Headspace x The Sunday Club Pop-Up Collab

On Sunday, July 19th, at a Newstand corner in New York City, the Headspace mindfulness and meditation app partnered with Sunday Club, a screen-free print newspaper and subscription service based in NYC to bring mental presence and screen-free play to pedestrians and passersby on the corner of 14th Street and 3rd Avenue. What resulted was a colorful, joyful, activation event with a free newspaper called “The Present Times”. A free limited edition newspaper with mindful games and crosswords.

This partnership felt like a very natural fit. Sunday Club has built an identity around helping people reclaim their time through screen-free reading and analog activities. An ideal collaborator for a mindfulness brand whose mission centers on helping people become more present. Together, the two brands created an experience that reflected both of their values.

The Present Times newspaper promised “all fun and no news” to encourage people to connect and be present and take a moment to unplug from current events.

What made this pop-up event especially effective was that it wasn't just a branded event, it was a natural extension of Headspace's core mission. Rather than asking people to download an app or scan a QR code, the company invited people to step away from their screens entirely. The move from online to offline gave this event authenticity. The experience itself became proof of the brand’s promise, showing that Headspace is focused on helping people build healthier lives in a technology-crowded world, even if that means spending less time on digital devices.

The pop-up featured a colorfully decorated newsstand in Headspace’s signature orange and white colors with some sprinkles of primary colors. Balloons, bicycles, flowers, and sidewalk chalk reminding all who pass by to “be present” made an appearance.

The brand shared a recap of the event on LinkedIn with photos of the colorful display and setup.

“No Sunday Scaries here — we spent our weekend partnering with Sunday Club to bring a little screen-free fun to the streets of NYC. Together, we created The Present Times: a newspaper with no news, only puzzles and games designed to engage the mind and inspire a bit of nostalgia.

For an afternoon, we helped inspire people to put down their phones, pick up a pencil, and get lost in some puzzles for a while. So much gratitude to the team that made it happen, and to everyone who stopped by to say hi, grab a paper, and hang out in the present with us! 🤗” Headspace shared.

As part of the brand activation, Headspace shared a series of videos leading up to the event featuring their “mindful paper boy” riding a bike on the city sidewalks, passing out free newspaper copies and spreading positivity and kindness, with a reminder to live in the moment.

The Headspace and Sunday Club team already know what many brands are still catching up to learn in: that experiential marketing is winning in 2026. Consumers have become increasingly skilled at tuning out digital advertising. Banner blindness, algorithm fatigue, and an endless stream of sponsored content have made attention one of the hardest things for brands to earn.
Per the University of California, there are 5.3 trillion display ads shown online every year. Present estimates say that people see roughly 5,000 ads per day. In the 1970s, that number was 500 per day.

While consumers have become fatigued digitally, they are gravitating toward analog experiences as a way to counterbalance the digital life. “Analog” is back in. Everything from bookstores and jigsaw puzzles to film photography, print magazines, and handwritten journals has experienced renewed interest in recent years. Brands that embrace this shift and create offline opportunities for people will be able to stand out in ways traditional advertising cannot achieve.

Experiential marketing offers something digital ads often can’t: a memorable moment that people willingly and enthusiastically share with others. People will forget ads, but they remember experiences. After attending a live event, 85% of consumers are more likely to buy a product, and 70% become repeat customers after experiencing a brand in-person, per Lume Studios Blog. Additionally, 64% will continue to have a positive impression of a brand for a month or longer after attending a brand activation event.

Whatever Headspace and Sunday Club spent on The Present Times, the investment is likely to be paid back in long-term brand equity. This pop-up event demonstrated that the strongest marketing doesn't always require the biggest budgets or a celebrity endorsement. Sometimes the most memorable brand experiences come from giving people permission to slow down, unplug, and simply be present. In an era of endless digital ads, memorable real-world experiences are what people talk about and what they remember.