Trend for 2011: Planned Spontaneity & how brands are already responding

We have identified 3 trends that we predict will be big for 2011. We will be posting each over the next few days with examples of how brands are already using them to engage consumers.

The first trend is...

1. Planned spontaneity: Consumers are increasingly seeking exceptional experiences when they go out. Since the recession they are working harder and going out less often, meaning that when they do go out they want something different from the same old bars and clubs. Many consumers want to do something more memorable and imaginative, but due to time constraints they are looking to others to organise this for them. Brands are responding by providing consumers with fun, frivolous and immersive experiences.

Branded examples:

ABSOLUT Vodka: Limited Edition Experiences

Held in in Nov 2010 in London, Bristol, Manchester, Edinburgh & Leeds to celebrate the launch of limited edition ABSOLUT Glimmer, 'turning the ordinary into the extraordinary'.

I went along to the London experience at a disused warehouse in Shoreditch. Publicity had been primarily WOM and no one knew exactly what would happen, creating a feeling of suspense and intrigue. I ‘experienced the exceptional’; firstly with fantastic cocktails and then exploring rooms full of quirky installations (moving mirrors, a maze of string, ping pong tournaments, an office with a militant secretary typing away…)

On arrival, a butler had separated each person from their group so I met a variety of eccentric characters en route - a paparazzo, a crazy proprietress of a ‘one minute restaurant’, and ballroom dancers who whirled me around and then abandoned me to the next room. The event was deliberately disjointed - each ‘experience’ was unique and entirely random. Some of the execution was a little rough around the edges but it still worked - it felt almost like an artistic work in progress. Great fun & definitely a memorable experience!


Stella Artois Black ‘The Night Chauffeur’

An on-pack promotion gave consumers the chance to be part of an immersive cinematic experience. Created with the theatrical company Punchdrunk, consumers became the voyeurs on a 1960s French film noir scenario come to life.

Helen from The Lounge experienced the cinematic intrigue first hand, witnessing a lovers' tryst and being followed in a car by a sinister villain. Although it was beautifully executed, the branding could have been strengthened further as the experience at times felt as if it was promoting Punchdrunk. However, it was a creative and exciting activity well-suited to Stella Artois' premium brand image and alignment with film.


Look out for the next trend that we will be posting - Making the Mundane Fun.

- Louise