In an age when authenticity is so critical to a such a huge portion of the target marketing demographic—the millennial generation—event organizers know that attendees can sniff out a mismatched sponsor without any difficulty. When they see it, they’ll attribute that inauthenticity back to the brands involved. And that's a big event fail.
So when Thrillist had a chance to partner with Honda on a new event, the media property was especially careful to create a program that felt true to its core principals and messages and integrated the sponsor in an organic way.
Although Thrillist and Honda had worked together previously, they’d never before partnered on an event until what became known as the Culinary Road Trip, held June 12 to 14 at Siren Studios Orange in Hollywood.
“In coming up with the theme, we kept asking ourselves, 'When do you use a car? How do you travel for fun, and what do you do? And finally, what does the Thrillist audience love to do?'” director of events Jessica Dowd explained. "Then, it clicked: a road trip."
The group began to gather well-known restaurants from all across the country to come to Los Angeles for one weekend for an event inspired by the Honda HR-V. Organizers worked with places like New York’s Black Seed Bagels, Chicago’s Gino’s East Deep Dish Pizza, New England’s Luke’s Lobster Rolls, Philadephila’s Tony Luke's Cheesesteaks and Insomnia Cookies, Portland’s Lardo Sandwiches and Stumptown Coffee Cold Brew, and Washington's Georgetown Cupcake and Sweetgreen Salad.
Each venue worked to replicate its own hometown vibe by using imagery and decor elements within the party space. For example, Gino’s East is known for graffiti, with walls covered in marker art. "We incorporated that into their event station, inviting attendees to draw on their walls,” Dowd said. "It was also really important to us that the food was fresh, authentic, and exactly what you’d expect if you went to their restaurant in their city—so we brought the chefs and staff themselves out to L.A.”
As for Honda, the brand set up its own array of activations and integrations within the space. At a ticket-booth-style check-in area, guests received a so-called road map, which mapped out the space as well as the restaurants involved. Guests also received a toll ticket to punch at each stop.
Highway signs at each location highlighted the relevant city and population, and a Honda-branded pit stop offered water, Route 66 Root Beer Soda, Route 11 Chips, and more.
A Honda HR-V parked inside the venue was the major focal point, and guests posed for photos and inside and outside of the car. They took home photo strips consisting of four pictures, each with a different city background, so it appeared that guests had taken a road trip together as friends. Hashtags and handles also proliferated the message on social media.
“Thrillist is all about providing guys with the ammo they need to live the most fun lives possible, and we take that really seriously in all aspects of our business,” Dowd said. That means, when it comes to working with surprising sponsors, “it’s all about taking the time to really understand the sponsor and what they want. Then you need to look at your brand and figure out common goals. A concept or idea should never be forced or fixed. No one will end up happy with the results."
