I’ve noticed that many tech companies struggle with IRL activations because they don’t have a tangible product to give away. I think the key is to lean into the concept behind the brand rather than the physical product. Dating apps (Bumble, Tinder) tend to do this really well!
Exactly! I think that's the key and a lot of these companies don't have this and that's how it failed (expensify being a crazy example of this) or its poorly executed!
Love this piece!! And glad we could see the Poppi pop-up (even if it was just from walking by).
I think it makes sense for tech brands to engage in buzzy brand activations, but their audience is often much nicher than CPG brands, so they need to be smart about how they show up.
Slack’s activation at SXSW is a great example of a tech company meeting their target audience where they’re at - SXSW is a huge event for tech and creative minds. Plus, Slack can be considered b2b and b2c, which helps expand their audiences and makes brand activations make sense. Pure b2b brands need to be more strategic with where they show up to reach their target market.
100% needs to be strategic. slack is an interesting case to me because you pointed out that they rely on what feels like b2c messaging for a b2b company. i also bring up ramp because they have a similar feel from their positioning with a really strong brand identity. whereas, expensify tried out something odd and missed the mark on creating a real brand experience!
Poppi is one of the brands I’m watching super closely right now given their current class action lawsuit (and subsequent removal) of their gut health claims.
I’m not AT ALL saying that these experiences are somehow an attempt to cover up their legal situation but it is interesting to see how they’re going about generating new buzz and attracting new eyes when there seems to plenty of “new news” around some the claims they built their brand foundation on.
I used to work at Slack and (pre-pandemic, at least) they did popups pretty often! They weren't even always tied to events like SXSW, sometimes they just happened if we had a new feature coming out. The last one I remember going to was in Grand Central for a few days. I don't remember what it was for, but there was a swag wall, a photo op, and of course a goody bag involved.
I personally believe these pop-ups work REALLY WELL for consumer brands because their products feel (and are) more tangible than a tech company for example. As someone who was in NYC while it happened and attended the Rhode pop-up, I am so baffled by how much these experiences bring awareness to customers!!! Will it get to a point where they're overdone? Not sure
Great piece! For tech companies, I think it totally depends on whether there’s organic fandom and community around the brand. Brands like Slack, Notion, Figma, Wealthsimple do pop-ups and events well. If that fandom/hype doesn’t already exist, I don’t think a pop-up can cultivate it—no one is flocking to a CapitalOne lounge. For budget holders, it begs the question of incrementality and ROI if success depends on *existing* fandom. I wonder if growth stage tech companies will continue spending here post-ZIRP.
There have been a few cycles of experiential marketing/pop-ups trending since “pop-up” was coined in the 90s. It’s now almost standard in fashion and entertainment (Balenciaga, Netflix) but has trended in and out with other mega trends like the rise of Instagram museums and brand budget cycles. I think right now we’re just seeing a post-pandemic return to the mean.
I’ve noticed that many tech companies struggle with IRL activations because they don’t have a tangible product to give away. I think the key is to lean into the concept behind the brand rather than the physical product. Dating apps (Bumble, Tinder) tend to do this really well!
Exactly! I think that's the key and a lot of these companies don't have this and that's how it failed (expensify being a crazy example of this) or its poorly executed!
Love this piece!! And glad we could see the Poppi pop-up (even if it was just from walking by).
I think it makes sense for tech brands to engage in buzzy brand activations, but their audience is often much nicher than CPG brands, so they need to be smart about how they show up.
Slack’s activation at SXSW is a great example of a tech company meeting their target audience where they’re at - SXSW is a huge event for tech and creative minds. Plus, Slack can be considered b2b and b2c, which helps expand their audiences and makes brand activations make sense. Pure b2b brands need to be more strategic with where they show up to reach their target market.
100% needs to be strategic. slack is an interesting case to me because you pointed out that they rely on what feels like b2c messaging for a b2b company. i also bring up ramp because they have a similar feel from their positioning with a really strong brand identity. whereas, expensify tried out something odd and missed the mark on creating a real brand experience!
This is the perfect take. Unfortunately 90% of tech startups' brand activations are just...yikes.
For consumer...I'd say 50%.
90% feels exactly right
“nothing like engaging your consumer in real life, even if it is just adding purple sprinkles”. Brilliant observation!
Poppi is one of the brands I’m watching super closely right now given their current class action lawsuit (and subsequent removal) of their gut health claims.
I’m not AT ALL saying that these experiences are somehow an attempt to cover up their legal situation but it is interesting to see how they’re going about generating new buzz and attracting new eyes when there seems to plenty of “new news” around some the claims they built their brand foundation on.
I noticed this as well! It's a good callout! The timing of it all completely washed away the news of the lawsuits.
I used to work at Slack and (pre-pandemic, at least) they did popups pretty often! They weren't even always tied to events like SXSW, sometimes they just happened if we had a new feature coming out. The last one I remember going to was in Grand Central for a few days. I don't remember what it was for, but there was a swag wall, a photo op, and of course a goody bag involved.
This is so cool to know! Thank you for sharing!! I wonder if they still do those kinds of events strategically.
I personally believe these pop-ups work REALLY WELL for consumer brands because their products feel (and are) more tangible than a tech company for example. As someone who was in NYC while it happened and attended the Rhode pop-up, I am so baffled by how much these experiences bring awareness to customers!!! Will it get to a point where they're overdone? Not sure
Definitely! I also wonder when they reach a point where they become overdone, but for now it seems far out!
Great piece! For tech companies, I think it totally depends on whether there’s organic fandom and community around the brand. Brands like Slack, Notion, Figma, Wealthsimple do pop-ups and events well. If that fandom/hype doesn’t already exist, I don’t think a pop-up can cultivate it—no one is flocking to a CapitalOne lounge. For budget holders, it begs the question of incrementality and ROI if success depends on *existing* fandom. I wonder if growth stage tech companies will continue spending here post-ZIRP.
There have been a few cycles of experiential marketing/pop-ups trending since “pop-up” was coined in the 90s. It’s now almost standard in fashion and entertainment (Balenciaga, Netflix) but has trended in and out with other mega trends like the rise of Instagram museums and brand budget cycles. I think right now we’re just seeing a post-pandemic return to the mean.