Swifties and STEM

Does hopping on a trend work? Well maybe it does when it’s more than a trend, but rather a movement! Maybe, just maybe, we can reach new heights by standing on the shoulders of giants.

The article In My STEM Era: e.l.f. Cosmetics and Purdue Craft a Makerspace discusses the e.l.f. Cosmetics and Purdue collaborative pop-up that was created at the Indianapolis Circle Centre Mall with the aim of encouraging young women and girls to pursue STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). This installation was designed to coincide with Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. Clever? I think so. After briefly mentioning the recent controversy with DEI, that e.l.f. Cosmetics seems to be thoroughly ignoring, the article goes on to dive into the design of the pop-up.

The installation included activities such as making friendship bracelets written in binary code, digitally designing custom photo backgrounds for social media, making galaxy in a bottle keychains, straw rocket launching experiences and seeing the 2024 Indy 500 car driven by Katherine Legge (the only female driver to ever compete in the race). In addition to these, there were showings of Purdue’s short film “Boilers to Mars”. Although details of the film were not in the article, I decided to watch the film for myself. In my opinion it was a really lovely piece about engineering, biology, exploration and women’s role in impacting the future of humanity. While the installation sounds pretty well-rounded in terms of a focus on STEM, as a biology nerd myself I was a little disappointed that there were no biology-focused hands-on activities since so many other aspects of STEM were touched upon.

Now you may be saying to yourself that this sounds like a great installation about STEM but what does this have to do with Taylor Swift? Other than making friendship bracelets the Swifty aspects were primarily atmospheric, such as having giant friendship bracelets hanging overhead, or lyrics popping up on brand messages, or the recreation of the moss covered piano. Of course, it also helped that this pop-up was only a 10-minute walk from the performance stadium.

So, I’ve given you a bit of a sneak peek into my thoughts about this but if we get into the nitty gritty of it…I love it! Although I’m not sure it was amazing marketing for e.l.f. (beyond sparking a bit of interest in chemistry which of course, as much as it is not typically thought about, is very necessary for the makeup industry) I think it did a great job of marketing Purdue. Nothing compares to hands-on experiences and the fact that these girls were able to take home items such as the friendship bracelets and key chains means it wasn’t just a fun experience, but that every time they look at these items they will be reminded of this experience and hopefully remember enjoying a STEM experience with their friends from Purdue. I’m a huge cheerleader for bringing STEM to youth and igniting a passion for exploration and innovation, and hopping on the back of something that’s already very popular seems like a smart way to do it if you ask me. I’m not exactly a Swifty but I can appreciate the masses of people who are. So, if this pop-up got even a small fraction of Swifties interested in STEM then I think they did a pretty good job. If you’re going to make a pop-up why hope the audience comes to you when you can bring the pop-up to your target audience?     

I'll admit it gets my brain buzzing. What else could they have added? Do you have any ideas? Do you remember what sparked your passion in a subject? Let's just say I'm willing to bet it was an experience, not a slogan.

Events, Marketing and Robots (Well Kinda)

 

What does the future of event marketing look like? As technology advances so too should event marketing right?

With there being an increased focus on virtual and hybrid events in recent years there is a need to embrace novel technologies and move beyond traditional strategies or at least that is the opinion of Sonali Nair in the article  Innovation And Disruption In Event Marketing. With the advances we’ve seen in technology we have more opportunities to provide personalized and immersive experiences. Nair details four benefits of using innovative event technology stating that, according to research shared by eventify, these technologies can:

·        Increase attendance by up to 30%

·        Reduce time and cost efforts by 45%

·        Increase productivity by 40%

·        Increase lead conversion by 25%

While I can’t comment on the validity of those numbers (I couldn’t find the original researching organization, data or methods) if they are reliable that would suggest that incorporation of new technologies can be hugely beneficial.

The article specifically mentions the use of Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR/AR) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) as disruptive technologies that are changing the industry. As these technologies make their way into our daily lives, with the ability to create interactive and immersive environments using something as ubiquitous as a smart phone, it would be a mistake to ignore them when it comes to event marketing.  

There are so many possibilities for ways to use advanced tech: from attracting attention to the event by integrating social media, using AI chatbots, facial recognition and interactive exhibits, to working behind the scenes measuring and analyzing attendee engagement and providing enhanced ticket security.

All these advancements are being put in place to help events and marketing companies stay competitive and meet/exceed the needs of their audiences, but do they do that or are we just adding additional noise to an already overwhelming cyber world?

In my opinion each event is unique, you can’t just pile on a bunch of tech-based marketing and event strategies and call it a day. It is about finding the optimal balance between traditional methods and innovative technologies. There is a huge difference between say a wellness festival and a technology trade show. For a show dedicated to the latest technologies of course you would want to pull out all the pieces the AI, VR, AR, apps, etc. and showcase just how connected you can be with your audience. Alternatively, consider a wellness festival, integration of social media and e-tickets makes sense since they would be reducing paper use, but pursuing AI, VR or AR probably doesn’t make much sense when you look at your target audience. Then you may find events that fall in the middle, such as a medical conferences, these conferences can be huge and include hybrid components. There are many ways tech could be incorporated into a medical conference for example AI could be used in combination with an app or website to help doctors and researchers identify the most relevant seminars for their specialty and subsequently build a personalized schedule for each attendee.  This is by no means an exhaustive list of events, but it does give a bit of insight into the ever-expanding tech marketing options available.

While I agree we should take advantage of the technological advancements that are shaping the evolution of our society, I believe there is still a place for traditional marketing, especially when attempting to employ nostalgia marketing strategies.

Where do you see the future of event marketing going? Does your vision include a lot of advanced technologies? Or is simple sometimes better?

