The concept of “stress-free travel” may sound like a distant fantasy, but Hertz is on a mission to alleviate travel anxieties through its Gold Plus Rewards loyalty program—and a pack of friendly golden retrievers known as the Gold Squad.

First introduced last summer to help airport travelers decompress, the brand’s highly trained group of pups has since begun infiltrating select Hertz locations, where the company says they’ve been very well received. But the Gold Squad, and the brand, really found their calling on Feb. 7, serving as presenting sponsor of Goldens in Golden, an annual celebration in Golden, CO, that this year drew more than 5,500 golden retrievers (and their humans) from around the country. Hello, dream event.

To bring the intangible perks of its loyalty program to life, the brand kicked off its sponsorship at Denver International Airport, where it unleashed the Gold Squad to relieve travel stress and spread some love to Hertz customers.

Then it was on to the main event, Goldens in Golden, where the brand hosted the Golden Pup Cup Café, a community-centric activation anchored by an Airstream trailer—where the Gold Squad made plenty of appearances—that provided humans with warm lattes and, of course, matching treats for their fur babies.

The footprint also included a branded mural that doubled as a photo op and featured “Feeling Golden” messaging, as well as swag and room to sit down and socialize. Outside of the activation, the Gold Squad mingled with human and canine attendees, alike, across the event.

“Ultimately, it was about: how can we have a meeting spot for folks to be able to sit down, entertain their dogs, interact with each other, and just have the best possible experience, and keep it all aligned to what we’re trying to achieve as a brand and as a company—that customer experience comes first,” says Brian Canning, cmo at Hertz.

Naturally, the Gold Squad and the café inspired social sharing on-site, but Hertz also drove hype in the leadup to Goldens in Golden with the help of its dog influencer partners, a group of golden retrievers (and their parents) that the brand has worked with over the last six months while expanding the Gold Squad campaign.

“This was an event that just made perfect sense for us in terms of being able to not only show up and make the event a little bit better from our perspective, but also to have golden retriever influencers [come] from all over the country, show the joy of a road trip, especially with your dog, and show off our cars and what you can do with Hertz vehicles, and the power of our Gold Plus program,” Canning says. “So it really aligns to what we want to do and how we want to represent ourselves as a brand and in the community.”

SQUAD GOALS

The good news for dog lovers is that Hertz is just getting started on translating its brand promise, and product, into an experiential platform. In fact, the company is currently recruiting for a Gold Squad Pack Leader, a role that will entail strategizing for, and producing, Gold Squad appearances and activations.

The goal, Canning says, is to grow the program exponentially. “We’re doing more and more cities. We’re going to be doing more events outside of the actual Hertz locations. So it’s just going to get bigger and bigger. [The Gold Squad] are going to become a part of our brand DNA, because it aligns, again, with what we’re trying to do in investing in the customer experience.” Agency: Preacher.

Related:

• Purina Enlists Pet Behaviorists to Build a Dog-Friendly Section at an MLS Stadium
• Milk-Bone and Jif Collab on a Pop-up, Dog-friendly ‘Museum’

The post Hertz Unleashes a Pack of Dogs and a Pop-Up Café at the World’s Largest Gathering of Golden Retrievers appeared first on Event Marketer.

To celebrate BARK’s new positioning as a company that’s “co-owned by dogs,” the brand hosted a doggo-first BARK Live event at a park in Brooklyn, NY, where a Farmer’s Barket experience served as a reimagined Saturday market affair designed from a dog’s-eye-view, including canine-height displays, games, challenges, toys and giveaways.

Among highlights were the BARK in the Belly bar that served up free dog treats, chews and food tastings, a ball pit that let dogs sniff out hidden prizes, a BARK Air lounge serving “Chompagne” for pups, chances for parents to score their pet a surprise toy, and the opportunity to chat with “dog communicator” Nancy Mello, who offered dog readings to reveal to humans what their fur baby was really thinking.

