Honest Tea launched a social experiment this season. The company created an Honest Tea Stand to help introduce the beverage line to new customers. The pop up stands launched in seven of the largest US cities, and were installed on sidewalks and pedestrian ways. The stands were fully stocked with bottles of Honest Tea and relied on an honor system for purchasing them. Passerby's wanting a beverage were encouraged by signage to pay $1 for the bottles and place their money in a box. Hidden cameras were placed around the stands and recorded the activity. Results show that 87% of Americans were honest!
The best part about this campaign was what it did for the brand. Metrics show that due to the media support, the brand was able to get millions of impressions and the experiment created ad value. Honest Tea supposedly doubled their sales and saw striking sales growth in the areas where the Honest Stands were placed. Now we need to see whether Honest Tea was able to convert those sales from one time buyers to long term buyers.
It shows that events like these really do work, and should be appreciated as much as advertising. Special events really can create ad value. Interaction with brands really help to create buzz and awareness when targeting the right audience.
Here is a video highlighting the ad company SS+K and The Honest Stand Promotion:
