When a financial company went public, it wanted to celebrate in a big way.

Menlo Park, CA-based Robinhood, which enables consumers to easily trade stocks, funds and cryptocurrencies via an app, rang the New York Stock Exchange bell in late July 2021 to mark its initial public offering. In tandem with the milestone event, the company hosted brand activations on Wall Street in New York City and in several other states the same day.

Robinhood teamed up with Brilliant (asi/146116) in San Francisco over several months to collaborate on merchandise for the event. “We had partnered with Robinhood on several previous projects,” says Tommy Gomez, senior creative partner at Brilliant. “We share a great deal of respect and admiration for beautiful products and socially responsible suppliers. They wanted to keep things fresh with a variety of complementary products and colorways that would commemorate their historic arrival at the Stock Exchange.”

Members of the public lined up to experience the Robinhood brand activation – and snag some swag – on Wall Street outside the Stock Exchange the day the financial company went public.

Robinhood took over Wall Street just outside the Stock Exchange with its signature green branding, bringing in banners welcoming attendees to “the new Wall Street” and street signs temporarily designating the area “All Street” – referencing Robinhood’s mission to “democratize finance for all.”

Brilliant provided a number of branded items for members of the public who stopped by, including “Market Caps” in both a flat-bill style from Weld MFG and vintage style from Paramount Headwear (asi/75945); key tags from Various Keytags; hoodies from Everybody.World; and totes in two styles from BAGGU, for a total of over 1,500 products. The activation in New York also had a merch vending machine.

Brilliant sourced “Market Caps” in both a flat-bill style from Weld MFG and vintage style from Paramount Headwear.

“Robinhood wanted to cater to a new wave of retail investors and let them know the new Wall Street had been dubbed ‘All Street,’” says Gomez. “The company prides itself on inclusivity, and their target audience for this campaign was everyday Americans looking to invest.”

Street teams distributed keychains and tote bags during the activation.

While the main activation took place in NYC, related celebrations were held the same day in Arizona, California, Washington D.C. and Florida, where street teams distributed items to the public. Brilliant shipped the branded items to each location ahead of the single-day celebrations.

Street teams at the different activations distributed Robinhood merch to the public.

Event attendees were encouraged to take photos during the activation, sporting their new Robinhood merch, to help the company celebrate. “They received an incredible amount of social media impressions,” says Gomez. “It helped to further generate excitement around a meaningful experience and successful opening day.”