Concept
Accolade Wines approached experiential agency Devries Slam to launch an Echo Falls limited-edition range in a way that would allow consumers and media to see first-hand bottles created by fashion designer Holly Fulton.
The aim was to target 'newbies': 18 to 34-year-old spontaneous women interested in fashion. Deborah Zbinden, senior brand manager at Accolade Wines, says the pop-up experience enabled Echo Falls to embody spontaneity. "Influencers and consumers could see the bottles, sample our wine and immerse themselves in fun and fashion," she adds.
Devries Slam enlisted the help of production partner The Persuaders to bring the concept to fruition.
Experience
One Wednesday in August, consumers were alerted to the Fashion House of Echo Falls via social media. It was located in London's La Galleria Pall Mall, and guests were required to use a codeword to enter the experience. This had been promoted online and in the London Evening Standard.
The pop-up, adorned with geometric and almost stained-glass window-style designs, featured zones that included a Benefit make-up area and a Nails Inc manicure station, while fashion retailer USC had staff on hand offering styling tips.
A wine bar served glasses of the new range to guests, while Fulton interacted with the fashion bloggers and journalists in attendance.
Success
Accolade Wines' main KPI was the number of consumers and media representatives attending the event. The target was 300, which was well beaten by the 379 attendees recorded.
"It felt great to hear our security guard's clicker constantly tick over," says Natalie Tesoriero, associate director at Devries Slam. "Furthermore, we had brilliant media attendance, and our social presence was great - Twitter in particular was very successful."
The Persuaders event producer Dominic Franks feels the concept worked well with the brand partners present. "Each had its own branded workshop table, which meant they all fitted in with the theme while having an ownable space and not getting lost within the concept," he says.
On Reflection
"Sometimes you can be surprised by a brand. It's a case of 'never judge a book by its cover', because doing so will cloud your creativity"