From retail concepts to flash dinner parties to magazine events, pop-ups done well blend the immersive with the ephemeral to drive interest and buzz. At Grow Marketing, we strive to always create an experience that lives on in the minds of all who attend. Like any outstanding experiential event, success lies in the details and the execution. To ensure your pop-up isn't a flop, follow these 6 golden rules:
1) Lay the foundation. At Grow we start any project asking our clients what success looks like so we can design the experience to deliver on the goals. It is important that you and your key stakeholders are all on the same page about the primary purpose of the pop-up and how success will be measured. Are you showing off a new line? Expressing a lifestyle behind your brand? Attracting a new target audience? How will you measure results? Consumer traffic? Press? Social media posts? A strong foundation will set you up for success overall. 2) Drive by design. Make design your driving force. A temporary space should feel fresh, unexpected and inspiring. From signage to layout to furnishings and décor, every detail should thoughtfully underscore and reflect the brand. For instance, when we built a pop-up for Electronic Arts to show off their EA SportsActive fitness game, we used their orange and white color palette to create a modern fitness oasis. A 3-D sculpture of their logo made with orange and white gym towels transformed an ordinary item into a clever and relevant expression of the brand.
3) Fire on all cylinders. Leverage your investment in the exciting space you've created to pull on multiple marketing levers such as hosting blogger and press days, private influencer events, or as an inspiring meeting space for internal teams and partners.
4) Amplify, amplify, and amplify. Social media is an amazing tool and can help take your pop-up to the next level. Create clever hashtags, post interesting photos that inspire visitors to stop by, partner with influential Instagrammers, pinners and bloggers to spread the word. By pushing out your concept on all these different social platforms, you will increase your reach, giving a local campaign national legs.
5) Create content. Use your space to host experiences that engage attendees to bring your brand to life and build buzz. When we created our Levi's Mirror Mirror pop-up to tour college campuses, we incorporated a beauty bar and photo studio to get the girls camera-ready once they'd found their perfect pair of jeans. Attendees lingered in the space, pushed photos of themselves in the brand out to their social channels and told all their friends, creating lines around the block.
6) Engage influencers. Special attention must always be paid to the few who fuel the many. Inviting local influencers to a private preview party helps build relationships, credibility and buzz. By engaging influencers, you can drive more traffic in the short-term and build lasting relationships on behalf of your brand for the long-term.