POM Wonderful
Grade: B
Pre-flight promotion: Other than the sponsor's prominent branding on all the Jet Mystery websites, POM (and most other sponsors) was limited in its pre-trip efforts, as too much talk prior to the event may have risked exposing the secret destination and the brand's involvement in the mystery activities.
On-site exposure efforts: POM provided a seemingly endless supply of beverages for attendees' in-room mini-bars as well as signature cocktails during all parties. A refreshment station at the Thrillist concierge desk in the hotel lobby also ensured that POM was on hand while partiers were on-the-go throughout the weekend. A cocktail recipe guide was a great take-home for guests who discovered they couldn't live without their new favorite POM-infused drinks upon their return from the adventure.
Did it make a digital connection?: POM's sponsorship of Jet Mystery opened up attendees' eyes to the many possibilities of pomegranate juice as a premium party mixer. As such, the brand's POM-badssadors program on its Facebook page could have gotten an energy boost with a few posts about its role in keeping Jet Mysterians hydrated and in a party mood. Sharing some of the cocktail recipes used on the trip with the brand's 4,000+ Facebook fans or members of the brand's own community page would have been a great way to extend the notion of infusing pomegranate juice into festivities for the holiday season that followed the Jet Mystery trip.
Starbucks
Grade: B+
Pre-flight promotion: Though Starbucks was up against the same challenges of not revealing too much about its involvement before Jet Mystery, the brand did use the trip as a launching pad for its new VIA ReadyBrew line of instant coffees, and was one of the few sponsors that hyped its Jet Mystery role in a corporate press release.
On-site exposure efforts: VIA was everywhere throughout Jet Mystery: Samples were placed in the gift bags, additional samples usurped the hotel rooms' coffee bar offerings by providing a take-home travel mug with VIA packets stuffed inside, and surprisingly tasty coffee-infused cocktails kept the party going well into the night.
Did it make a digital connection?: Since the internet never sleeps, I'd be willing to bet that Starbucks is already well infused into in the lives of most web workers -- particularly those who partake in the party scene yet still need to function in the workaday world. And the company certainly kept the social media generation top-of-mind throughout its multi-faceted VIA launch, releasing YouTube videos, creating a dedicated social site for VIA, a page on Starbucks' main site, and a VIA Facebook page to join its overall Twitter presence and iPhone apps. So if there were any missed opportunities here, it would likely be in enlisting Jet Mystery attendees to participate in future Starbucks news and launches by inviting them to join/friend the brand on its many platforms of consumer outreach.
Cold-Eeze
Grade: A-
On-site exposure efforts: The Cold-Eeze-branded beach towel supplied in attendees' gift bags was a nice tie-in that certainly came in handy for all the beach-themed on-site events. But the biggest hit the company made was providing its signature lozenges to party-goers and promoting the immune-boosting supplement as an essential accessory for a 60-hour party.
Furthermore, Quigley Corp. (parent company of Cold-Eeze) CEO Ted Karkus was a prominent presence throughout all Jet Mystery events. Though he admits he arrived a bit late to the Twitter party in his Twitter page's first post, his online profile has been boosted through his brand's involvement in the junket, and the shrewd businessman seems to be wasting no time in extending the connection he forged with the young demographic on the trip.
Did it make a digital connection?: Cold-Eeze is leveraging its entrée into the Thrillist network by extending involvement with the brand's party platform. In December 2009, Cold-Eeze launched a contest where consumers who submit a video about their worst cold ever can win a spot on Thrillist's next globetrotting adventure. The brand's Facebook page, which offers coupons and a cold and flu survival guide, has even added a tab to make it easy for fans to submit their video entries for the contest.
Jodi Harris is senior editor at iMedia Connection.
On Twitter? Follow Jodi at @Joderama. Follow iMedia Connection at @iMediaTweet.
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