Give ‘em an Experience to Remember

 

Here's a Riddle: What has a bouncy house, a DJ, lots of yellow and is incredibly chic? Why the Coach Tabby Shop pop-up, of course!

Pop-ups are huge right now and is there really any wonder why? Consumers don't just want to see an advertisement; they want to have an experience. As Grazia Magazine says in the article Coach Tabby it’s not just an immersive experience, the Coach Tabby Shop is an “immersive journey into the spirit and creativity of the Tabby bag itself”.

The article talks about what this pop-up brought to the streets of Melbourne. Attendees got the opportunity to jump in an inflatable Tabby bag jumping castle, listen to local DJs and have some fun Tabby purse and Daisy themed treats from the acclaimed Le Yeahllow bakery. They described the pop up as a “playful dream”. The focus of this pop-up was the style evolution of Coach’s classic Tabby bag and an introduction to this season’s daisy print hero bag.  As such the pop-up included an “exclusive journey for shoppers to delve into a specially curated collection of Tabby bags”.

This pop-up is just one in a line up Coach has planned, with others already scheduled to take place in Korea and Taiwan. It’s funny to think of pop-ups doing tours the same way one may view a popstar or band doing a tour, but with the design of Coach’s Tabby Shop giving the perfect photo op for both influencers and social media fans alike word spreads fast about how much people are enjoying the pop-up sparking interest in other countries long before the pop-up arrives at its next location.

 

With so many brands taking advantage of pop ups, why should Coach be any different?

So, I’ll be honest, pop-ups generally aren’t my thing. I do, however, understand the appeal from a marketing perspective. An experience creates deeper meaning for people than just seeing an advertisement in a magazine or watching a model walk down a runway. The sights, the sounds, the smells, everything is going to stick better. The product, the person or the event is going to mean more to you. It will create a memory, hopefully a happy memory. The problem for me with pop-ups is spending hours standing in a line followed by being actively shuffled from one space to the next so the next people in line can also have “the experience”. To me that doesn’t form a happy memory. I didn’t always feel like this though. When I was younger, I remember stumbling upon a pop-up or two and really enjoying them. Maybe it was exactly for that reason. It wasn’t a giant line up, it was a short line up and felt like a bit of a fun secret for me and the other people that happened to be walking by.

Now that I’ve mentioned that I’m not the biggest fan of pop-ups and why, it’s time to mention how Coach solved that problem. For the Coach pop-up you book your experience. It's not just a show up and wait around in a huge line. You register for your time and only so many people can register for each time slot. I love it! It makes complete sense, and it takes away all the aspects of pop-ups that I don't like. It means the experience is not just chock full of pushy people both in line and inside. You know when you're going and you don’t have to waste all that time just standing around. Time is money and time is precious. If it's only about shopping? Instead of waiting in line I'll probably look online and see if I want the item. I don't feel the need to be in a jumpy castle to know if a bag fits my personality, but for all those people who are keen for an immersive experience I hope other brands take a page from Coach’s handbook and consider making their events a little more tailored and a little more organized.

How about you? What are your thoughts on popups? Do you love them? Do you hate them? Have you been to any? And how long are you willing to stand in the line?

Enough Said: When Minimalism Means More

“Less is more”, an aphorism that is fully embraced on the billboards along the I-10 leading to Coachella. 

In the article Coachella’s OOH Billboards are the Real Brand Stars | The Brand Leader® Kyle Duford discusses the minimalist marketing strategy employed by artists to Coachella attendees and others travelling along that stretch of the I-10.

He suggests that although many would consider billboards outdated (me included), a clever billboard can spark intrigue and discussion, especially when you consider that you have a captive audience stuck in traffic.

Referencing Lady Gaga’s billboard featuring her monster paw and the words “Welcome to mayhem, dance or die” and Tyla’s “Got Water?” billboard, Duford talks about how instead of “information dumps” these posters are more like inside jokes inviting you to join a special club for only those who get the reference.

It’s kind of funny looking at this because honestly, I’m surprised by its success. If you said to me “Let’s advertise using a billboard” I wouldn’t think it was a great idea. The number of people with their eyes glued to their phones everywhere I go would suggest that you really don’t have as captive of an audience as you used to regardless of traffic.

The difference here is, unlike a normal billboard, this is a game and really who doesn’t like winning at games? Who’s the first to see it? Who’s the first to get it? Who’s the first to share it? These billboards offer some pride and clout to those seeing them.

Of course, this brings us back to social media like I bet most marketing does nowadays. People love to share (boast) about their experiences and these billboards nestle themselves right into that experience. Easy to photograph and a way of saying not only that you have arrived at Coachella, but that since you get the references, you fit in and belong. You’re one of the cool kids.

 This social media sharing culture we have lends itself to rapid information spread and seeing the billboards could easily become a “gotta see them all” situation. FOMO (fear of missing out) is alive and well, especially if everyone is going to talk about it at Coachella and online.

As Duford continues his analysis of these billboards he flips the narrative to “Soberchella”, a booze-free initiative specifically targeted to sober festival attendees who often find their sobriety treated as an afterthought or sometimes not considered at all. These kinds of initiatives make people feel seen, like the message is for you as an individual instead of the general masses. These initiatives are showing themselves to be a bit different and unique just like the individuals that make up their target audience. By identifying a smaller niche group to market to the campaign more successfully cut through the fog of white noise of those brands blanket marketing.

Deciding on a target audience for any campaign is essential so that concept, in relation to these billboards, doesn’t surprise me, but the use of the billboards themselves really makes me wonder about what other opportunities there are for revitalizing media that has fallen by the wayside. Can we bring about a form of nostalgia marketing that targets different audiences using “old-school” media or is Coachella’s method a one and done?