From Unknown to Unmissable: KA-EX Breaks into the US With the HYPERVSN HoloTruck 

A young woman on her way to work passes a billboard – one of hundreds she’ll see today but something about it sticks. Later, on her lunch break, a mobile advertising truck for the same brand rolls past her. She pulls out her phone, orders the product, and clicks ‘follow’ on social. This is the ideal customer journey for a challenger brand entering a new market. But with consumer attention more elusive than ever, it’s not easy to achieve. 

Traditional advertising formats are failing while seemingly every market is saturated. Digital channels are overcrowded, expensive and increasingly less effective. New brands need to engage and educate in milliseconds. The consumer landscape might seem almost impossible to navigate. But those who manage to cut through the noise understand this fundamental shift. Brands no longer sell to consumers. Consumers experience brands. 

Cracking a New Market with a New Product 

For Swiss challenger brand KA-EX, entering the US market meant inviting consumers into their world. The brand behind Switzerland’s best-selling supplement, they had already built a strong foundation, counting professional athletes and boutique gyms among their customers. The innovative sports nutrition company developed the world’s first fast-acting cortisol stress reducer, earning them a global cult following. Building on this success, they found themselves at a critical point: entering a new territory with a new product. To launch the Creatine EAA+ Booster – the world’s first stable ready-to-drink creatine formula – in the USA, KA-EX needed to educate consumers on both their brand and their product. Traditional media alone simply wouldn’t land. 

The US functional drinks market is incredibly competitive, with a few major players dominating. KA-EX’s credentials speak for themselves – genuinely groundbreaking products trusted by Olympic gold medallists and F1 drivers. They just needed awareness and their track record would do the rest. With crowded online channels commanding a huge premium for inconsistent results, KA-EX aimed to create street-level buzz that would earn organic social amplification. Working with agency mediaforgrowth (MFG), they devised a multi-channel launch plan designed to ripple from New York across the country.  

The Double-Layer OOH Strategy 

MFG’s plan centred on a proven model: double-layer OOH. Rather than relying on a single format, they combined static, traditional out-of-home placements with interactive digital out-of-home (DOOH)  – a mobile experiential activation powered by HYPERVSN. 

The OAAA reported that OOH ad revenue hit a record $9.46 billion in 2025, with digital formats accounting for 36.3% of that total – up 10.5% year on year. As online advertising costs rise and attention fragments, brands are investing more in physical formats that earn real-world engagement. While traditional OOH still earns its place – according to YouGov, 35% of consumers research a product on their phone after seeing an ad – static 2D content is becoming easier to ignore. Double-layer OOH gives brands the best of both worlds. KA-EX billboards and bus stop placements across New York put the brand in front of customers, building familiarity, even if only subconsciously. The second layer of advertising needed to feature interactive DOOH – an ad that is dynamic and impossible to miss. This is where the HYPERVSN HoloTruck came in – a fully mobile 3D holographic activation turning a message into an immersive experience. Giant, vivid holograms depicting KA-EX products and formulas floated through the busiest streets of Manhattan, visible even in full daylight. No screens, no glasses, no barriers between the audience and the experience. 

Crucially, the HoloTruck’s route through New York was mapped to align with KA-EX’s existing static OOH placements. A consumer who passed a KA-EX billboard on their morning commute might encounter the same brand in a completely different – and far more striking – format later that day, in the same spot. This deliberate coordination turned individual ad placements into a connected brand journey. 

The research backs this strategy up. According to a study by Firefly and Reveal, campaigns that combine stationary and mobile OOH formats deliver 2.8 times greater unique reach compared to stationary OOH alone, a 100% lift in engagement for audiences exposed to both formats, and consumers become 2.5 times more likely to follow up with a store or website visit. For KA-EX, the aim of this approach was not just to be seen. It was to be seen, remembered and searched.

The HYPERVSN HoloTruck Takes KA-EX To the Streets 

A giant, luminous KA-EX bottle, rotating slowly in mid-air, rolling through a busy New York street on the back of a mobile advertising truck. This unexpected visual stops people in their tracks, demanding attention from every angle. 

The goal of the HYPERVSN HoloTruck was simple – maximise visibility, education, recall and engagement.  

• Visibility – painting KA-EX imagery across the streets of New York, the HoloTruck drove through some of the highest footfall spots in the world. 

• Education – 3D imagery displayed the patented dual-chamber ViCAP® push-cap technology that distinguishes this product from every other creatine drink. Along with the tagline ‘Finally, creatine that stays creatine and is ready to drink’, the value proposition is instantly clear to KA-EX’s target audience. 

• Recall – the double-layer strategy and dynamic holographic visuals worked together to promote higher retention and recall. 

• Engagement – the HYPERVSN HoloTruck is a pioneering interactive DOOH format that few have witnessed in real life. It turns passersby into active participants in a holographic experience, stopping to take in the visuals, capture the moment and share on socials.  

As evening fell, the HoloTruck transformed from a roving hologram into a brand event activation. Parked outside the venue for KA-EX’s official US launch event, it welcomed influencers, press and retail partners with vibrant 3D holograms. A bold, glowing statement before guests even walked through the door, the activation embodied the tone of the entire launch. KA-EX was an unapologetically disruptive brand taking up space in a new market. 

The HYPERVSN HoloTruck was key to this positioning. An out-of-the-ordinary format for a landmark brand launch, generating impressions, awareness and engagement a 2D static placement alone could never achieve. 

The Results Are In: A Breakthrough Campaign 

KA-EX’s double-layer OOH strategy earned them a breakthrough New York launch. With the HYPERVSN HoloTruck bringing an immersive advertising element to the campaign, it delivered standout results across reach, engagement and commercial performance: 

• 20.3 million people reached across the campaign 

• 171 million+ impressions generated through the multi-touchpoint OOH mix 

• +33% month-on-month growth in direct-to-consumer orders 

• +318% increase in website sessions year-on-year 

These results reflect a launch that went far beyond visibility – consumers took action, searching for the brand online and placing orders. MFG’s strategy exceeded expectations, establishing KA-EX as a trailblazing new entry into the market. This campaign offers a clear playbook for how 3D holographic activations can support brands entering competitive markets: 

1. Layer your formats. Traditional media placements build frequency while immersive advertising converts passive awareness into active interest. Together, they amplify reach, awareness and recall, maximising overall campaign impact. 

2. Give people something to share. The 3D holographic content was designed to stop foot traffic and generate online engagement. The transient nature of the HoloTruck creates a sense of urgency, encouraging passersby to grab their phones and capture the moment before it’s gone. When your activation creates that urge, your reach extends far beyond your placements. 

3. Anchor with a launch moment. The launch event gave the campaign a focal point, inviting press, influencers and retailers into the brand world and building social buzz. The HYPERVSN HoloTruck created a seamless thread between the launch event and the wider campaign. 

The OOH Opportunity 

Competition for attention has never been fiercer, which presents both a challenge and an opportunity for disruptor brands. The objective of a launch campaign must go beyond how many people will see your ad. With brand experience at the heart of purchasing decisions, it’s about how people will feel when they engage with your campaign, and whether that feeling will make them remember, talk about – and ultimately buy – your brand.  

By layering traditional and innovative placements, KA-EX built a campaign that moved consumers from awareness to action – and delivered the commercial results to back it up. From a relatively niche Swiss brand to 171 million impressions in the city that never sleeps. That’s the power of an OOH strategy that places an unmissable 3D holographic experience at its centre. 

Want to bring an immersive holographic activation to your next campaign? Get in touch at [email protected].