Trialling food products through established eateries

A 'better for you' energy drink

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.

Bathroom

Introducing a well-loved classic to brand new users

Pears are a well-established brand who were looking to reach new consumers through their Pears Liquid Hand Wash campaign. The brand booked 39 activations space through Brandcrush’s premium network, placing full-sized products for customers to use in bathrooms at cafes and gyms. For less than 50c per reach, Pears was able to reach 21,000 new potential customers. The contextually relevant placement of the product also meant that product features and benefits were clearly experienced by their target consumers, tapping into their senses and leaving a lasting impression.

On the Menu

A cause for celebration

Iconic Australian confectionery brand, Darrell Lea, were looking to celebrate and promote the newest addition to their range of block chocolates: Harbour Fireworks — a fun, flavour explosion packed with caramelised popcorn, rice bubbles and popping candy. The official launch event was already planned with a spectacular fireworks display over Sydney Harbour. Now, the brand needed an on-the-ground, complementary activity that would connect the fireworks display with their product, build awareness ahead of the launch, and encourage people to try the chocolate for themselves. Through Brandcrush, Darrell Lea was connected with popular harbourside venue, Opera Bar for an experiential collaboration. The establishment created a unique “on the menu” dessert item featuring a deconstructed version of the Harbour Fireworks chocolate bar, and also gave out samples of the product across launch week. Unfortunately, as the date for the launch event drew near, devastating bushfires in NSW meant that a fireworks display was out of the question. The fireworks were cancelled, but the launch event went ahead with an added charity element: $5 each from the sale of every Harbour Fireworks Deconstructed Dessert meal would be donated to support the fire appeal. Even though the key event didn’t go as planned, the collaboration between Opera Bar and Darrell Lea was a great success. More than 3000 potential new customers were reached with samples and information about the delicious new product, while funds were raised to support a very important cause.