Consumers say they don’t have enough time to enjoy summer, so in response, brands are bringing traditional outdoor activities to cities. Outdoor gear and apparel company L.L. Bean is bringing the backyard campsite experience to pop-ups in major cities across the US where guests can roast marshmallows and play games.
As part of its “S’more Out of Summer” Campaign, the company partnered with Uber to make it easy for people to visit the outdoor branded activations, providing Uber vouchers valued up to $15. The campaign was inspired by an L.L. Bean-commissioned study which found four in five Americans think summer passes by too quickly, and 50 percent expressed that they don’t have time to truly enjoy it.
Throughout summer, L.L. Bean will host free, immersive activations at all of its pop-ups, including summer activities such as s’more roasting, yard games and free kayaking and paddleboard rentals at local parks. The campaign also features a voice interaction with Alexa-powered devices which will respond to the phrase, “S’more Summer Tips.” There’s also an audio experience from the National Park Foundation.
The campaign extends to social in the form of a photo contest that gives users the chance to win one of five ultimate backyard campouts, set up by L.L. Bean professionals. To enter, fans must post a photo of how they find joy in the outdoors with their loved ones, using the hashtags #SmoreOutofSummer and #LLBeanContest19 via Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. L.L. Bean will judge entries based on originality, creativity, and clarity and quality of photo.
L.L. Bean’s multichannel experiential marketing initiative is another example of how brands are leveraging rideshare partnerships to gain foot traffic and create user-generated content (UGC). In 2017, Taco Bell introduced “Taco Mode,” an in-app option that gave Lyft riders the option to stop at a Taco Bell. Additionally, AEG partnered with Uber to expand transportation options for event goers of 27 different AEG venues worldwide.
L.L. Bean’s efforts to give people a well-spent summer doesn’t end there. MasterCard is sponsoring L.L. Bean’s annual “Summer in the Park” concert, an added incentive to get outdoors and experience the brand. The summer-long event will be replete with free concerts and events starring special guest singers like Colbie Caillat and Gavin Degraw.
L.L. Bean’s first backyard-inspired campsites will pop up starting on June 20 in New York City, followed by Wisconsin and Massachusetts.
