers at every moment of their journey: pre-travel, in-store and after their trips.
“We aim to create memorable experiences and with the Dior Ball of Dreams we are delivering this to our Heathrow passengers.”
“This Ball of Dreams is the culmination of eight months of hard work,” Simkins added. “Our objective was to create an animation that was the embodiment of Christmas gifting.
“Dior specialises in the art of gifting and our long-standing relationship with Dior has been a gift to us at JCDecaux. This Quaternity partnership allows our partners to maximise the opportunity to engage and delight the record number of passengers that go through this airport.
“Dior’s fantastic activation has showcased how experiential media can combine with digital OOH advertising to reach valuable airport audiences in a powerful, vibrant and innovative way.”
Brown added: “This wouldn’t have come to life without the power of the Quaternity, which brings together Dior, Avolta, JCDecaux and Heathrow. For us at Heathrow our four pillars are digital, experience, space and offer this animation delivers across all those touchpoints.
“Terminal 2 celebrates ten years this year and in terms of the offer we have at this animation, whether that is Miss Dior or the fragrances in La Collection Privée – it’s amazing that travellers can get that all here.”
Sharing his first impressions of the animation with The Moodie Davitt Report during the event, Danai said: “It’s really amazing because when you see it from afar, you can really see all the effort that the team has put in. Our aim with this project is to share our ‘Ball of Dreams’ with all travellers passing through London Heathrow.
The Ball of Dreams campaign is running at key airports globally including Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) among others. “Our aim during the Christmas period is to engage travellers at key airports around the world and share our ‘Ball of Dreams’ with them.
“London Heathrow is a very important airport and HKIA is another one. We are trying to bring this elevation and enchantment to travellers no matter where they are in the world. We know that travellers want to see something different, they want to be enchanted rather than just going to buy a product.
“We want to be the maison that brings this to travellers and I believe that Dior, being a fashion and beauty brand, can bring this surprise and enchantment to them.”
Commenting on how important partnership is in sharing Dior’s dream to travellers, Danai said: “You’re touching on the key element of this event, which would not have come to life without all stakeholders who made this magic happen. I want to thank our trade and field teams, whose creativity, passion and perseverance helped bring this to life.
“I want to thank London Heathrow and JCDecaux who believed in this dream, giving us this great location and space. Finally, nothing can happen without our retail partner Avolta. We have a great ambition here at London Heathrow to grow our business and create the continuous elevation of the maison.”
As one of the busiest travel hubs in the world, Heathrow Terminal 2 serves as the perfect stage for the activation, reaching an international audience of discerning travellers. ✈