Dog-rescue organization HIT Living Foundation made the holiday season bright with its second annual Winter Holiday Market, hosted at Santa Monica Brew Works in California, a community event that served as a winter wonderland for pups and their people. The experience featured photo ops with Santa, a ball pit for doggos, “pup cups” and a cookie bar for canines, and a range of local vendors selling pet-centric items. Think: dog apparel, accessories and grooming tools.

Meanwhile, human attendees enjoyed a holiday bouquet-making station, beer tastings from Brew Works and had the chance to adopt a dog right on-site. Entrance to the event was free, while every purchase through the marketplace vendors went directly to support the L.A. nonprofit, which rescues dogs impacted by crisis events and abuse, and tackles shelter overcrowding.

J.M. Smucker-owned companies Milk-Bone and Jif teamed up to create new Peanut Buttery Bites dog treats, then leaned into collab and drop culture to promote the product with a furball-friendly launch event. Messaging on the façade of the Manhattan pop-up read: “Dogs Welcome. Humans Too.” While hyping the new treats, the brands wanted to satirize society’s preoccupation with collabs and product drops that are often nonsensical. So they developed a lineup of intentionally absurd co-branded products that were on display inside the art museum-inspired space.

The pop-up event was a canine-first experience that offered touchpoints like a “thirst trap” in the form of a camera-equipped water bowl that broadcast dogs on a large screen as they excitedly lapped up water; a Barking Bar where they sampled the Peanut Buttery Bites; and a “Butt Bit,” a fitness band that attaches to a dog’s tail and tracks how much it wags. Dogs were invited to jump up and hit a button on the wall to activate the experience.

And in the case of HBO Max, it was a special “Superman”-inspired screening event in New York City for pet parents and their pups, themed around the canine star from the DC Studios film, Krypto. While on-site, attendees viewed “The Krypto Cut,” a montage of Krypto highlights displayed on small, dog-friendly screens optimized for canine eyes and ears, including color changes and additional sensory enhancements. Humans were later treated to a full-length screening of “Superman.”

The experience additionally included activations, like dog cartooning from The New Yorker cartoonist Aunt Sarah Draws, bandana customization by a calligraphy artist, photo ops and exclusive giveaways featuring blankets, treat bags, rope toys and more. Brand partners also offered an on-site grooming and spa treatment and custom themed treats. And most importantly, HBO worked with local adoption organizations to bring rescue fosters and adoptable pups to the event.

Dog-first events are having a moment. No bones about it.

Photo credits: HBO Max; Charles Sykes/AP Content Services for Milk-Bone

Related:

• Purina Shares Six Tips for Designing Dog-friendly Experiences
• How Get Joys Sponsorship Saved NYCs Halloween Dog Parade

The post Experiential Marketing Trend of the Week: Dog-First Events appeared first on Event Marketer.

This week’s hot takes on hot topics in experiential marketing cover Farmer’s Barkets, Pizza Plazas and Hair Monsters.

DOGGOS COME FIRST AT THIS POP-UP ‘FARMER’S BARKET’

Someone needs to give BARK’s creative team a raise. Last year, it was luxury flights for dogs and their humans. This year, it was a “Farmer’s Barket” that served as a reimagined Saturday market experience built entirely for pups.

Indeed, to celebrate BARK’s new positioning as a company that’s “co-owned by dogs,” the brand hosted a doggo-first BARK Live event on Sept. 27 at Domino Park in Brooklyn, NY, where a Farmer’s Barket experience was designed from a dog’s-eye-view and included canine-height displays, games, challenges, toys and giveaways.

A BARK in the Belly bar served up free dog treats, chews and food tastings, while a ball pit gave them an opportunity to sniff out hidden prizes. There was also a relaxing BARK Air lounge serving “Chompagne” for dogs and humans, chances for pet parents to score their pup a surprise toy by completing challenges with them, an appearance by BARK’s new Chairdog and co-owner, Hendrix, and the opportunity to chat with “dog communicator” Nancy Mello, who offered dog readings to reveal to humans what their furball was really thinking.

