| EVENT REPORT 03.11.09 3:04 PM |
PRINT | SEND TO A FRIEND |
|
| Tropical Flavor |
| The Travel Channel's extensive marketing strategy for its new show Bridget's Sexiest Beaches included a temporary tiki-bar-style lounge at Grand Central Terminal as well as ads in store windows and on street vendor carts. |
|
A favorite marketing buzzword during these dismal financial times seems to be escapism. Fantasy movies like Watchmen are doing well at the box office, and there's been an uptick in destination weddings. In that vein, the Travel Channel's beach setup at Grand Central Terminal yesterday drew hundreds of harried commuters, weary office workers on their lunch breaks, and curious tourists looking for freebies and diversions. The experiential stunt was designed to promote the television network's new series, Bridget's Sexiest Beaches, as part of the network's larger marketing strategy for the program.
The show features bikini-clad host Bridget Marquardt touring seaside spots, rolling cigars in the Caribbean, and paragliding in Malibu. So to highlight this, producers at TH Outdoor & Events—overseen by an internal Travel Channel team that included TV and brand marketing manager Sapna Yathiraj—built a tropical setting complete with palm trees, a tiki hut-style bar, grass skirting, steel drum music, and virtual reality adventure games. |
|
CONTINUED > |
|
|
PHOTO GALLERY |
 | Throughout Vanderbilt Hall, branding and TV displays informed guests about the new show.
Photo: Jessica Torossian for BizBash |
|
|
 | A tiki hut-style bar decorated the lounge area of the promotion at Grand Central Terminal.
Photo: Jessica Torossian for BizBash |
|
|
 | Palm trees, white couches, and string lights helped set the tropical scene.
Photo: Jessica Torossian for BizBash |
|
|
 | Amusitronix provided three different adventure games for the interactive area of the Travel Channel's promotion.
Photo: Jessica Torossian for BizBash |
|
|
 | Guests posed for photos in front of scenic backdrops.
Photo: Jessica Torossian for BizBash |
|
|
 | The free non-alcoholic piña coladas, margaritas, and strawberry daiquiris were a hit with the lunchtime crowd at Vanderbilt Hall.
Photo: Jessica Torossian for BizBash |
|
|
 | The Travel Channel placed cardboard cutouts of Marquardt around the city and branded the umbrellas of street vendors.
Photo: Jessica Torossian for BizBash |
|
|
 | Taking advantage of an empty storefront on Madison Avenue, the television network plastered a big decal in the windows.
Photo: Jessica Torossian for BizBash |
|
|
|
|
|
On one side of the historic hall was a lounge with white couches, where waiters in flip-flops passed virgin piña coladas, margaritas, and strawberry daiquiris from Great Performances. For the more active visitors, the other side of the space held three virtual simulators—one each for hang gliding, surfing, and kayaking—as well as mini sets for photo ops.
Beyond the terminal, the Travel Channel built more buzz for the show with other forms of marketing and advertising. In addition to posters at bus stops, billboards, and an enormous display on a building facade at 42nd Street and Eighth Avenue, the network covered two empty store windows with lengthy decals, put the show's logo on the umbrellas of street vendor carts, and stationed lifesize cardboard cutouts of Marquardt around the city.
—Anna Sekula
RELATED TOPICS
Travel Channel, Bridget's Sexiest Beaches
MORE EVENT REPORT STORIES
Gap, Banana Republic, American Eagle Open Stores With Musical Performances
Chicago Chefs Prepare Apple-Cider Bubbles, Whipped Salt Cod for Food & Wine Entertaining Showcase
MoMA Gets Suitably Whimsical and Macabre for Tim Burton Tribute
Nintendo Launches New Mario Game With Look Back at Franchise History
New Moon Premiere Beckons 10,000 People and 2 Live Wolves
| More Suppliers/Venues to Consider |
ADVERTISEMENT |
|
|
|
The Foundry, L.I.C. LLC
A masterpiece of 1860s architecture, the Foundry is the ideal venue for the client looking to escape the predictable. Our industrial brick interior is complemented by our spacious ivy-covered outdoor courtyard, which features a stunning view of the 59th Street Bridge. More >>
EMAIL THIS RESOURCE |
|
Tastings
Tastings is a full-service catering/event company that caters to a discriminating clientele ranging, from New York society, government officials, and entertainers to fashion and corporate clients. They design tailored menus and provide polished service in the style of an upmarket restaurant, crafting a total dining experience for their guests—from passing bite-size savory and sweets at social events or sit-down lunches, to roaming dinners or dessert installations at private residences. More >>
EMAIL THIS RESOURCE |
|
ShowPro
ShowPro is a full-service technical production company that provides high-quality lighting, video, audio, projection, and staging equipment and services. ShowPro set themselves apart from the competition by housing full-time staff positions that others pick up on a freelance basis. More >>
EMAIL THIS RESOURCE |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
