Issue #74: Brands are dropping things out of helicopters
Analyzing hyper-individual, specific marketing stunts.
Hi! Welcome back to BB. It’s officially starting to feel like summer over here and I’m pumped about it. I purchased a cream-colored Mini Cooper this week, which has been my dream car for just about ever, and I can’t wait to drive it to the beach with the windows down while blasting How Bad Do U Want Me (my current hyper fixation song) this summer. It would make me so happy if you left a comment sharing what’s on your summer bucket list!!
Lately, I’ve been seeing a lot of brands that are executing specific, intimate, and highly individual experiences. I’m not talking about VIP events or customer dinners or semi-exclusive pop-ups. I’m talking about hosting an customized event for an audience of one or sending over-the-top gifts to just three devoted customers.
I first started to think about this phenomenon last week when e.l.f. dropped off a care package to a guy in the middle of the ocean (I suppose that + the Rhode acquisition is simply all in a day’s work for the e.l.f. team!), and then I started noticing examples of similar moments from other brands.
Let’s take a look at 3 brands who are pulling off these incredibly unique experiences for individual customers and audience members.
3 examples of successful hyper-specific brand stunts:
e.l.f. dropped a care package in the middle of the ocean. You probably heard all about this last week in the midst of e.l.f.’s acquisition news (again, they’re really doing soooo much – it’s impressive!!), but in case you missed it, e.l.f. dropped a care package from a helicopter to Oliver Widger, who set sail after being diagnosed with a potentially debilitating disease. Oliver and his cat were in the middle of the ocean and running low on crucial items, so e.l.f. promptly delivered meals, cat food, and some e.l.f. skincare products. I loved
’s interview with Patrick O’Keefe, e.l.f.’s Chief Integrated Marketing Officer, who broke down the actual logistics and behind-the-scenes process that it took to pull this off.
Heineken hosted a pop-up for 2 people.
brought my attention to this pop-up activation, where Heineken recreated two fans’ go-to London pub in Lisbon when the Women’s Arsenal team made it to the Champion League. Because the fans superstitiously watch games at the same pub in London, they didn’t want to break their ritual by going to Lisbon for the game, so Heineken brought a replica of the pub to Lisbon. I love this activation for so many reasons – it celebrates women’s sports, it highlights female fans, it encourages social sharing among the general public, and it’s ultimately just super fun and smart. (Side note: The concept behind Heineken’s activation also reminds me of Nathan Fielder’s ‘The Rehearsal.’ Is this a coincidence??)
The North Face sent a jacket to a hiker in New Zealand. Okay, this example was from a while ago, but I did wonder if it inspired the e.l.f. care package… At the end of 2023, The North Face delivered a jacket via helicopter to a woman hiking in New Zealand after she complained about her North Face raincoat not being waterproof. I actually wrote about this stunt in my very first Brand Baby post back in the day. 🫣 It’s a great example of social listening and moving quickly to respond to customer complaints.
Why do these stunts work?
All of these examples show that these three brands care deeply about their customers and audiences – so deeply that they’d drop off products via helicopters or build a custom pub for just two people. Even though these stunts are highly-specific and intimate, they’re also all very engaging and buzz-worthy, which results in tons of social and PR coverage. This amplification helps to convey brand values to a wide audience, and as we know, demonstrating and actually acting upon values is invaluable when it comes to building loyalty between brands and audiences – and particularly Gen Z audiences.
Is this going to become the new norm for brands?
I definitely think that unique, specific activations and stunts are going to become increasingly common. In recent months, I’ve been observing the public’s exhaustion and annoyance with influencer brand trips (looking at you, Tarte 👀) and extravagant influencer gifting (ahem, Poppi vending machines 👀). Of course, some influencer gifting or special treatment is fine and even effective to a certain extent. But when brands choose to support people other than just influencers, they’ll exhibit positive values that generate brand love and trust among wider audiences.
There’s also the reality that it can be challenging to pull off amazing experiences for the public. The number of times I’ve waited in lines that wrap around the block in NYC while waiting to be handed a branded floral arrangement is truly embarrassing. So I wouldn’t be surprised if brands choose to invest in higher-quality and more intimate experiences that target specific customers or audience members in the future.
Let me know what you think of these brand stunts geared towards individuals – and if you’ve noticed any others! See you next week. xx
Stanley did one with a woman whose car caught on fire but her Stanley cup survived. I think they gave her a new car?
Good point on the North Face & elf connection! The elf drop was my fave experiential marketing move as of late