Extreme Shopping: How The North Face Does It

It isn’t every day a massive gift handout promotes higher sales. The North Face is back, and they’re hitting up Korea with innovation. Shoppers, in the past, have loved The North Face for its unpredictability. Now, the fan dedication has paid off. Back in 2014, the company offered pop-up discounts and free gifts. Well, The North Face isn’t letting up. Its current pop-up, now, features something far more energetic.

A Zip Line Adventure

The North Face installed a 200-meter zip line activity, running event-goers through paper signs to claim free swag. This isn’t the first time The North Face has prompted high-adrenaline action, either. In the above-mentioned 2014 event, guests engaged in wall climbs. In another, they were introduced to the brand’s VR experience.

The North Face hasn’t let up, and its newest addition is certainly turning heads. You can check it out here. Powered by five years of innovation, the brand’s attention to extreme shopping has certainly paved the road for others to follow.

All About the Reward

The brand’s incentives weren’t base-level swag options, either. No, The North Face prompted activity for quality jackets. Aligned with their value of exploration, The North Face’s choice is an interesting one. Participants, of course, needed to engage a swift, exciting dash down the zip line.

The event’s high visibility, too, prompted great responses. The North Face promoted on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. In all likelihood, its redefinition of “surprise marketing” will take on. The exploration formula isn’t new, and it’s definitely worth a few adaptations.

The Brand’s Fundamental Mission

First, do yourself a favor and check out The North Face’s dished-out rewards, here and here. Then, take a seat and think about the brand’s awesome line-up, marketing-wise. The North Face’s mission of exploration hasn’t changed since 1966. It’s consistently provided the best modern-day apparel for the preservation and support of outdoor enthusiasts.

By targeting its global audience with—you guessed it—adventure, The North Face was able to initiate a grand-sweep marketing tactic. It’s about exploration, after all, and The North Face won’t be stopped when the city is a playground—as opposed to a rock wall, a forest or a canyon. By targeting audiences this way, The North Face capably matched innovation and average city-goers.

Technology has always been a part of The North Face strategy, which has done wonders for its marketing campaign. If you want to check out The North Face’s company news, careers and other marketing initiatives, check out their home page. Keep your eyes out, too, because their experiential marketing approaches aren’t to be trifled with. They are, however, the perfect blend of product placement, customer initiation and—of course—fun.

Pop Up Event Trend: How Popular Mechanics made DIYers out of Attendees

Popular Mechanics has been in the game for a while, helping DIY pros reinvigorate their lifestyles with new, exciting opportunities. While not typically found chilling with Esquire and GQ, its newest approach to industry appearance has revitalized some of its deeper aspects. Popular Mechanics invented The Lodge: The Ultimate Winter Clubhouse. Event-goers were invited to partake in the stylishness underlining Popular Mechanics. Of course, feasts, crafts and cocktails were part of the package.

Brand Modernization

Today, brands face industry growth with intensity. Unsurprisingly, constant modernization is responsible for success. Popular Mechanics, displayed through the Hearst publication, powered The Lodge by inviting over 500 attendees. The Lodge was a modern digital extravaganza, offering hands-on demos, industry news and tastings. The Hearst, having celebrated its 115^th anniversary, assisted Popular Mechanics with an intelligent team of publication partners and editors.

New advertisers, too, were present. Popular Mechanics has worked on reinvigorating its public appearance for years. While media appearances worked well in the past, a closer approach was needed to redistribute creativity and harness success. The Lodge, in essence, served to embody the modern industry’s latest, greatest technological features.

A Massive Event Space

The Ultimate Winter Weekend Clubhouse was established in Kinfolk94—which is a well-known retail and event space powered in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg section. The event prioritized earthy tones, pinpointing the Popular Mechanics DIY vibe with backdrops, beer and digital outdoor landscape displays. Facebook Live, meanwhile, helped event-goers share demos, activate premium digital options and view trending GIFs.

Timothy Dahl, West Coast editor for Popular Mechanics, demoed the brand’s DIY firewood coasters. A Dremel hand tool seminar and workshop was had, as was a meeting with Slightly Alabama’s Dana Glaser. Attendees were invited to craft Brooklyn leather accessories, custom leather wallets and other designs. Knickerbocker MFG’s Brian Brinkley, meanwhile, helped attendees customize bandanas, craft new retro looks and discuss modern style.

