3 Lessons from Poppi Mart
[Image Credit: @drinkpoppi TikTok]
Poppi is an undeniable category disruptor in CPG beverage, continuing to charge into the “better-for-you soda” space with whimsical vibes and an army of TikTok fans. Poppi is fully self-appointing itself as a soda brand, and “Soda’s Back” is at the center of its marketing campaigns. The brand opened Poppi Mart (a pop-up) on Melrose in LA on January 27-28, and pulled out all the stops on marketing.
I stopped by Poppi Mart with a friend, and was super impressed with their execution. There are 3 big lessons that any CPG or retail founder should consider before planning their next pop-up:
The best pop-ups have a reason for existence
You can’t have a pop-up because you think you need a presence in a city. A brand pop-up needs a real reason for existence, or else customers will get confused. The reason could be a launch, a limited edition drop, or a meet and greet. Poppi chose to build Poppi Mart around the launch of their new Wild Berry flavor. This reason drove the entire futuristic, galactic aesthetic - making everything incredibly coherent and memorable, both digital and IRL.
Visitors knew exactly what to expect, employees understood the goal, and the brand was marching toward a clear mission.
2. Direct the experience for your customers, and be generous
Poppi Mart was a SPECTACLE for anyone walking down Melrose that weekend, as customers lined up for 4, 5 blocks. The earliest guests in line arrived at 6 am and brought camping chairs to make the wait a little easier, some guests had driven for 2 hours to see the pop-up, and there were plenty of boyfriends standing in line on behalf of girlfriends who wanted Poppi merch.
As a brand running a pop-up, you almost need to take on the role of a party host. Point being, people had given up a lot of time for this event and it’s critical that they went home having had a great time, they were given special treatment, and that the wait was worth it.
Because a pop-up filled with people and noise and products and aesthetic can be a bit overwhelming, it’s helpful for customers to be guided through the experience. The Poppi team executed pretty well on this front - as soon as I walked in, a team member directed us to grab a free slushie over there, get our free soda over there, check out the merch on that table, and to take some pictures over there.
To this end, it’s super important to onboard and train your staff, even if it’s for a weekend pop-up. Poppi hired their staff from a talent agency called Productions Plus which (according to staff), helps aspiring actors utilize their skills with temporary work for brand activations. Productions Plus works with the likes of Nespresso, Dior, and Porsche on corporate events and projects.
3. Amplify like crazy
Poppi pulled out all the stops on influencer partnerships, organic social, billboards, and even a cable TV ad leading up to the weekend of Poppi Mart. You might have also seen the influencer and celebrity-studded launch party, DJ’d by Paris Hilton. Organic content around Paris and the launch party itself is earning up to 6M organic views on TikTok, and I also counted at least 38 videos about Poppi Mart on Poppi’s official TikTok account.
That might sound like overkill to some brands, but the sole point wasn’t the pop-up. The pop-up was a vessel for a thought exercise. The point was to show the world that Poppi has cemented itself among the coolest, most influential people and that maybe we should all start conceptualizing soda differently.
Keep this in mind for your next retail experience - there’s a lot to learn from this one!
[Image Credit: drinkpoppi.com] Poppi’s new Wild Berry flavor, launched at Poppi Mart
