NEW YORK—How do brands get their product in the hands of 3,000 people in a single weekend? Tap a seasoned experiential agency to build out a cool pop-up activation, of course.
From Oct. 22-24, Athena Club took over a retail space off Crosby Street in SoHo, where the women's razor brand interacted with consumers through a product exchange—an old razor for a new, Athena Club-branded razor. Conceptualized, designed and produced by New York- and Los Angeles-based marketing agency Sunset/Studios, the three-day activation drew approximately 3,000 guests over the weekend.
Keep scrolling for more details and a closer look at the creative consumer experience.
Before entering, each guest was required to show proof of vaccination. Ghia beverages were also available to attendees on-site after entry.
Photo: Mark Davis/@elle_bobo
Once inside, Athena Club's signature pastel colors painted the walls and furniture, creating an interior that was clean yet colorful.
Photo: Mark Davis/@elle_bobo
Atop tables and perched on custom shelving was Athena Club's shaving products that guests could peruse and purchase from a representative on-site.
Photo: Mark Davis/@elle_bobo
To promote the brand's product in a creative way, Sunset/Studios created an Instagrammable art piece from myriad multicolor razors with signage printed above that read "Body-knowing, Curve-loving" to describe the overall mission of the brand's products.
Photo: Mark Davis/@elle_bobo
Adjacent to the entry/exit was a full-length mirror that caught images of Athena Club razors in the background when guests took selfies to share on social media. Conveniently, the brand's social handles and relevant hashtags were included via wall cling to the right of the mirror. Linda Kovacs, founder and president at Sunset/Studios, said the event's PR strategy relied heavily on word-of-mouth and user-generated content from social media to spread the word about the pop-up as the weekend went on. In addition to being open to the public, select attendees were also mailed invitations.
Photo: Mark Davis/@elle_bobo
In exchange for depositing their used or ecologically unsound razors, guests received a complimentary razor kit from Athena Club. To start the exchange, attendees dropped their razors into a hole carved into the wall with signage surrounding it that said "out with the old" and "in with the new." (Even guests without a razor to recycle were given the opportunity to take home a free razor from Athena Club.)
Photo: Mark Davis/@elle_bobo
When it came to challenges the team faced, Alex Latimer, Sunset/Studios executive producer and partner, said: "Timing. The target date for the activation to go live was less than one month, but our team thrives under tight deadlines. Projects with limited time frames like this one force everyone to work closely together to achieve the collective goal and supports the ongoing creative ideation throughout the process."
Photo: Mark Davis/@elle_bobo
Latimer added that "the objective was to produce a version of the effective but often uninventive exchange program initiative. Our challenge was to make it unique, inspired and, ultimately, more memorable."
Photo: Mark Davis/@elle_bobo
Throughout the three days that the activation took over the SoHo retail space, approximately 3,000 attendees participated in the experiential marketing event. When speaking to lessons learned from producing the activation, Kovacs offered this advice: "Break down the barriers of a typical client-agency relationship. Work as closely as a team as if you were in-house. (We find that the best work happens when everyone involved is operating together and having fun, which ends up creating the optimal product that exceeds expectations.) And great collaborative energy rubs off!"
Photo: Mark Davis/@elle_bobo
