FIVE THINGS TO KNOW THIS WEEK
This week’s hot takes on hot topics in experiential marketing cover Farmer’s Barkets, Pizza Plazas and Hair Monsters.
DOGGOS COME FIRST AT THIS POP-UP ‘FARMER’S BARKET’
Someone needs to give BARK’s creative team a raise. Last year, it was luxury flights for dogs and their humans. This year, it was a “Farmer’s Barket” that served as a reimagined Saturday market experience built entirely for pups.
Indeed, to celebrate BARK’s new positioning as a company that’s “co-owned by dogs,” the brand hosted a doggo-first BARK Live event on Sept. 27 at Domino Park in Brooklyn, NY, where a Farmer’s Barket experience was designed from a dog’s-eye-view and included canine-height displays, games, challenges, toys and giveaways.
A BARK in the Belly bar served up free dog treats, chews and food tastings, while a ball pit gave them an opportunity to sniff out hidden prizes. There was also a relaxing BARK Air lounge serving “Chompagne” for dogs and humans, chances for pet parents to score their pup a surprise toy by completing challenges with them, an appearance by BARK’s new Chairdog and co-owner, Hendrix, and the opportunity to chat with “dog communicator” Nancy Mello, who offered dog readings to reveal to humans what their furball was really thinking.
SPONSORS SWING INTO ROCK CENTER FOR RYDER CUP LIVE
While golfers were teeing up for the 45th annual Ryder Cup men’s golf tournament in Farmingdale, NY, over the weekend, brands were in NYC’s Rockefeller Center Plaza and Rink to get fans into the swing of things at Ryder Cup Live, a free public event hosted Sept. 25-28. The fan fest featured live viewing parties of the Opening Ceremony, as well as all three days of match play, plus interactive golf challenges, partner activations and special appearances from NBC talent.
Sponsor activations offered a little something for everyone. In the BMW Lounge, fans had premium views and got an up-close look at BMW vehicles specially designed by Ryder Cup captains Keegan Bradley and Luke Donald, while the Michelob ULTRA Greenside experience included comfy seating and a putting challenge. And over at Toptracer’s First Tee experience, attendees could step up to the tee and into the spotlight in a photo op that placed them on the course at New York’s Bethpage Black, where they took their “opening shot.”
The Ryder Cup Live Bar at the Rink served as a dual-themed tavern that celebrated the competing U.S. and European teams with cocktails, wine selections, light food offerings, an Elijah Craig speakeasy lounge, an AR photo booth and memorabilia. And rounding things out were Ralph Lauren shoppable kiosks featuring its Ryder Cup Collection, and the SWAG Golf Experience, which showcased the art featured on the U.S. Ryder Cup Team bag and offered fans a chance to win a bag of their own. (Agency: GDX Studios)
Photo credit: GDX Studios
GRAB A SLICE OF DAVE PORTNOY’S ONE BITE PIZZA FESTIVAL
Pizza occupies roughly 25 percent of our brain space on any given day, so when we found out we’d missed Dave Portnoy’s annual One Bite Pizza Festival on Sept. 13, the agony was real. The Barstool Sports founder and self-proclaimed pizza connoisseur lured 10,000-plus fans to New York’s Randall’s Island for the third edition of the festival to celebrate all things za, with more than 40 iconic pizzerias, handpicked by Portnoy, serving up slices on-site.
Attendees could chow down on all-you-can-eat pizza from renowned restaurants like Lucali, Frank Pepe and Di Fara, as well as sweet NYC treats in the Italian Dessert Village. Sponsors added their own flavor, including a “Pizza Deserves Pepsi” experience, a showcase of artisan cheeses at Saputo’s Pizza Plaza, Bilt’s “neighborhood,” live demos of Ninja’s five-in-one pizza oven and Hulu’s “Chad Powers”-themed lounge space.
We may not have been there IRL, but we’re proud to see that a few pizzerias from our home state of Connecticut were there to represent… Tear. (Agency: Medium Rare)
Photo credit: Alive for Medium Rare
COFFEE, COMMUNITY AND CULTURE: INSIDE THE AE X TRU KOLORS LAUNCH
American Eagle’s mission to make inroads with Gen Z materialized earlier this year in Nashville at the brand’s Denim Deli activation. On Sept. 27, AE was at it again, leaning into a localized event and partnering with a cultural icon to amplify the experience. This time around, the brand activated a café-based Manifest Your Mindset pop-up in Kansas City, MO, to celebrate the launch of AE x Tru Kolors by Travis Kelce, American Eagle’s first-ever collab with Kelce’s sportswear and lifestyle brand.
For one day only, Kansas City’s Blip Coffee Roasters was transformed into a community hub where fashion, sports and pop culture melded together, and attendees enjoyed limited-edition giveaways, live dj sets and encounters with brand ambassadors. Regrettably, Travis and Taylor were nowhere to be found. (Agency: Shadow)
Photo credit: Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for American Eagle
NEW YORKERS EXPERIENCE ‘THE SHIFT’ AT METHOD’S POP-UP SALON
From Method Haircare’s perspective, there are good hair days, and then there are transformational hair moments. So when its newly commissioned research showed that 98 percent of Gen Z and millennials say hair is crucial to their confidence, the brand activated a pop-up salon in NYC that brought to life “The Shift”—the moment when a person’s confidence kicks in and they feel like the best version of themselves.
Hosted by influencer Monet McMichael and celeb hairstylist Rubi Talavera on Sept. 23 at Grand Central Terminal, the activation offered commuters the opportunity to completely refresh their look with the help of a pro stylist. Method also provided a capsule vending machine that dispensed exclusive giveaways, a retro salon-inspired photo op, a collectible “Zine Tousle” that featured the brand’s research on the importance of The Shift, free products and a chance to engage with Method’s colorful (in more ways than one) Hair Monsters.
All told, more than 2,000 people got a Grand Central glow-up, likely leading to a shift in brand perception.
Photo credit: Jason Lowrie/BFA
