Sustainability is On Display at an Absolut Bar that Trades Recyclables for Cocktails (Elevate Connect)

Key Takeaways:

• Brands like Absolut are putting their company values on display in executing brand experiences that make consumers feel good and do good.
• With the push for health and wellness, alternatives to alcohol consumption have become a mainstream consumer focus. As a result, brands are seeking to connect with consumers through alcohol-free activations.
• The auto industry has long been mired by “traditional” sales tactics, but over the past several years has begun to embrace new ways of thinking, including innovative, experience-driven consumer engagement.

See an Absolut Bar That Accepted Recyclables as Currency

Absolut vodka, known for their savvy marketing tactics, recently took an experiential approach in promoting the brand’s wider efforts toward sustainability. Their Earth Day campaign “Planet Earth’s Favorite Vodka” consisted of an activation footprint filled with recycled and upcycled décor, complete with moss panels and reclaimed wood. The main event? The Absolut Bar Recycle, where attendees could exchange their recyclables for cocktails.

Other brands have pursued sustainability marketing efforts recently, which has included nationwide clean up events, public murals created from waste, and campaigning to end plastic straw use. But while environmentalism is the rage among brands on a larger scale, Absolut seems one the few alcohol companies championing sustainability. Cheers to them.

‘The Consumer is Pushing Them’: How Fast-Fashion Brands are Responding to Sustainability

What is “fast fashion?” According to the dictionary, this type of apparel is defined as “inexpensive clothing produced rapidly by mass-market retailers in response to the latest trends.” Most of these inexpensive products are not designed to be long-lasting; some for one-time use. Fast fashion is not only unsustainable from an environment standpoint, but soon it will an unsustainable business model.

As this article in Glossy points out, brands like Forever 21, Fashion Nova and H&M built empires on targeting younger consumers with a budget. But it goes on to say that “as younger consumers shift their focus to brands that celebrate radical transparency and environmentally friendly practices, like Reformation and Everlane, fast-fashion brands are having to backtrack and think more about the impact they’re having on the world.” No longer are these consumers looking for something fast and cheap. They want something they can feel good about wearing. As this shift in attitudes takes place, we are left to wonder: are brands able to make these changes as quick as they make clothes?

Sobering Up: Why Non-Alcoholic Activations are Trending

It’s no doubt that many consumers are seeking brands that support a healthier lifestyle. And brands are recognizing this sentiment as more than a passing trend, responding with health-oriented experiences. But even with this increase in fitness- and health-inspired activations, consumers are looking for an even more “sobering” experience.

Millennials spend billions on “self-care, more than any other generation,” and part of their approach to self-care is seeking alternatives to alcohol consumption. Alcohol-free brand activations are aimed at giving consumers an alternative from the excess and chaos of mainstream festival experiences. Life is all about balance after all, and brands are eager to give these health-conscious millennials something that speaks to the healthier aspects of their lifestyle.

How Automakers are Transforming the Traditional Test Drive

Thanks to online resources, and even car buying apps, auto shoppers are going to the car dealership less. The weeks- or months-long pilgrimage to many dealerships, complete with test drive after test drive, has been replaced with a swipe to the right. This could be due to the ease of the online car shopping experience – or maybe people have had enough of the stereotypical pushy car salesman. Whatever the reason, one thing is certain: the traditional test-drive on the decline.

Consequently, car brands are getting creative in luring customers into the driver seat, including an experience-driven approach to increase engagement and improve the overall consumer experience. Automakers are using social media to promote what some would call “extreme” test drives, even offering luxury trips to drive the world’s most scenic roads.

If You’re Too Busy for These 5 Things, Your Life Is More Off Course Than You Think

Being “busy” has begun to hold its own form of social currency. In a world where even email follows us home (and often to bed), the lines between home, work, and extracurricular interests continues to blur. Managing priorities and carving time for meaning is a skill for some – a quest for others. In this Inc article, the author takes on this conundrum and asks us how well we are “piloting” life. Diving into the airplane analogy, he proposes that we ask ourselves a series of questions: Do we know our destination? Do we know how long it will take to get there? Do we know what to correct if we get off course? Do we know how to lessen turbulence?

As the author points out, “The fastest way to move forward in life is not doing more. It starts with stopping the behaviors holding you back. Read here to discover 5 things we can monitor to avoid a fiery plane crash and smoothly navigate to our destination.

How Brands Can Work with Festival Sponsorship

Festivals and sponsorship. Can you have one without the other? According to this article in Entrepreneur, with sponsorship for music-related events totaling $1.4 billion , the answer is a resounding no.

When a brand sponsors a festival, it is a collaborative process from ideation to execution. But when the partnership is a right fit for both the brand and the festival, the benefits are endless. Read more on how to find that perfect fit and the types of ROI you can expect.

How to Give Life to your Diversity Marketing Strategy

As society becomes more diverse, it becomes more critical for brands to adopt an inclusive marketing strategy. This is why brands from snacks to sneakers are seeking to promote a message that resonates with people of many backgrounds and perspectives. But as brands aim to diversify their marketing approach, many are failing to acknowledge one core component: a diverse internal team. Which begs the question: can brands create an impactful diversity strategy for the masses if they can’t maintain one within their company?

Look around your office. Is your environment reflective of the brand identity and messaging you want to portray? Marketing agency A Little Bird outlines why diversity marketing matters and how brands can authentically demonstrate their values through experiential activations.

How HP Created the Coolest Spot at Coachella

HP put their tech power on display at Coachella in the brand’s Antarctic Dome, an 11,000-square-foot geodesic projection structure. Before the festival even began, the immersive audiovisual experience was in full swing, albeit it invite-only. But the VIP guest list was encouraged to share their experiences via social media, building hype for the droves of festival-goers that were arriving in masse.

The main goal for this activation (which for some brands has been overlooked in recent years), is to play off the essence of the festival itself. Coachella is a music festival, after all, and HP is smart to make music the main event. HP’s head of marketing stated, “In all the research we’ve done on Millennials and Gen Z, their number-one passion point is music.” HP will likely prove to be that much more memorable in aligning with the element that brought fans to the event in the first place.

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Author: Nick Riggall