Best Pop-Up Store

Program Name: The Motel No Tell
Client: Nike
Agency: NRG Marketing

Anyone who has ever targeted action sports enthusiasts knows how hard it can be to get their attention. You have to present a pretty tempting offer to lure them away from the adrenaline highs they get riding their surfboards, snowboards and BMX bikes. You also have to appeal to their counterculture sensibilities—these are the people, after all, who practically invented the alternative sports genre some 60 years ago. Nike 6.0, the brand’s action sports division, last summer took on the challenge and in the process, gave the pop-up store concept an adrenaline rush of its own.    

From June 15 to Sept. 20, the brand rented out a historic, 1946 seaside inn in San Clemente, CA, and transformed it into The Motel No Tell—an “energy center” where it delivered branded experiences and more than 50 events that included movie screenings, artist appearances, workshops, yoga classes, skin cancer screenings, athlete parties, barbeques and more. The events were all free and open to the public.

From the street, the Motel’s retro-inspired sign beckoned consumers to “pull in.” Next, visitors were invited to visit any of the Motel’s 16 rooms, each renovated with a different theme and design treatment styled by artists and athletes well known within the surfing community. Room themes ranged from surfer Zen to old school ‘70’s kitsch and included design touches like shag carpet, vintage video games, wall murals and other eclectic objects. Rather than one entry point, the pop-up was accessed via the Motel’s 16 bright turquoise doors. Part of the fun, and a central element of the strategy, was inviting target consumers (action sports enthusiasts, ages 14 to 18) to try them all to discover what was behind each one—and to keep them coming back to find out what was new from week to week. 

In the retail lobby, for example, visitors could check out the latest shoe styles, limited-edition Nike products and product customization options via a laser machine, dye sublimation and live artist demos. Guests could also design their own shoes at NikeID kiosks. Other rooms included internet kiosks, a Nike ID gaming arcade, a Guitar Center music room, food service facilities and Surfboard Storage. The brand transformed the parking lot into a grassy patio where it held barbeques and ping-pong tournaments, and invited folks to hang out. The pop-up also served as a central hub for surfers and fans during the Hurley WCT event at nearby Trestles, one of Orange County’s busiest surfing hot spots.

The Motel played host to thousands of visitors throughout its three-month run but the real adrenaline high was the 45 minutes of face-time it got with each one. The brand also connected with more than 3,600 surfers in 18 different locations with its cherry red 1960 El Camino that displayed Nike 6.0 products and served food and drinks from coolers and a grill built into the car’s bed. Gnarly!

Program Name: EA Sports Active Training Centers
Client: Electronic Arts
Agency: Grow Marketing

During the busy holiday shopping season, EA SPORTS Active put its More Workouts video game in the hands of consumers inside state-of-the-art pop-up training centers in high-traffic locations in Boston and San Francisco. The pop-ups were open for 30 days, which included private influencer events to fuel additional word of mouth among its primary target, active 25- to 39-year-old men and women.

Inside the pop-up, highly trained and knowledgeable brand ambassadors guided attendees through customized workouts at individual training stations. Guests could also take home the game using the pop-ups’ lending library, which in San Francisco was later converted to a retail component to drive sales. There was also a lounge area to relax and discuss more product attributes with the brand ambassadors as well as a membership card for up to four consultations with a nutritionist on-site.

The company threw 150 influencer events that engaged 6,000 consumers; 90.9 percent of the influencers surveyed said they would recommend the product to a friend. The program also received more than 27 million media impressions via TV, radio, print and online media.

Program Name: des10ation
Client: Glaceau
Agency: MKG

To create buzz for the launch of vitaminwater10, Glaceau’s pop-up in the NoHo area of New York City offered its 18- to 29-year-old target audience, as well as visitors to Manhattan, a taste of its beverage in an interactive environment. A cute vitaminwater10 calorie girl in the window of the store demonstrating how easy it is to burn 10 calories by tweeting and blowing bubbles lured customers in to check out the fun. In an old school photo booth inside another window, consumers could take photos that became branded collages.

Inside, activity areas with cool games like foosball and Nintendo Wii corresponded to each of the drinks’ flavor characteristics. Consumers could also surf the web on computer stations and relax on chic lounge furniture and sip samples of the product. The pop-up also featured an art installation called “10 Wall” created entirely from 1,752 reused beverage bottles.

A total of 37,728 consumers sampled the product and 1,195 consumer surveys were completed with 80 percent of respondents saying they “liked or loved vitaminwater10 and would purchase it in the future.” Media impressions surpassed 50 million hits over the course of the 10-day event.