The Big E Invites New England to "Unexpect Everything" in New Campaign from Colossus

Sep. 21, 2026

Where else can you see a more than 600-pound butter sculpture, eat a deep-fried calzone, enjoy a majestic horse show, compete in a quilting competition and then buy a new hot tub? 

We can only think of one place:The Big E.

That's the idea behind “Unexpect Everything,” a new campaign created by Boston-based independent creative agency Colossus for America’s only multi-state fair.

The campaign leans into the sheer unpredictability of The Big E, one of the largest fairs in North America (more than 1.5 million people attended in 2025), where all six New England states converge for 17 days of food, agriculture, entertainment, shopping, rides and experiences that rarely belong in the same sentence. Instead of trying to make sense of it all, Colossus decided to celebrate the absurdity of how seemingly random the entire fair is. 

Playing with unexpected combinations, the work features mobile digital ads that appear to house live goats and extended OOH billboards that showcase the fair’s impressive, diet-defying portion sizes alongside cheeky, attention-grabbing headlines such as “The kind of foods invented on a triple dog dare.” In addition to mobile digital ads and billboards, the campaign runs across CTV, Meta, print, radio and experiential activations throughout New England and surrounding states. The visual identity is built around bold colors, oversized typography and combinations designed to feel as eclectic as the fair itself.

Ryan Dalton, Colossus creative director said:

"The versatility of the campaign allows it to flex for so many different audiences. You have people who come to the fair to try outrageous fried foods. Some compete in horse shows. Some want to see Ice Cube perform. And somehow, they are all happily existing in the same space. It all just works."

 

The campaign also melds The Big E’s eclectic entertainment lineup with the campaign’s unexpected creative, with one ad promoting country artist Jessie Murph as a butter sculpture—presumably combining the two for the first time in American history. This year’s fair lineup also includes Alice Cooper, Jessie Murph, The Beach Boys, deadmau5, Styx, Ice Cube and more.

Anne-Alise Pietruska, The Big E director of Marketing said:

"The Big E is hard to explain to someone who’s never been. It’s agriculture and concerts and food and history, heart-pounding rides and classic games on the Midway and unique experiences from six states all happening at once. You really have to experience it, There’s an incredible energy around The Big E that is hard to convey if you haven’t been there. But this campaign does that.'