O2 hands out free experiences disguised as festive socks to Priority members

The ‘Not a Sock Shop’ activation was created in partnership with VCCP

By Creative Salon

08 December 2025

On Saturday 6th December, Priority from O2 launched its first ever pop-up shop ‘Not a Sock Shop’, a festive experiential activation giving out thousands of Priority experiences, in the very unexpected form of… socks.

Brought to life by creative agency of record VCCP and located in Victoria Quarter, one of Leeds’ busiest shopping centres, ‘Not a Sock Shop’ was designed to intercept shoppers at the exact moment they might otherwise purchase a generic Christmas gift, giving Priority members the chance to give something truly meaningful instead: time spent together.

Open to all O2 and Virgin Media broadband customers on Saturday 6th December, the O2 pop-up shop handed out thousands of free pairs of festive socks, each pair equating to a shared experience available on Priority - from Vue tickets to lastminute.com Gift Cards, Virgin Experience Days vouchers to gig tickets.

Each pair of socks features a bespoke pattern designed to reflect each Priority experience up for grabs, illustrated by artist Jun Ioneda - chosen for his original take on Christmas iconography. Jun’s distinctive style, rich use of colour and characterful simplicity allowed the team to create socks that feel festive and desirable as garments - and even more special as tickets to unforgettable experiences.

The campaign builds on the insight revealed in recent research* by O2 which found that 40% of people prefer experiences over physical gifts at Christmas - rising to 55% for Millennials and 53% for Gen Z, with 41% of Brits also saying they do not get to spend enough time with family at Christmas.

Priority has also extended the experience nationwide with the creation of a digital activation, an in-app game called ‘Not just socks’, created by VCCP’s digital experience agency Bernadette. The app is giving customers the chance to win thousands of shared experiences across the UK every day for ten days between 5 to 14 December. By checking the ‘sock of the day’ and matching a pair, players can win prizes celebrating the true magic of Christmas: meaningful moments with loved ones.

This festive season, Virgin Media O2 is once again partnering with Action for Children, helping to give more children a safe and happy childhood. Priority will be donating up to £100,000 to the charity, through £1 donations made on behalf of some customers who play the ‘Not just socks’ game. In addition, Virgin Media O2 will be providing children supported by Action for Children with unforgettable experiences at The O2 this Christmas and delivering presents to some of those in need around the country.

Lisa Johnstone, Director Priority, Loyalty & Rewards at Virgin Media O2, said: “Priority is all about helping our customers create meaningful memories - this pop-up turned something as simple as a pair of socks into an experience they can share with the people who matter most. The idea was to surprise Priority members at the very moment they’re about to settle for a predictable Christmas gift, reminding customers that the best thing you can give is time spent together. And for members who couldn’t join us at the pop-up, there’s no need to miss out. Simply download the Priority app for free and take part in our ‘Not just socks’ game, for the chance to win from thousands of shared experiences every day for ten days in December — all while supporting Action for Children with a donation made for games played.”

David Masterman, Executive Creative Director at VCCP, said: “We loved the idea of taking the most boring and overdone Christmas gift - the humble pair of socks - and subverting it. By turning pairs of socks into pairs of tickets for unforgettable experiences, we gave them a twist that stops shoppers in their tracks. Jun Ioneda’s beautifully crafted designs helped us elevate the concept into something both charming and surprising, bringing the idea to life in a way that feels distinctly festive and distinctly O2.”

VCCP’s global content creation studio Girl&Bear brought the campaign to life by producing the integrated activation and collaborating closely with Audience on the design and build of the pop-up shop, covering both interior and exterior design.

‘Not a Sock Shop’ rounds off O2’s Christmas mission to connect customers with experiences they love. The campaign builds on this year’s heartwarming Christmas campaign by O2, ‘Give Time’, which focused on O2’s award-winning customer rewards programme Priority from O2, which offers its members exclusive rewards, experiences and 48-hour early access to tickets for thousands of gigs and events nationwide.