Meeting in the Middle

Because Popular Mechanics upholds the virtues of “rustic living,” craftiness and resourcefulness, its public extravaganza in The Lodge offered a highly unique opportunity. Industry appearances can be grown. They can also be adapted. By pairing technology with its age-old love of all things DIY, Popular Mechanics proved itself to be a long-term provider wile molding to new marketing demands.

Among its wonderful presenters, Popular Mechanics enlisted Jeff Conley—a neo-folk musician—to perform with a DIY ukulele crafted from a YETI water bottle. If the display didn’t depict the new Popular Mechanics approach enough, Blue Moon’s beer tastings certainly warmed patrons up. The Popular Mechanics experience was a practical one, where hands-on experiences surpassed industry expectations. The marketer’s struggle, today, exists in adapting old ideas to an ever-growing, increasingly demanding, industry. Fortunately, old dogs can learn new tricks—and Popular Mechanics is one of the oldest dogs around.

How the Gingerbread House Turned to the Future

Taste of Home is well-known for its presentation of lifelike displays. In the past two years, it’s delivered one-of-a-kind, life-size gingerbread houses. Every holiday, its annual display is paired with a nearby tree lighting ceremony—redefining holiday cheer with wholesome experiences.

Sharing an Iconic Brand

Both Taste of Home and Folgers are iconic brands—each with equally iconic histories. Responsible for bringing families together, displaying wholesome experiences and interacting with consumers, Taste of Home is returning with its fan-favorite Gingerbread Boulevard.

Gingerbread Boulevard brings a fully interactive hotspot to brand-lovers. The brands welcomes park visitors via its Visual Shazam facial recognition technology. As event-goers travel, they experience a 360-degree view of each gingerbread home. Each interior is interactive, letting visitors click around hotspots and take selfie photographs. Taste of home packs a wealth of holiday traditions into a single hotspot, so no stone is left unturned.

The Future of Holiday Experiential Marketing

Every Gingerbread Boulevard home celebrates the many cultures Taste of Home reaches. Last year, displays included Ski Chalet, Surf Shack, Houseboat and Farmstead. Every display additionally features life-size candy decorations, giving event-goers something physical to touch alongside the event’s augmented hotspots.

While Folgers and Taste of Home products are consumed year-round, the holiday season is an excellent time for cross-brand features. Twix, Snickers, M&Ms and Dove, too, are present, and each can be added to family favorite recipes available throughout the experience.

Taste of Home, today, is a leading producer of cooking, food and entertainment information. It’s responsible for helping home cooks engage media, enjoy comfort and meet with other enthusiasts within the digital community. For this reason, its experiential marketing event is highly unique.

The Media Crossover

Gingerbread Boulevard makes an impressive impact in the Taste of Home magazine, too. Paired with the taste of Home Cooking School, many of the brand’s displays comprehensively support cooking enthusiasts every year.

By blending expertise and energy, Taste of Home’s 24 million fans assist the brand directly. Inspiration is always preserved, and Gingerbread Boulevard, every year, succeeds in presenting the Folgers way.

What Century 21 Wants Everyone to Know

Real estate continues to dominate the business space, capitalizing on the future. Imagine this – an event that captures the top talent in the industry with an interactive appeal. You’ve found it with Century 21. Realizing the need to attract and keep an audience of professionals that cater to their specific markets, Century 21 introduced not just an event, but an experience. Dubbed “The City of the Future: Where Technology is No Longer Just a Handheld Device, but a Way of Life,” event goers got to mix and mingle, discuss new real estate trends, and network with industry gurus that can help them find a place to thrive.

A casual and informative event, attendees interacted via a 3D cityscape, highlighting what’s coming down the pipeline in the real estate market. Dramatic lighting, signage and contemporary furniture throughout the venue made it a hip and cozy environment to get down to business. Armed with a database, attendees (also known as agents) were able to create custom searches and notifications that will assist in understanding the business and new landscape consisting of micro housing and repurposed malls.

Held in creative and progressive venues, event participants enjoy signature cocktails, plenty of food, entertainment and guest speakers. Designed to adapt to different part of the country, these events leverage their strategic plan to recruit and retain individuals who can make an impact in the industry. As part of this experience, a more formal event is planned to enhance the relationships created during the initial event.

