The Sydney Morning Herald celebrates the power of common ground in immersive experience at SXSW Sydney via Curious Nation 

The Sydney Morning Herald’s new brand campaign ‘Here’s to Reason’ was brought to life through an immersive experience at SXSW Sydney created by brand activation agency Curious Nation, encouraging participants to reflect on what they believe in and to engage with differing perspectives.

Called ‘The Common Ground’, the installation invited visitors to enter a shared space designed to make the concept of reason tangible while reinforcing the value of balanced, well-reasoned journalism in an era dominated by division and misinformation.

During the course of the activation, participants were guided through a series of thought-provoking statements about modern life and media, from the impact of social platforms to the role of journalism. Participants were asked to step forward when they agreed with a statement and were illuminated from above, replicating the TV commercial. It created a living visualisation of collective sentiment and saw more than 16,000 individual perspectives offered. Each session closed with a moment of reflection, acknowledging the rich diversity of the people and perspectives in the room, and affirming why reason still matters, especially in an age of noise. As the lights came on and the group stepped forward together, the message was clear: Here’s to reason.

Live data was captured throughout the activation, recording the views and values of SXSW attendees as they stepped forward to share what resonated with them. A calm, reflective space stood in contrast to the buzz of the Innovation Expo, offering participants a rare moment to pause and consider their beliefs. At the end of each session, visitors were given a keepsake linking to a digital gallery on the Sydney Morning Herald website, extending the conversation beyond the room and into the wider world.

In partnership with Nine and Publicis Worldwide Australia, the creative agency behind the Herald’s ‘Here’s to Reason’ campaign, Curious Nation developed and managed the experiential strategy, design, build, and on-site execution of The Common Ground. The activation follows the agency’s successful collaboration with Nine, activating Good Food at the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival’s World Longest Brunch.

Says Gareth Brock, co-founder and head of strategy at Curious Nation: “The Common Ground was designed to help people pause and reconnect with reason. It’s not about who’s right or wrong, it’s about rediscovering dialogue and understanding. Partnering with Nine and Publicis Worldwide to bring this to SXSW was the perfect way to show how brand experiences can make ideas tangible and real.”

Says Kymberley Joseph, senior marketing manager for The Sydney Morning Herald at Nine: “SXSW is a festival built on the exchange of different ideas, so it was the perfect stage to bring our Here’s to Reason campaign to life. The Common Ground invited people to pause, reflect and explore firsthand just how valuable balanced, well-reasoned news is in navigating an increasingly complex world, while also allowing them to connect with our brand in a really rich, immersive and memorable way.”