When it comes to experiential events, there are a few notable ones who have done it right in the past.
Insect Ice Cream
The Economist produces content which it admits isn’t for everyone and that’s a pretty hard sell. The challenge was to reach new audiences by challenging their thinking and asking them to step outside their comfort zone and try something new, which at first glance might be considered off-putting. In this case, that was manifest by stalls giving away ice cream or crepes laden with insects.
The “discomfort food” campaign not only brought Economist content to life but also served as a pre-screening. If someone’s prepared to take a step outside of their comfort zone, they may well be the kind of person to subscribe.
Veggie Pop-up
Based on a spike in sales of their vegetarian option over the course of 2015, Pret decided to turn their Soho store into a 100% vegetarian version of their chain.
The campaign was such a success, they kept it as an ongoing business.
WeighThis
With sales declining, Nestle needed to do something about its Lean Cuisine brand. One of the biggest problems for the brand is that it couldn’t shake the image of dieting and the negative connotations that come with it. Repositioning itself as a health and wellness brand, Lean Cuisine created a campaign asking women how they wanted to be weighed. Participants were asked what they would like to be measured on, using the hashtag #WeighThis.
