The AI shopping app’s trendy activation highlights brand partners at Swim Week
It may be a surprising stat, but Miami is home to the most top Instagram influencers per capita in the U.S., beating out L.A. and NYC. And for a growing brand like Minty, the first AI cashback and savings app in ChatGPT, activating in one of the hottest creator markets during the world’s largest swim festival was a strategic opportunity to generate buzz and awareness.
“The reason creators are so important is because they can perfectly demonstrate our product for us digitally, and we wanted to bring the digital world to the real world,” says Rodney Mason, cmo of Minty.
Minty brought its AI-powered shopping companion to life with a social-ready pop-up in the Wynwood arts district to tap into the Miami Swim Week attendee base of fashion professionals, models, designers, journalists, consumers and influencers. The brand showcased eight partner brands through mint-green installations, and the Minty dog mascot left paw prints on the ground to guide attendees to the collections. Content creators latched onto the concept, posting online about “following Minty around,” Mason says.
Minty encouraged attendees to download the app on their phone (for which they got free drinks) and interact with QR codes around the open-air Wynwood Marketplace to see the app in action with event-only promos on products from Rebag’s illuminated wall of handbags, Hello Molly’s pastel clothing display, Sea World’s animal plushie shelf and more partner vignettes.
“We thought it would be hard to load the app on, but people instantly got it and walked around with the app at the event,” Mason says. “To me, it was really eye-opening how engaged people were with the actual product. Even though our app is a shopping app, we made it part of the experience, and it enhanced it. So, brands doing events, I would highly recommend having some kind of mobile interaction.”
The engagement extended to photo spots, ranging from partner-branded selfie mirrors to Minty’s floral dog installation that “had to be butter yellow” to fit the trending color aesthetic. Mason says that at first, he wasn’t sure about going away from the brand’s signature mint green, but the long lines to take pictures in front of the display proved that jumping on the spring-inspired hue was the right call.
The pop-up drew in 3,000 participants and generated 40 million impressions from creators and press, who were invited to a preview event before opening to consumers. Minty came away with activation-driven results, including its best transaction month in company history and business going up 30% year-over-year, in addition to establishing connections with a new community of creators.
In Wynwood’s surrounding neighborhoods, Minty sparked curiosity with minimalist billboards and digital signage at bus shelters that featured its dog character as the focal point. Mason says Minty considered a few other markets for its activation, but Miami brought the most value among the creator audience. Because of their walkability, the brand is keeping SoHo, NY; West Hollywood, CA; Austin, TX; and Nashville in mind for future experiential campaigns, especially as it launches new features.
“This is what I love about events: There’s an impact that you get. It’s not just how many people signed up or did this,” he says. “All of a sudden, you create this groundswell, and people become your community, accelerating your growth in that market. We want to be everywhere.” Partners: Kat Saenz Productions; NextGen Creators.
Photos: 24K Collective
