The pop-up continues to deliver on freshness as it morphs from its traditional definition in flavorful and varied directions.
The unexpected element of pop-ups call over-curious eyes, inviting engagement between the target consumer and brands to foster an authentic connection that accelerates adoption.
Whether we’re consumers or co-conspirators and instigators with our clients, we fancy this convention.
All Popped-Up
The Brand: Lyft
Where To: Major Cities Across the Country
The Hap: Driver rallies. Glowing interactive photo booths. Lyft Brigade street teams. MKMC took a multifaceted approach to popping up Lyft across the country. Infiltrating community hot spots, lifestyle venues, festivals and more, the ridesharing brand made its presence known at nearly 50 events over the course of 2 months. Here. There. Everywhere.
Pop-Up Picnic
The Brand: Yours Truly
Where To: Prospective Clients
The Hap: Preach. As a consumer engagement marketing agency, one of our self-instilled charges when it comes to new business initiatives is to think outside of the box (we know this is so done, it’s a set-up for what comes next) or inside the box, if that means a playful, co-branded pop-up picnic in a box is what arrives at a target client’s door to entice a face-to-face meeting. Should we unpack the goods at your office or ours?
Quasi-Permanent Pop-Up
The Brand: Airbnb
Where To: All Over Omaha
The Hap: With the end goal of increasing host homes before Berkshire Hathaway landed in the city, MKMC infiltrated the market in a big way, most noticeably a 2-month pop-up, where guests were known to kick their shoes off and stay a while (we’re not kidding). Welcoming locals inside, the hub was a quiet respite from the cold, filled with hot tea and brand ambassadors at-the-ready to answer questions and guide folks through the hosting process. Even better: local influencers in the community were given access to use the space gratis for their events, further seeding Airbnb in the market and delivering on their brand promise of community advocacy.
Pop-Up, Old School Style
The Brand: American Greetings
Where To: SXSW
The Hap: The American Greetings Analog Lab was a breath of calm air amid the heartbeat and hustle of SX. Taking it basic (the good kind), the pop-up hosted a speaker series, multiple hands-on interactive experiences (we’re looking at you DIY GIF station and card bar centerpiece) staffed with professional copywriters and artists. As a final touchpoint, guests were sent back into the sun with iced coffee and water in hand. The Analog Lab was a simple and chic retreat that hit off on all of the brand’s high notes. The only drawback? We were American Green-ings with envy that we were only guests and not activation partners.
Tastiest Pop-Up
The Brand: 49 Square
Where To: San Francisco
The Hap: 49 Square makes us want to say goodbye to chafing dishes and draped linens FOR-ever. What looked like a polished of-the-moment succulent installation turned into a yummy surprise — salads, spring rolls and more — disguised playfully as the very plants they were crafted from. The best part? The fare itself was as delicious as the inventive, engaging, and experiential presentation. Seconds please.
Most Melodic Pop-Up
The Brand: Cypress String Quartet
Where To: 16 Unique Public Spaces Across San Francisco
The Hap: To celebrate 20 years together as well as commemorate the completion of their recording of Beethoven’s string quartets, Cypress String Quartet is bringing Beethoven to The City, which consists of a series of 16 free pop-up performances throughout the month of May. Considered the Big Kahuna of the Quartet world, the CSQ is bringing his music to the people. As friends and fans, MKMC braved the rain alongside the performers as they filled Justin Herman Plaza with magic. Run, don’t walk, to see them pop up while you still can.
