Lion, one of Australia’s leading beverage brands, was all set to launch their new Dare Sparkling Cold Brew Coffee. Sparkling cold brew coffee is trending across the US, with many consumers reaching for it as a “better for you” energy drink. Lion was confident the product would prove popular here in Australia, too. But first, they wanted to trial the product in Queensland to gather valuable consumer feedback to inform their go-to-market strategy.
Brandcrush was tasked with sampling Dare Sparkling in Queensland. The campaign sought to target University students and, more broadly, people in the 18-34 age bracket, which is the key consumer identified by Lion’s prior research. Through the activations, the brand hoped to promote the new product while also gaining an insight into customers’ feedback by encouraging them to complete a feedback form online.
Through Brandcrush, an in-store “pop up” activation was booked featuring chilled, branded assets at Culture Kings Brisbane & Culture Kings Pacific Fair. Two co-working locations in Brisbane were also booked to provide an afternoon pick-me-up for busy office workers.
Unfortunately, when the activation occurred, COVID-19 was impacting Australians. The activation was scheduled for the first weekend of social distancing in, arguably, Australia's "ground zero" (Gold Coast). This had a sizeable impact on the activation, leading to decreased foot traffic in-store and low engagement. The lower consumer reach meant less product being sampled which caused an oversupply of stock at the activation locations.
It quickly became apparent that we could only move half the expected stock through our activation. We had to quickly pivot to re-deploy the remaining stock — keeping it chilled — within the existing budget. This was done in a race against time before further behavioural shifts and consumer restrictions were brought in by the Government in response to the pandemic.
Thanks to our existing network and newly created partnerships, we managed to deliver 10,000 units into apartments in residential towers, through rideshare vehicles and worthy community initiatives and charities. The result was truly a win/win/win for the brand, Activation Partners and consumers, generating great content and feedback for Dare Sparkling Cold Brew Coffee, and delighting consumers with delicious products to trial.
