People approach the dog days of summer in one of two ways: They either try to soak up every last degree of heat and humidity—or, they turn the AC up full blast and go to sleep. This month, the most impressive experiential marketing campaigns have something for both camps. Competing mattress companies go toe-to-toe in the battle to provide quality zzzs, an outdoor brand redefines the meaning of open floor plan, and a childcare center acts fast when rain threatens their water-themed event.
No Kid Hungry: #Hangry
FACT: rising temperatures can cause rising tempers. If you, too, suffer from heat-induced-frustration, No Kid Hungry wants you to channel it. The nonprofit is encouraging people to get “hangry” about the fact that 1 in 6 kids in the U.S. don’t have enough to eat.
No Kid Hungry set out on a coast-to-coast journey to raise awareness for childhood hunger. Traveling from New York to L.A. via school bus, the organization stopped along the way to ask people why it’s unfair that kids go hungry. They captured the emotive explanations on video. Together with their partners, including 15 national restaurant brands, No Kid Hungry is redefining what it means to be “hangry.” You can join them.
Casper: The Dreamery
Not all pay-by-the-hour hotels are sketchy, you know? Quite the opposite at Casper’s NYC-based The Dreamery.
The experience-minded, online-only, bedding retailer saw a need—“Oh I’m so tired. I’d really love to just rent a room for an hour and take a nap”—and filled it. Their idea: a pop-up nap factory. For $25, hardworking New Yorkers and tourists, alike, can reserve 45-minutes rest in a private, Casper-kitted nook—comfy PJs included.
Rather than flopping around from bed to bed in a massive showroom, Casper offers a serene product trial. After nap time, guests can enjoy a cup of coffee and freshen up before returning to the streets of the city that never sleeps. It’s like the cool side of the pillow of mattress stores.
Beautyrest: 8-Hour Lullaby
Though Serta Simmons remains a market leader, competing with savvy sleep-business startups like Casper are pushing the legacy brand to think outside the box. They went where no mattress company has gone before: filling a 2,500 person capacity venue with its Beautyrest-brand mattresses for a live, 8-hour lullaby.
Composer Max Richter performed his score, Sleep, to a semi-captive, but often snoozing, audience. Quiet as the night was, the experiential effort made a loud impression on the industry—and within the company. Serta Simmons overnight opus gave customers an unprecedented opportunity to interact with the Beautyrest brand. The company is now exploring other ways to engage as effectively.
LLBean: Out of Office
Okay, sunseekers, this one’s for you. LLBean has kicked off a new, experiential effort urging office workers to take their work outdoors. As part of its ongoing “Be an Outsider” campaign, the retailer wants to redefine what it means to be out of office.
Rather than scheduling an auto-reply when you’re away on vacation, LLBean suggests getting outside on the regular. The brand has partnered with co-working company Industrious to set up outdoor workspaces in New York City, Boston, Philadelphia and Madison, Wisc. Whether you can make it to one of the events matters little; LLBean shares a number of ways to take work outside in its promo video. They also tout the benefits of spending time in nature—increased productivity, creativity and happiness, just to name a few.
KinderCare: Explore + Learn
Youthful voices singing “Rain, Rain, Go Away” did little to stop a downpour during a recent Explore + Learn event at KinderCare’s Watergate East center in Washington, DC. Nevermind that the curriculum-inspired theme revolved around water, an abundance of outdoor activities had been arranged. Advanced planning and quick thinking saved the day. Space was made indoors for sensory play activities, conversations with childcare experts and enrollment opportunities.
A footbridge and fishpond invited movement and engaged families, while children took turns revealing an illustrated DC-cityscape using water as paint. Classroom decorations evoked imaginations, and a specially developed menu treated attendees to tasty snacks within Kindercare’s healthy guidelines. Rain it did, but not on this parade.
Creative brand experiences are our wheelhouse. We’re ready to develop one for you.
