We’re plenty familiar with Pop-Up Retail around these parts, having done a bit of it ourselves. From fashion houses to mass merchants, we’ve seen a wide range of marketers successfully implement this tactic to launch a new product, stir up some buzz, or just to create a venue for items that might not fit with the traditional brick and mortar store.
Considering this tactic is best suited to products that need a brief, significant spike in sales, it’s surprising that movie studios (whose business model is almost entirely based on opening-week ticket sales) haven’t gone down this route more often. Apparently, it takes an nontraditional thinker to make that connection. Y’know, the kind of guy who’s not afraid to light a dude on fire or pay tribute to the 70s cop drama.
In order to promote the upcoming release of Where the Wild Things Are (with Spike Jonze behind the wheel), the filmmakers launched a pop-up shop in LA, filling it with tributes to the film ranging from costumes to life-sized sets. (Head over to PSFK for some pics.) It’s a great way to drum up interest (a.k.a. PR) for the upcoming release, and is an excellent example of matching the right tactic to the business objective. Other marketers with products that rely on seasonality, limited editions, or extremely brief selling windows could learn a thing or two by following in Jonze’s footsteps (although probably without the appearances on Jackass).
