DIVE partners with Channel 4 for MAFS activation
August 31, 2022
Experience agency DIVE, part of Pearl & Dean, has partnered with Channel 4 to create a special experiential activation to get audiences excited for the new series of dating show Married at First Sight UK, which aired on August 29th on E4 and All 4.
The activation, which is part of Channel 4’s wider marketing campaign for the hit reality TV show, invited influencers to a one-night-only wedding experience held in the opulent art deco event space, The Bloomsbury Ballroom in London. With an array of interactive elements, guests had the chance to experience an immersive, whirlwind journey through all the fun stages of a wedding experience, akin to the fast-paced romance in the reality show.
The first stage led guests to the wedding boutique, where they were welcomed by ‘boutique owner’ – drag artist Lilly Snatch Dragon – and had multiple photo opportunities with their favourite wedding dresses and suits, before being led onwards to the Stag and Hen Do, a room turned into an immersive nightclub experience awash with purple lights, glitter and burlesque performers. Cocktail flairers put on a show preparing bespoke Married at First Sight cocktails in E4’s signature purple, with ice luges, prosecco pong, posh fried chicken and complete with a football table featuring mini brides and grooms.
Guests were then whisked through a glitter curtain by planted actors, and down an aisle for the final stage, their ‘wedding day’ – with a plethora of fun photo opportunities for guests to celebrate the big day, exchanging vows with jelly sweet rings, as well as compete in a bouquet-throwing themed game where they went head to head to win points.
Once guests had the chance to get ‘Married at First Sight’ during the whirlwind wedding experience, they were invited to the main ballroom and greeted by a live string quartet, a 5ft purple wedding cake and champagne tower. The experience culminated with a welcome from host Vogue Williams, followed by a live Q&A with the show’s experts, Paul C. Brunson, Mel Schilling and Charlene Douglas, before a special premiere screening of the first episode of the new series. After the screening, guests headed back into the nightclub where DJ Mads Diamond played party classics with drinks and late night wedding tacos continuing into the evening.
Last year, Married at First Sight UK was E4’s highest rating non-scripted programme ever, consistently pulling in the largest share of young viewers watching any TV channel from 9-10 pm when it aired. It was also the third most streamed show on All 4 in 2021.
Ellie Davidson, Executive Director at DIVE, said: “We are so excited to be working with the team at Married at First Sight UK and E4 to bring all the fun and anticipation of a whirlwind wedding experience to life. No matter whether you’re looking to get hitched in the near future or not at all, this is an exciting experience that really celebrates love, romance and all the fun stages of the wedding experience.”