SPONSORS SWING INTO ROCK CENTER FOR RYDER CUP LIVE                                                   

While golfers were teeing up for the 45th annual Ryder Cup men’s golf tournament in Farmingdale, NY, over the weekend, brands were in NYC’s Rockefeller Center Plaza and Rink to get fans into the swing of things at Ryder Cup Live, a free public event hosted Sept. 25-28. The fan fest featured live viewing parties of the Opening Ceremony, as well as all three days of match play, plus interactive golf challenges, partner activations and special appearances from NBC talent.

Sponsor activations offered a little something for everyone. In the BMW Lounge, fans had premium views and got an up-close look at BMW vehicles specially designed by Ryder Cup captains Keegan Bradley and Luke Donald, while the Michelob ULTRA Greenside experience included comfy seating and a putting challenge. And over at Toptracer’s First Tee experience, attendees could step up to the tee and into the spotlight in a photo op that placed them on the course at New York’s Bethpage Black, where they took their “opening shot.”

The Ryder Cup Live Bar at the Rink served as a dual-themed tavern that celebrated the competing U.S. and European teams with cocktails, wine selections, light food offerings, an Elijah Craig speakeasy lounge, an AR photo booth and memorabilia. And rounding things out were Ralph Lauren shoppable kiosks featuring its Ryder Cup Collection, and the SWAG Golf Experience, which showcased the art featured on the U.S. Ryder Cup Team bag and offered fans a chance to win a bag of their own. (Agency: GDX Studios)

Photo credit: GDX Studios

GRAB A SLICE OF DAVE PORTNOY’S ONE BITE PIZZA FESTIVAL

Pizza occupies roughly 25 percent of our brain space on any given day, so when we found out we’d missed Dave Portnoy’s annual One Bite Pizza Festival on Sept. 13, the agony was real. The Barstool Sports founder and self-proclaimed pizza connoisseur lured 10,000-plus fans to New York’s Randall’s Island for the third edition of the festival to celebrate all things za, with more than 40 iconic pizzerias, handpicked by Portnoy, serving up slices on-site.

Attendees could chow down on all-you-can-eat pizza from renowned restaurants like Lucali, Frank Pepe and Di Fara, as well as sweet NYC treats in the Italian Dessert Village. Sponsors added their own flavor, including a “Pizza Deserves Pepsi” experience, a showcase of artisan cheeses at Saputo’s Pizza Plaza, Bilt’s “neighborhood,” live demos of Ninja’s five-in-one pizza oven and Hulu’s “Chad Powers”-themed lounge space.

We may not have been there IRL, but we’re proud to see that a few pizzerias from our home state of Connecticut were there to represent… Tear. (Agency: Medium Rare)

Photo credit: Alive for Medium Rare

COFFEE, COMMUNITY AND CULTURE: INSIDE THE AE X TRU KOLORS LAUNCH

American Eagle’s mission to make inroads with Gen Z materialized earlier this year in Nashville at the brand’s Denim Deli activation. On Sept. 27, AE was at it again, leaning into a localized event and partnering with a cultural icon to amplify the experience. This time around, the brand activated a café-based Manifest Your Mindset pop-up in Kansas City, MO, to celebrate the launch of AE x Tru Kolors by Travis Kelce, American Eagle’s first-ever collab with Kelce’s sportswear and lifestyle brand.

For one day only, Kansas City’s Blip Coffee Roasters was transformed into a community hub where fashion, sports and pop culture melded together, and attendees enjoyed limited-edition giveaways, live dj sets and encounters with brand ambassadors. Regrettably, Travis and Taylor were nowhere to be found. (Agency: Shadow)

Photo credit: Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for American Eagle

NEW YORKERS EXPERIENCE ‘THE SHIFT’ AT METHOD’S POP-UP SALON

From Method Haircare’s perspective, there are good hair days, and then there are transformational hair moments. So when its newly commissioned research showed that 98 percent of Gen Z and millennials say hair is crucial to their confidence, the brand activated a pop-up salon in NYC that brought to life “The Shift”—the moment when a person’s confidence kicks in and they feel like the best version of themselves.

