Alcohol and food pairings have given way to another culinary duo: soft drinks and healthy snacks. At least that's the combination Diet Coke pushed with its pop-up kitchen off Boston Common. Over the course of its 10-day run, the brand handed out nutrition tips, complimentary bites, and thousands of bottles of Diet Coke.
A reincarnation of a similar stunt that premiered in New York earlier in October, the pop-up kitchen is part of Diet Coke’s “Live Tastefully” campaign and plays off the brand’s collaboration with chef Tom Colicchio. The advertisements push the soft drink as not simply soda, but a complement to a healthy and fulfilling lifestyle.
Like its New York counterpart, the Boston pop-up kitchen was the work of Manhattan-based MKG Productions and featured Diet Coke’s signature silver, red, and white color scheme, with a focus on a retro vibe and the “Just for the Taste of It” slogan. A simple white counter with white and red stools overlooked the Common, and vintage-style vending machines flanked a four-seat computer station for a playful juxtaposition. The lounge area's vibrant red seating offered a place to sit and sip, and large screens projected black-and-white photos taken on-site at the photo station.
Anchoring the space—which more closely resembles a trendy cafeteria than an actual kitchen—were a silver Diet Coke bar, where servers handed out bottles of the bubbly beverage, and an automat which was perpetually stocked with food for the tasting. As for what healthy snacks Diet Coke thinks go best with the brand, the automat offered pita chips with hummus, miniature tuna salad sandwiches, soba noodle salad, and prosciutto-wrapped melon.