Understanding that real estate is unique and consistently evolving, CEO and president of Century 21 Rick Davidson takes this opportunity to reinforce the need for real estate agents and brokers to be versatile, unafraid to diversify, and ready to make a difference.

A step into the right direction, Century 21 capitalizes on their strong brand and progressive insight to reach prospective candidates for moving the needle a little bit more into the 21st century. With these types of events addressing the new needs of real estate agents and brokers, the company is poised to make a definitive impact for the near future.

Sony Joins the "Escape Game" Trend

Sony and Times Square go hand-in-hand, but they’ve amped up the customer experience with two fully interactive puzzles that give visitors the opportunity to become one of the actors in two popular NBC series. Capitalizing on the trend of virtual reality, Sony also offers visitors a chance to take a journey with Playstation VR, becoming part of five unique experiences that will give them a glimpse into the future and what to expect from Sony. For those photo buffs, Sony helps budding photographers (or those that are photographers in their heads) the chance to borrow a Sony camera, participate in a photo walk, and take pictures of memorable experiences.

Sony takes things to a new level with Sony Square NYC, designed to showcase their products while engaging visitors and the general audience on why Sony is at the top of their class. From October 24 – December 2, 2016, visitors connect with Sony on a variety of levels. While many people long for the chance to become part of a hit series, Sony is making it possible for their fans.

Sony understands the concept of engaging their audience, and what better way to do it than with an immersive experience in New York? Making an impact on their brand, Sony continues to introduce concepts that keep user engagement at high levels. Imagine the bright lights of New York City with a chance to feel like you’re a part of the Sony family.

A little bit more about the games – 10-minutes each, staged in an open showroom that houses the time machine from the show Timeless, and a decoding game staged in a cube on the show The Blacklist. Both games have three puzzling stations that makes users think. Designed with top engineering, they are solidly constructed, and compelling enough to get users to want to play again and again.

Patrons and visitors have come to expect a lot from the Sony family, and these offerings do not disappoint. With the opportunity to play a game with or without someone else, this is a great way to interact and meet new people while being part of something fun and exciting. Complete with staging areas to accommodate a real-life experience, these games are completely free.

Visiting the Sony Showroom itself is exciting, with the Playstation VR and vast collection of photography taken by Sony as the perfect ending to visiting the space. Sony’s in it for the long haul, and Sony Square in New York proves it.

How Netflix Created A Gilmore Girls Pop-Up Program with Local Coffee Shops

If you are a planner and looking for a creative idea for a future event, look no further than Netflix's Gilmore Girls pop-up program. Netflix signed up more than 200 coffee shops for its unique Gilmore Girls event. The purpose of this pop-up program was to spike viewership for the remake of the Gilmore Girls series. The cult classic was revived on Netflix on October 5. Later this month, Netflix will release “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life” that takes an in-depth look at each of the series' main characters in segmented fashion. About Netflix's Gilmore Girls Pop-up Program

Netflix worked with Allied Experiential to recruit over 200 cafes throughout the United States for its pop-up program. The entertainment company redesigned each coffee shop into the Gilmore Girls' hangout of Luke's Diner. Netflix personnel hand-picked specific coffee shops based on strategic location, right down to the neighborhoods in which these sites are situated. The aim was to connect with those who are most likely to watch the Gilmore Girls series as well as young professionals. Netflix gurus believe that those between the ages of 20 and 30 are the target demographic for the remake of Gilmore Girls as these individuals were most likely to have enjoyed the series during its seven year run in the early 2000s.

Why the Gilmore Girls Pop-up Program Succeeded

The Gilmore Girls pop-up program was scheduled for what the company refers to as “Gilmoreversary”. This is the date that the series first aired. The event was a smashing success, attracting hundreds of fans at nearly each participating coffee shop. Some cafes reported that fan interest was so high that pop-up goers spilled out onto the street. Netflix equipped each cafe with signs, coffee mug sleeves with Gilmore Girls branding and a baseball cap/flannel shirt combination for staff. Netflix even went as far as providing money to the coffee shops for free java between the hours of 7 AM and Noon. Each coffee shop was also provided with Gilmore Girls branded aprons and shirts to sell to pop-up attendees.

