Why Poppi Used a New York Pop-Up to Promote a New Flavor and Drive Merch Sales (original) (raw)

Every fall, fashion lovers gather in New York for a week to get a preview of what’s to come. This year, healthy soda brand Poppi joined in with a pop-up called Poppi World to promote a new cherry cola flavor and sell branded merch.

Poppi World was aimed at bringing the digital-heavy brand offline. The pop-up featured infinity fridges, bright colors, and a TV wall offering with space for people to try the brand’s new product.

“Our goal was to create major buzz for our newest flavor, Cherry Cola, and New York Fashion Week is the buzziest time of year, so we couldn’t think of a better time to pop up and engage with our fans, and welcome in new ones,” said Allison Ellsworth, co-founder, and chief brand officer of Poppi. “We are a digital-first brand and recognize the importance of our community; everything we do is for them.”

If you’re active on social media platforms like Instagram or TikTok, there’s a chance you’ve seen one of Poppi’s videos or a popular celeb like Love Island USA’s Leah Kateb drinking one. Within the last couple of years, consumers have been looking for a healthy alternative to soda with less sugar, calories, and healthy benefits. Poppi is one of several healthier soda brands disrupting this space with products that contain ingredients like prebiotics as an alternative to sodas like Coca-Cola and Pepsi.

Strike while the iron’s hot

A big chunk of Poppi’s sales come from ecommerce.For many brands in the commerce space, having something in person like a pop-up helps build brand awareness.

Earlier this year, Poppi had its first pop-up in Los Angeles. After seeing how successful that pop-up was, the brand decided to run its second pop-up in New York, said Ellsworth. The event took place on Sept. 7 and 8 during New York Fashion Week to tap into where culture happens, Ellsworth said.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Poppi’s pop-up garnered over 1,100 posts from 360 creators, resulting in 44 million impressions from influencers. The creators have a total reach of more than 205 million followers.

Shop till you drop

Poppi looked to drive sales of branded merch at its pop-up. For many people, it doesn’t count if they go to something like a concert or trip if they don’t get merch, and brands want in on merch.

Consumers want to wear things like hoodies, hats, and socks to show their love for a brand. And Poppi has a strong social following from people who are interested in buying merch. Poppi sold exclusive items for the pop-up like tote bags for 45,t−shirtsfor45, t-shirts for 45,t−shirtsfor35, and a hoodie for $80.

“We’re a creator-first brand, and the idea from merch began as an item in a PR box that went viral,” said Ellsworth. “All of our merch is designed in-house by our creative team. We are endlessly inspired by our fans, social media, and so much more.”

Poppi enlisted athletes and celebrities like Emily Ratajkowski and Patrick Ta to attend its Fashion Week party for Poppi World, and Vashtie Kola DJed the event. Rapper 50 Cent also performed at the event.

“New York City is the heart of culture and high-energy vibes—something we’re always seeking at Poppi,” said Ellsworth.

Ellsworth said how the brand started teasing the pop-up across its social channel about 10 days before opening its doors. The brand also launched an ecommerce site so people who weren’t in New York could buy the merch.

Ellsworth said that Poppi plans to take its pop-up on a tour, but declined to say where the tour will travel to.

In addition to the pop-up, Poppi is also using TV ads to promote its new cherry cola flavor, like running commercials duringthe NFL season.