Food festivals are popping up in many countries across the globe. Consumers are more interested in craft food and beverages, and many companies are capitalising on these events to market their products to consumers.
A whisky brand called Glenlivet wanted to showcase their flavours in a way that would appeal to both whisky newcomers and aficionados alike. Glenvivet created the Glenlivet Dram Room, an interactive activation that popped up food festivals across America, which was a miniature version of a house of scotch, with a flavour-focused corridor opening up to an inviting lounge space outfitted with a multi-sensory aroma wall, interactive drink machine and engaging touchpoints about the brand’s history.
“Talking about your brand in a bland and boring way isn’t wise. The way that Glenlivet set up an immersive and engaging experience is the ideal way to introduce people to your brand and product offering because it’s interesting and unique. Another winning aspect of these pop-up miniature scotch houses is the fact that it offered a multi-sensory experience, which helped them stand out from other food and beverage stalls at festivals and exhibitions,” says Greg Martin from Tradeway.
When setting up an experiential campaign like this, it’s important to consider the logistics. For example, Glenlivet had to create the pop-up miniature scotch house in such a way that they would be able to transport it and set it up at food festivals across the country. They also had to consider what their competition at these events would be offering. In Glenivet’s case, they needed to make their four-decades-old brand interesting and accessible to a younger audience that would probably be more tech-savvy than older people.
The multi-sensory experience included a hands-on “aroma installation” that was equipped with essential oils that represented the different flavour notes of Glenlivet’s scotch. Guests could press a button to dispense different flavours, such as pineapple, hazelnut and marzipan. A digitised sampling machine called “Find Your Flavour” was also a part of the miniature scotch house. The machine prompted guests to provide their contact information and answer a number of questions to determine which cocktail the guest would like the most. The machine would then dispense the ingredients to create a personalised, sample-sized cocktail.
“Creating an air of curiosity was key to this campaign. Multi-sensory experiences stand out from other stands at festivals and bringing a brand to life,” says Greg.
Contact Tradeway for more information about brand activations and experiential marketing campaigns today.