It's been quite a few months since the heady days of experiential marketing's dominant popularity came to a screeching halt as America went into lockdown.
Since then, the space has faced worse uncertainty than almost any other marketing category, and even some iconic players, like We're Magnetic, closed their doors.
We've seen a lot of creativity in the realm of virtual events, but there's no doubt that experiential as we know it was largely gone from the marketing world in 2020. That's certainly no one's fault, and the industry deserves credit for often being a voice of responsibility when it comes to keeping consumers safe and avoiding unnecessary risk.
So is there a way to have experiential with safety? And is it a tactic that'll still work after the era of mask mandates is over?
Impossible Foods has found a smart balance with its "Great Patty Pickup Party," an L.A. stunt launched this week that was half free car wash, half sampling opportunity.
The brand is (finally) launching pre-shaped faux-meat patties in grocery stores to compete with entrenched competitors like Beyond, and to spread the word it launched the branded car wash this week.
“We miss doing events, but we had to come up with a Covid-safe solution,” said Giselle Guerrero, Impossible's vp of creative. “For this experience, no one had to leave their cars.”
Learn more about how they pulled it off in this great article from my colleague T.L. Stanley—and, while you're at it, check out her coverage of how rival plant-based brand Beyond is moving into the DTC space.
Wishing you a safe and energizing weekend,
David Griner
Creative and Innovation Editor, Adweek
david.griner@adweek.com
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