Peel + Win: Poppi covered a New York billboard with 500 apple stickers

Poppi hid its latest flavour behind 500 removable green apple stickers.

Installed on Lafayette Street in New York, the interactive billboard invited people to peel away the stickers and reveal the limited-edition Sour Apple soda underneath.

Some stickers also carried QR codes offering a chance to win prizes. Within two hours, every sticker had disappeared.

500 stickers hid the new flavour

Poppi launched Sour Apple in August 2026. Inspired by green apple candy, the prebiotic soda combined a sweet apple flavour with a sour finish.

The New York billboard introduced the drink through a physical product reveal.

Its finished Sour Apple artwork was completely covered with branded green apple stickers. Each one carried a “Peel to Reveal” instruction, giving passersby permission to remove part of the billboard.

The product remained hidden when the activation began. However, every person who took a sticker exposed a small section of the creative underneath.

A can appeared gradually as more people participated. Therefore, the audience did not simply watch the reveal. It completed it.

Every peel changed the billboard

The billboard gave people an immediate action that was easy to understand.

They could walk up, choose an apple and remove it. That small interaction changed the appearance of the advertisement for the next person.

Select stickers included “Scan to Win” QR codes. Scanning one gave participants a chance to receive an exclusive Sour Apple launch mailer and other prizes.

The reward was hidden until the sticker had been removed and scanned. Consequently, curiosity encouraged the first action, while the possibility of winning encouraged the second.

The green stickers also connected directly to the flavour. They looked like apples, required peeling and concealed a Sour Apple drink. The mechanic belonged to the product rather than being added as a separate game.

As the stickers disappeared, the billboard moved through several visual stages. Each stage gave people something different to photograph and share.

The reveal finished in two hours

All 500 removable stickers were peeled away within two hours.

Once the final sticker disappeared, the complete Sour Apple billboard was visible. The activation had reached its planned final form through public participation.

That result showed how quickly people understood the invitation. It also gave the billboard a clear beginning, transformation and ending.

The limited number of stickers created urgency. Anyone arriving late could see that the supply was shrinking, while those who reached the billboard early had a better chance of finding a winning QR code.

The execution also connected street activity with digital participation. Removing a sticker created the physical reveal. Scanning the code moved the experience onto a phone. A prize could then continue the interaction after someone left the location.

Instead of measuring the activation only through views, Poppi had a visible sign of participation. Five hundred stickers had been available, and all 500 were gone.

Sour Apple moved beyond the billboard

The Peel + Win installation formed part of a wider launch with candy retailer Lil Sweet Treat.

Poppi and Lil Sweet Treat created exclusive Sour Apple gummies inspired by the new soda. The collaboration appeared at stores in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago from 10 to 17 August.

Customers purchasing the limited-edition gummies could also receive a complimentary can of Poppi Sour Apple while supplies lasted. Stores carried co-branded candy bags and gave visitors additional stickers.

The partnership allowed people to experience the same flavour in both soda and gummy form. Meanwhile, the billboard introduced the apple theme through a third format.

Each element had a tactile role. People could peel the billboard, scan a sticker, drink the soda and taste the gummies.

The outdoor placement brought those parts together with one simple action. Poppi made New Yorkers remove the advertisement before they could fully see it.

Credits

Peel + Win (2026). Brand: Poppi. Product: Limited-edition Sour Apple. OOH Partners: MilkMoney and Pearl Media. Retail Collaboration: Lil Sweet Treat. Format: Interactive billboard. Location: Lafayette Street, New York City. Launch Date: 10 August 2026. Result: All 500 removable stickers were peeled away within two hours.