
Bravado pop-ups
Opportunity
Bravado (in partnership with Kanye West's team) approached Square to collaborate on supporting the setup of 21 pop-up shops for his "The Life of Pablo" album merchandise. Music tours had always proven to be a powerful way to bring an artist’s story to life, however, these days it’s not just about being in the stands—or even in the front row. Surprise pop-ups and other one-of-a-kind events can connect fans and their favorite artists more directly and create unforgettable moments that capture complete customer engagement. The unique challenge in the case with Kanye West's team was standing up 21 locations within just 10 days, with each shop operating simultaneously in different markets all over the world. The locations of the stores were revealed on Twitter by West 24 hours before they opened, and included 13 stores in North America, three in Europe, and the rest across Asia and Australia.
Strategy
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Leverage my event management expertise and resources to ensure the successful setup of all 21 store locations within the short timeframe and despite the logistical complexities.
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Deploy a Square product expert to be onsite at each store location in order to set up POS systems, train cashiers, and be available to troubleshoot issues to ensure a seamless experience for both sellers and consumers.
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Incentivize consumers to pay with their phone by giving out swag and bottled water to people who had their mobile wallet setup.
Results / Insights
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7% of transactions at the Pablo shops were through contactless payments, a statistic seven times the industry average. The U.S. industry rate for contactless payments at that time was less than 1%.
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San Francisco store processed 28% of its purchases through contactless payments, the most of any location (not surprisingly).
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Following the success of the Kanye pop-ups, Bravado wanted to replicate this strategy with other popular artists such as Travis Scott, Kendrick Lamar, The Weeknd, and many more.
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Bringing these fan experiences to life in an extremely unique and creative way garnered significant press and accolades. The Weeknd’s Starboy pop up was awarded a CLIO award and Kanye West's The Life of Pablo pop-up was nominated for a Lions award at the Cannes Lions Festival.