It is clear that Netflix went all out with this event. The online streaming service even went as far as sending one of the series' actors, Scott Patterson, out to the pop-up at Luke's Diner in Beverly Hills. Part of the reason for the event's success is the fact that Netflix took the extra step of advising each coffee shop with specific guidelines as to how they should promote the pop-up through social media channels. Gilmore Girls ascended to the number three trending Twitter topic on the day of the pop-up. Netflix's Gilmore Girls pop-up is an example of the type of detailed planning and creativity that every planner can draw inspiration from for future events.

Looking for a venue for your own experiential marketing event?  We have multiple event spaces that are perfect for events of various sizes, so you can be sure that you can fit any size crowd inside. Whether you're planning one event or a multi-venue tour, make sure one of your stops is at Soho Studios!  Contact us today to get started.

Why Beam Suntory Wants to Educate its Consumers

Beam Suntory has a good reputation, and it’s been busy redefining its marketing strategies. Mixing the consumer’s love for its time-tested-and-true spirit with a little creativity, the U.S. bourbon company created new categories of entertainment and education.

All About the Pop-Up Shop

The brand camped out in John F. Kennedy International Airport, offering providers an unforgettable experience via a wonderful taste campaign. Its Bourbon Legends pop-up in Terminal 4 wasn’t simply a tasting stand. It was an entire experience.

Beam Suntory’s Bourbon Legends program isn’t new, either. It debuted at John F. Kennedy Airport last fall, highlighting the brand’s massive bourbon collection. Among these were its much-loved Maker’s Mark and Jim Beam. The sampling campaign was successful—earning a spot in August for a reboot.

A Record-Number Success

Where pop-up stands are concerned, Beam Suntory couldn’t have struck closer to gold. It hit the airport’s arrival and departure sweet spot, engaging the location’s record-high visitation numbers. Both international and domestic travelers were exposed to the pop-up stand, highlighting their 2016 trips with bourbon-fueled fun.

Much of Beam Suntory’s success is due to its positioning. Within an airport space, passerby have time. More importantly, they have time to kill. Airport denizens may be a hustled bunch, but they’re constantly ready to stop, shop and explore new brand opportunities.

The One-On-One Education Counter

Packed with aged barrels, classic designs and age-old attributions to bourbon culture, Beam Suntory’s pop-up space prioritized a rustic vibe encasing fantastic artwork. Here, the brand’s 221 years of success was the focus. Informing customers about its bourbon collection’s best ingredients, Beam Suntory created an education counter built to last. The “mini master classes,” as they were called, gave brand viewers the freedom needed to explore everything Beam Suntory. The event’s own Bourbon Legends pocket handbook was given out, helping bourbon-lovers with product information.

Of course, no product promotion is without purchasing options. Beam Suntory created a small gift program—a leather bottle protector giveaway—to visitors spending over $75 in the terminal’s pop-up shop.

A Classic Approach to a Classic Brand

Beam Suntory is well-received by its audience. It’s repeatedly been aligned with America’s best bourbon options, and its adherence to classic recipes certainly gives it a leg up in today’s marketing world.

An American airport location is fitting, then, to promote the brand’s constant ability to please bourbon connoisseurs. Sometimes, a truly American experience must take place in a truly American destination. One of the more creative pop-up locations chosen by liquor providers, JFK Airport certainly promoted a positive sales atmosphere. Whether it was the wood paneling or 2016’s dizzying travel months, the brand hit success in little to no time at all.

If your company is looking for a venue for its own experiential marketing event, check out our studio spaces.  Our multiple event spaces are perfect for events of various sizes, so you can be sure that you can fit any size crowd inside. Whether you're planning one event or a multi-venue tour, make sure one of your stops is at Soho Studios!

Frisk Clean Breath Launches Brutally Honest Breath Meter

Not every experiential marketing event involves getting thousands of people together in one spot. The latest campaign from Frisk Clean Breath, a maker of breath mints, chose to go where people already are. It set up a machine in shopping malls and similar venues that promised to be "brutally honest" about people's breath. The machine was appropriately called Frisk, the Brutally Honest Breath Meter. Passers-by soon noticed the machines and breathed into the tube sticking out of the front. When they did, the machine responded with something extremely unexpected for a marketing campaign: Insults! Every response colorfully insulted the user's breath. It would light up words like "your breath is so bad that your toothbrush mistakes itself for a toilet brush." Then, it would dispense anywhere from a few to a huge amount of Clean Breath Mints. As it did this, it promised that the mints would keep the person's breath fresh for at least two hours.