Hosted by influencer Monet McMichael and celeb hairstylist Rubi Talavera on Sept. 23 at Grand Central Terminal, the activation offered commuters the opportunity to completely refresh their look with the help of a pro stylist. Method also provided a capsule vending machine that dispensed exclusive giveaways, a retro salon-inspired photo op, a collectible “Zine Tousle” that featured the brand’s research on the importance of The Shift, free products and a chance to engage with Method’s colorful (in more ways than one) Hair Monsters.

All told, more than 2,000 people got a Grand Central glow-up, likely leading to a shift in brand perception.

Photo credit: Jason Lowrie/BFA

More from The Brief:

• The Brief: Rowboat Rides and Golden Strolls
• The Brief: Football Manicures and ‘V.I.PEE’ Stalls

The post The Brief: Farmer’s Barkets and Hair Monsters appeared first on Event Marketer.

As Milk-Bone puts it, the new treats were born out of the “universal truth that dogs love peanut butter,” so teaming up with Jif made perfect sense. And while the goal of the pop-up was to tout the Peanut Buttery Bites, the brands wanted to satirize society’s preoccupation with collabs and product drops that are often nonsensical. So the duo also developed a lineup of intentionally absurd co-branded products that were on display inside the art museum-inspired space.

“The world has gone mad for collab culture, drop culture, and frankly, it’s reaching a tipping point of absurdity,” says Jasen Cusick, director-marketing, dog treats portfolio, at The J.M. Smucker Co. “So as we thought about this partnership with Milk-Bone and Jif, it was like, wait a minute, this is the collab that makes sense of all collabs… So we decided to use that angle as a springboard for launching this innovation, to have fun and lean into it.”

The pop-up event was a decidedly canine-first experience that offered pups plenty of interactive touchpoints. Like a “thirst trap” in the form of a camera-equipped water bowl that broadcast dogs on a large screen as they excitedly lapped up water. Pups and their parents could also belly up to the Barking Bar to sample the Peanut Buttery Bites or, in the case of humans, Jif peanut butter and pretzels. And how’s this for relatable—Cusick says there were so many patrons that didn’t want to leave, that some dogs had to be “kicked out” of the bar.

“The live event really allowed us to put [the product] in front of the consumer and let them smell it, let them feel it; in the case of the dog, let them taste it,” says Cusick. “So that pure enjoyment, whether it’s the perceived palatability by the pet parent or it’s the actual, what we refer to as, technical palatability—how the dog responds to it—it’s giving a consumer an opportunity to experience that live, and seeing it firsthand is the best way to get people to believe in how amazing the product is.”

Other highlights included the opportunity to get physical with Milk-Bone and Jif’s “Butt Bit,” a fitness band that attaches to a dog’s tail and tracks how much it wags. Dogs were invited to jump up and hit a button on the wall to activate the experience. There was also a “human dog bed” inside a mock bedroom vignette that was built for photo ops; an illuminated infinity room; a display of Milk-Bone and Jif co-branded “designer” poop bags and high-top sneakers; and a wall of “Selfie Sticks” that were… actual sticks.

Cusick explains that when all was said and done, the key to the success of the brand collab and the co-owned pop-up was authenticity and balance.

“Any brand experience or collaboration, at the end of the day, should be positive, should be authentic—authentic to the two brands and why they’re coming together,” he says. “So for us, the brands just made sense. I think the balance in showing up in a live environment at this event was, how do you make sure you’re representing both brands well, and giving that energy and credit to both brands? So the event space was designed such that both brands could live together.” Agencies: M ss ng P eces; BBH; PSOne.

Photo credit: Charles Sykes/AP Content Services for Milk-Bone

More Dog-friendly Strategies:

• Purina Shares Six Tips for Designing Dog-friendly Experiences
• How Canine Wellness Brand Get Joy Saved NYC’s Halloween Dog Parade

The post Brand Collabs: How Milk-Bone and Jif Activated a Dog-friendly ‘Museum’ appeared first on Event Marketer.

