The Ex Awards, launched by Event Marketer, is the longest-running recognition program dedicated to experiential marketing. Created to spotlight early standout live events, it now honors the year’s top brand and agency campaigns across B2B and consumer experiences. Our team just returned from the 2025 Ex Awards with two powerful reminders of what’s possible when creativity, strategy, and partnership collide. This year, Newbridge Marketing proudly took home two honors: - Ex Award Winner – Jack Link’s WILD Times Square Takeover (in partnership with Milestone Integrated) - Silver Finalist – The North Face Nuptse Locker Each recognition isn’t just a trophy—it’s a celebration of bold ideas, meaningful collaboration, and the ability to connect with audiences in ways that are both memorable and measurable. Read more on what makes these programs stand out from the crowd and set the standard in experiential marketing.

The Jack Link’s WILD Times Square Takeover started with a clear challenge: Gen Z was snacking more than any other generation, but they weren’t connecting with Jack Link’s in a meaningful way. They had no patience for traditional advertising, were always on the move, and craved authenticity and entertainment. So, Milestone Integrated and Newbridge met them exactly where they were—online, on TikTok, and ultimately, in the heart of New York City. In partnership with Milestone Integrated, Jack Link’s launched a TikTok-driven campaign that invited Gen Z to show off their “WILD side” through humor-infused, culture-savvy content. Thousands of creators responded, submitting more than 5,000 videos. The best of these were featured on massive digital billboards in Times Square—turning everyday creators into #BillboardFamous. The campaign culminated in a high-energy sampling event that we crafted for passersby to grab Jack Link’s WILD meat sticks straight from a towering jerky box, take selfies with Sasquatch, and see their TikToks broadcast live to the world. It was a full-circle moment that bridged digital and physical engagement in unforgettable ways. The impact of this campaign? A 15% spike in weekly sales, over 22 million billboard impressions, and 25,000 product samples handed out in a single day. WILD, indeed.

Our Silver Finalist came from a campaign with The North Face—a brand already iconic on college campuses, thanks to its Nuptse jackets and Borealis backpacks. The mission? Turn that brand love into an on-the-ground experience that spoke Gen Z’s language. We brought an oversized Nuptse-inspired locker to the campuses of CU Boulder and University of Washington, teasing the drop with a truck-opening TikTok that went viral with over 6.6 million views. Student ambassadors and NIL athletes hyped up the experience ahead of time, creating buzz and driving anticipation. At the event, students used clues dropped via The North Face’s TikTok to crack codes and unlock the giant prize locker. Each interaction sparked social shares, and the mystery of the next clue kept excitement high throughout the day. On top of it all, we even built a mini traveling version of the locker that documented its journey from campus to campus. The results spoke for themselves: over 7,000 on-site locker attempts, 21,000 physical impressions, and 16.3 million campaign views on TikTok. The recap video from UW became The North Face’s 4th most-viewed TikTok of the year. We’re incredibly proud of the work recognized by this year’s Ex Awards. But even more so, we’re grateful—for our brand partners who trust us to bring big ideas to life, our agency collaborators who push boundaries alongside us, and the communities we get to engage with through these unforgettable experiences. Here’s to what we built—and to whatever wild, bold, and brilliant idea comes next.