Concept
Westfield recruited sensory branding specialist Condiment Junkie to create an immersive, Willy Wonka-style pop-up known as the Tongue Twister Experience. The concept took over the global shopping centre group's Shepherd's Bush and Stratford City locations for six days in February.
The pop-up formed part of the brand's six-week Food Sensation campaign that focused on dining options available at both.
"Between our two centres we have more than 130 places to eat and drink, and dining continues to be a key offer at Westfield," explains Myf Ryan, director of marketing at Westfield Europe.
"As part of our campaign, we challenged Condiment Junkie to create a fun and unique in-centre food-and-drink experience for our visitors.
The aim was to highlight Shepherd's Bush and Stratford City as dining destinations."
The Experience
The Tongue Twister Experience had four rooms, each playing on participants' senses in a unique way. The idea was to demonstrate how the things we hear, see and smell can affect our sense of taste.
Russ Jones, creative director at Condiment Junkie, explains: "In the first room, which was cool, clinical and white, guests were given a refreshing lime-and-mint sorbet, designed to cleanse their palates in preparation.
They were also given a cleansing handwipe to rid their skin of any existing aromas that would taint their sense of smell. "They then stepped into the 'See' room, a rainbow laboratory where they could explore the impact of colour by tasting juices coloured to deceive the taste buds. In the 'Hear' room, guests listened to different soundtracks while sampling foods, discovering how what we taste is also influenced by what we hear. Finally, the 'Smell' room offered an aromatic extravaganza where guests learnt just how much we taste through our noses."
Success
Over the six days, 24,952 people visited the pop-ups at both centres. The concept was well received among Facebook users, with Westfield reporting engagement levels of 12%, a figure that stands above the industry standard of 4%.
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