With the pandemic easing in most of the US, brands are increasing their marketing budgets. It’s no wonder that some of that spending is focused on providing people with experiences (vs. advertisements). After all, we customers have been hunkered inside for more than a year. We’re approaching outdoor events as Rip Van Winkle reacted after being asleep for a long spell — eyes and hearts wide open to anything. As with all marketing efforts, there are ways to do experiences right and ways to do them wrong. For the latter, we need to look no further than the North Face X Gucci “Pit Stop” that was part of the 2021 Desert X event based in Palm Springs, California. Desert X presents art installations across 40 miles of the breathtaking Coachella Valley. This year, the event sought “to explore the idea of the desert…
Lessons from a food truck for dogs
There are so many lessons in the innovative Milo’s Kitchen® “food truck for dogs” campaign, let me count the ways. (Yes, you read my words correctly: a food truck, like the outdoor food trucks that populate downtown streets at lunch and public events, serving dogs rather than people.) Milo’s Kitchen is a popular brand of dog treats from Big Heart Pet Brands, parent of the even better-known brand Milk-Bone®. The purpose of the dog food truck is to “connect with pet parents and bring the nation’s ‘gour-mutts’ their first authentic food truck experience, including free home-style dog treats, a ‘doggie selfie’ photo booth, and a backyard-style lapdog lounge,” according to the PR release. I hope you laughed. I did and I am not even a pet person. Milo’s Kitchen on the other hand is probably uncorking the bottles to celebrate. The 200,000+ treat…