“There were a lot of frustrated New Yorkers and dog lovers that had been a part of this parade and feel that this iconic event in New York City is so critical for both themselves and their companions. So it didn’t take us long to raise our hand. Anytime we see that joy is threatened and dog wellness is at risk, we tend to lean forward into it and say, ‘How can we help?’ And that’s what we did.”

–Tom Arrix, Founder and CEO, Get Joy

When the 33^rd annual Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade in New York City was canceled earlier this fall due to permitting challenges and rising costs, dog wellness brand Get Joy wasn’t just going to roll over. Instead, two weeks before the Oct. 21 parade had been slated to take place, the company jumped in as title sponsor and effectively saved the beloved event to the tune of 15,000 very happy human attendees and hundreds of wagging tails.

In partnership with the parade’s organizers, Friends of the First Run—the fundraising group that manages the Tompkins Square Park Dog Run community canine park—Get Joy helped deliver the biggest dog parade in NYC history. (And quite possibly the cutest. The costumes. Oh, the costumes.) The event has traditionally been held within Tomkins Square Park itself. But thanks to the brand’s financial support and acquisition of the proper permits, the parade closed down city streets for the first time and proceeded down Avenue B.

More Dog-friendly Event Strategies:

• Purina Shares Six Tips for Designing Dog-friendly Experiences
• Outdoor Retailer Summer’s Redesigned Show Floor Encourages Community and Connection

No registration was necessary to attend and/or participate, but with parade attendees having griped about overcrowding in recent years, Get Joy put parameters in place to ensure the experience was comfortable for everyone. That included distributing 600 wristbands on a first-come, first-served basis to those interested in marching in the parade with their furry friends. Wristband holders also had access to the park stage on 7th St., where the official doggo costume contest was held.

Get Joy’s VW van led the Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade procession down Avenue B.

Get Joy’s signature-green VW van led the procession down the avenue from 13^th to 7^th Streets, while employees and volunteers were on hand dishing out green sunglasses and dog treats, and the brand’s vintage-style bike carts made appearances throughout. To boot, the company’s founder and ceo, Tom Arrix, served as a member of the costume contest judging panel, which entails selecting 40 dogs and their humans to advance to an exclusive competition on the park stage. Get Joy also dished out an array of fun prizes to the winners of categories like Best in Show, People’s Choice and Most Creative.

The undertaking, of course, came with its challenges. It marked Get Joy’s first experience organizing a large event, working with a range of city agencies (including the police department and mayor’s office) and learning the ins and outs of event permitting. Oh yeah, and the team had 13 days to pull it off. That’s ruff.

“We took it as if we were launching a product, and we had 13 days to figure it out.”

–Tom Arrix, Founder and CEO, Get Joy

The strategy entailed Get Joy, Friends of the First Run and volunteers jumping on multiple calls each day and developing a robust communications plan that leveraged “any kind of network distribution that we could control,” including email and paid and organic ads. Social media messaging had a calming undercurrent that reassured anxious pet parents that the parade was back on, and a lighthearted tone that spoke to the company’s joyful brand promise.

Despite the obstacles, however, the brand says the parade was so perfectly aligned with its mission to improve families’ lives and nurture dogs’ minds, bodies and souls, that it was a true labor of love.

“If you believe in something way bigger than yourself, and in this case way bigger than our company—we really wanted to bring joy to those in New York City—anything’s possible,” says Arrix. “You tend not to get caught up in the small hurdles that sometimes can trip you up.”

Arrix says he hopes to make Get Joy part of the Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade for many years to come as the brand continues working to “build the future of what a dog community really is and needs to be” and demonstrate the parallels between human and canine well-being.

“Live experiences allow us to really tell our story,” he says. “Our purpose is to improve the lives of dogs and families. And when we can talk about that to people, whether it be on a one-to-one or one-to-many [basis], we believe that people quickly understand what dog wellness is and how they can uniquely create their own journey of dog wellness… It’s way more purposeful and valuable when we can tell those stories in person.”

Inside the ‘Met Gala for the canine community’:

Photo credit: Matt Ferr

The post How Canine Wellness Brand Get Joy Saved New York City’s Beloved Halloween Dog Parade appeared first on Event Marketer.