Pop-up marketing has nothing to do with those ads that jump up on your screen when you click on website that you can't close fast enough. Rather, it is a grass roots way to connect with your target market that is low-risk, high-impact and, comparatively, low-cost. It is also becoming increasingly popular and any smart business person should be, at least, considering its potential for their product.
A good example of a successful pop-up shop is the one recently run by broadband provider TalkTalk . Its campaign involved setting up a pop-up store in London, staffed by none other than David Dickinson, celebrity antiques dealer. This kind of quirky, memorable, real-life connection with a product that had, up until now, appeared to entirely exist online, has a real, long-lasting effect on the customer. It puts a friendly face on a previously faceless company in a way TV and web advertising cannot.
If you are working in a competitive industry, this kind of campaign will really make you stand out from the crowd. This is not just good advice for the new kids on the block, looking to make its name in a crowded marketplace full of better known competitors, but also for the established brand with a firm following of loyal customers.
Pop-up stores give those who have no experience of your products a chance to engage with them in a manner that is unique, quick and fun. They also allow you to introduce a new service in a way that underlines its importance – by dedicating a pop up store to your latest product, it creates an image in the customers mind that this is a major announcement and a big-time release.
The last few years has seen some truly impressive, imaginative and clever pop up stores all around the world. For example, coffee company Illy placed a store inside a huge crate that opened up on the pavement to reveal a fully furnished living room, while upmarket chocolate makers Godiva celebrated last Valentine's Day by popping up a boutique on New York's 5th Avenue.
A sign of how pervasive pop up marketing is becoming is that New York subway stations are now offering leases for companies that want to set up a short term store to catch commuter traffic.
In 2017, pop up stores may well be the biggest thing in branding.