• by Larissa Faw , March 9, 2016

Spark and experiential agency Pearl Media are promoting Saturday's Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards by pranking children and then distributing these videos across social media. 

The concept centered around an innocent-looking "Do not touch" button that was placed at Los Angeles' Hollywood and Highland center. The button sat in front of an interactive screen, where curious kids were then pranked and goaded on by the Award show's host Blake Shelton and Nick talent Jace Norman, known for his role as Henry Danger.

Unsuspecting kids were surprised with experiences, both good, such as pizza, and “bad,” like being slimed.   

Here is a link to the clip. 

This video is prominently featured in the Kids’ Choice Awards area of Nickelodeon’s site, as well as on its YouTube channel and Facebook page. It will also be amplified programmatically with a special interactive video unit, says Spark. 

"This funny Kids’ Choice prank video is a testament to the joy and excitement that the Nickelodeon brand continues to bring to real kids," says Ned Berger, consumer marketing manager, Nickelodeon. 

This is Spark’s first year developing a Kids’ Choice Awards plan for Nickelodeon.

Prior year activations had incorporated on-the-ground elements, such as an in-mall sliming event. "While that was fun for the few hundred kids who were able to participate on-site, it lacked the scale we were seeking for this year’s Awards activation," says Deb Medsker, SVP/global director, Spark.  

"Our goal this year was to give kids at home that feeling of living vicariously through the participants whose wildest dreams came true in the interactive video stunts." 

Indeed, the initial challenge was to create a seamless thread of an experience by taking everything kids love about the show and making them feel bigger. 

“From music and pizza to slime, we worked closely with Spark and Nickelodeon to devise supersized experiences," says Pearl Media's Zach Katterman. 

Spark has served as Nickelodeon's media planning and buying agency since January 2015.