Drunk Elephant’s First U.S. Pop-Up-Shop
Pop-up-shops. These temporary spaces are giving brands without physical locations or retail space an opportunity for innovative marketing and a one-on-one experience with their customers. The use of pop-up shops has become incredibly popular in the world of marketing lately. Rather than attracting an audience with a product alone like a typical launch would, pop-ups attract the public with an exclusive experience.
Drunk Elephant, an incredibly popular online skincare company hosted its third pop-up shop this week in New York City called the House of Drunk. What is particularly interesting about their approach to designing the shop is their mission to make the shop feel as if you are stepping into the brand itself, rather than centering their entire design around their featured product the “LaLa Retro Whipped Cream.” The product is featured in a side room dedicated to showcasing it.
Drunk Elephant is known in the beauty community for its simplistic, but effective packaging. A white container with a solid bright color on the lid. Founder and CEO Tiffany Masterson translated this design to the shop which is covered in bright pops of color from the lip-shaped couches lining the floor to the neon lights on the walls. The shop has several digital kiosks in which customers can take a quiz to find what products are best suited for their skin. This integration of a sense of personalization is Masterson’s method of guiding each customer through the product line, ensuring that each individual is investing a product that actually works for them.
While the extravagant design may be too much for a typical brick and mortar location of any company, pop-ups are about thinking outside of the box and doing everything you can to make an impression on your customers. These shops are one of the newest methods of guerrilla marketing, a marketing technique in which you market to customers when it is unexpected in an unconventional manner, and as they increase in popularity we will continue to see more innovation like that of Drunk Elephant with House of Drunk. Due to the fact that large numbers of the brands that hold pop-up shops do not have brick and mortar stores pop-up shops draw the public in to not only see what products the shop is showcasing but also to see a brand they follow online in person. This is exactly why online stores with cult followings like Drunk Elephant do so well in the Pop-up-shop space; the exclusivity of short-term shopping experience. If a nationwide store such as Walmart were to host a pop-up shop there would be far less incentive to attend due to the fact that most consumers have access to their stores and products on a regular basis.
So, when it comes to creating the first, and possibly only, in-store experience your customer will have it is vital that they not only create an experience that will leave a lasting impression of the product(s) that they are highlighting, but also the brand itself and the image they wish to convey.