The reactions of the people who got these analyses typically involved some sort of surprised exclamation. This got even more passers-by to stop and see what was going on. Soon, they too would blow into the machine and get their own brutally honest assessments. As this happened, Frisk recorded the reactions.

Once the company had enough reactions collected, it picked out the best ones. Then it made a TV commercial that has been called one of the best of the year. This ad showed what the machine said, how the people reacted to it, and how many mints it dispensed. In one case, it dispensed so many that it looked like the person had won a decent-sized slot machine jackpot – that was paid in mints!

Like other great experiential marketing campaigns, this one by Frisk is innovative, unexpected, and contains more than one phase. The first phase lets regular people directly experience the product in an unforgettable way. Then, the second phase shows the results in a way that makes viewers feel like they were almost a part of the original event. The combination is far more exciting than traditional advertising, which has become a bore due to overexposure. People remember experiential advertising in part because it is so different than the usual.

While this campaign didn't use a specific private venue, many do. If you're looking for a place to hold a big marketing extravaganza, look no further than Soho Studios in Miami. Soho has up to 70,000 square feet of space – enough room to fit a huge crowd under its roof. Contact us today to set up a reservation or learn how we can cater to your specific event.

The Mountain Dew Dance Party in Chicago

Moderne and Latin Works partnered to deliver Mountain Dew’s own brand of party to Chicago’s Cuban Festival, Taste of Mexico and Puerto Rican Festival. A summertime bash, the Mountain Dew party celebrated with lights, a flash tattoo station and on-the-spot snapshots to show brand support.

A Taste of Something Different

Mountain Dew’s appearance wasn’t at all unfounded, but it spiced up Chicago’s Hispanic events with a huge, multi-night bash. The Mountain Dew Party, premiering its all-Dew dance floor, presented lights, a Mountain DJ and a reason to remember its presence.

Taste of Mexico, the Chicago Cuban Festival and Puerto Rican Festival were prime locations for Mountain Dew’s presence. South-of-the-Border food-lovers, culinary masters and Chicago’s Little Village residents were all exposed to the event’s musical happening, and flavorful food was certainly not forgotten. Above all, Mountain Dew’s presentation aligned its all-fun strategy with some of Chicago’s best food. A taste of something different, Mountain Dew promised a fantastic pallet cleanser alongside each event’s much-sough-after food. Nearly a dozen Chicago restaurants presented all-time-favorite dishes, ranging across enchiladas, tacos, flautas, gorditas and tortas.

The Culinary Stage

Chicago’s wild events didn’t stop there, nor did Mountain Dew miss an opportunity to pair off with Chicago’s nightlife. Each event’s non-stop musical lineup, food workshops and daily cooking demonstrations took place on a big-time culinary stage. Top chefs, arts and crafts and even carnival rides were present, and the brand’s flexible approach to excitement, sports and hospitality was a welcomed guest.

Marketing Via Snapchat

Probably Mountain Dew’s most memorable addition was its snapcode-driven marketing event. Within the Mountain Dew dance, event-goers were given the chance to scan Mountain Dew snapcodes—signing them up for the brand’s own Snapchat channel. You’d be correct in guessing Mountain Dew’s strategy, here. Nightlife, action, food and music are all wonderful Snapchat opportunities, and event-goers didn’t miss a beat in hopping to the brand’s Snapchat channel.

Sent Snapchats were given event-exclusive geofilters, making Mountain Dew’s presence clear. Printing Snapchats, too, was an option—an option presented to immediate guests to support the event’s all-access environment.

Drink Variety and New Flavors

While dancing, Mountain Dew party-goers were also urged to try Mountain Dew’s bartending station. Its hosted variety of Dew drinks included eight flavors—including the brand’s much-loved Kickstart Orange Mango and Voltage flavors. Kickstart Orange Mango, in particular, has been deserving of the brand’s marketing love for some time. Chicago, ever-sought for its attribution to fine dining and drinking culture, couldn’t have served as a better platform for it. Where get-out-and-go marketing efforts are considered, Mountain Dew dominates in selecting prime advertisement real estate. Many event-goers sampled, promoted and became lifetime lovers of the Dew—making this event a win-win at every angle.