Issue #56: Brand Bite of the Week
Oh, how I'd love a Poppi vending machine installed in my apartment...
Hi! Happy Super Bowl Sunday. Who’s excited to watch some commercials today?
My sister is visiting me in New York this weekend, and we went to Bathhouse in Flatiron yesterday. And last weekend, zoya and I went to Othership, so I’ve really been leaning into the community wellness experiences over the past few weeks (mostly to help me get through the winter). Communal wellness spaces are definitely having a moment, as Zoya wrote about here, and I’m here for it!
Brand Bite of the Week: Poppi Vending Machines 🥤
Has anyone else been seeing influencers with Poppi vending machines in their homes?? I stumbled upon this post the other day, which led me down a rabbit hole of: Where are people getting Poppi vending machines? Is Poppi selling them? How are they getting the machines installed?
Tiktok failed to load.Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
Which very quickly led me to learn that Poppi is actually gifting vending machines stocked with their product to influencers as part of their Super Bowl strategy. The brand is installing vending machines in creators’ homes in the lead-up to the Super Bowl to encourage organic social coverage and chatter. Plus, the idea is that influencers might be hosting Super Bowl watch parties today – so Poppi vending machines will be right there to supply the drinks.
What Works
Poppi has always been ahead of the curve with their marketing game, so I’m not surprised that they thought outside of the box and went big with their influencer gifting strategy in the lead-up to the Super Bowl this year. These days, you have to go big to stand out, spark social conversations, and achieve virality, and Poppi did just that.
I also think that vending machines are having a moment. Just this morning, GOOD THINKING called out that Sephora is putting vending machines on college campuses. Everyone in the comments is like, Thank God my college campus doesn’t have this or else I’d be broke. Same.
Tiktok failed to load.Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
Vending machines are a fun, nostalgic, accessible way to bring your product directly to the places you want it to be seen. Instead of customers having to go to a store to purchase your products, you can bring your products closer to your customer (whether that be in their home or a university book store). It’s simple, but I think it works.
Tiktok failed to load.Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
What Doesn’t Work
I’m left wondering: How much did this whole thing cost Poppi? And, like, what are the logistics here? I even watched a TikTok where someone criticized their lack of consideration for sustainability. I agree that it’s not environmentally-friendly, but influencer gifting in general is not environmentally-friendly. My hope is that these vending machines will be put to a good, sustainable purpose in the long-term, which is a better outcome than most PR gifts, like swag items emblazoned with brand logos that will end up in a landfill in 3 to 6 months. Let me know what you think in the comments, though.
What Can We Learn?
Influencer gifting is getting bigger. Poppi is leading the pack on this front, but influencer gifting is reaching new heights. A hoodie with your brand’s logo on it just isn’t going to cut it anymore.
You don’t have to be at the big game to be a part of the big game. I love that Poppi thought outside of the box (or, in this case, the stadium) to show up in influencers’ homes with vending machines. Since people often host Super Bowl watch parties in their homes, it makes sense that they’d deliver a buzzy gift to their doorsteps. It encourages social sharing among influencers, and then sparks a conversation on social channels as viewers clamor about where to get their own vending machine or find one.
What did you think of Poppi’s Super Bowl strategy? Let me know in the comments, and have a great week. xx
poppi doing the most but like brand trips are also deeply extravagant and costly in multiple ways. Too much overall focus on influencers for both and less on the common consumer. But then again it is Poppi- not the average American is cracking open a prebiotic soda on the daily
This may be a bigger conversation but I'm curious your thoughts! Agreed that Poppi vending machines are on the extreme side of gifting, but if gifting is wasteful, wouldn't that mean marketing in general is wasteful, as it is promoting the consumption of excess product from consumers?
However, if gifting creators is a successful marketing campaign for brands, and the creator actually uses what they are gifted, is that still considered wasteful? There has to be a line somewhere between marketing product to sustain a business and not promoting waste/overconsumption but I ponder this often!