Dive Brief:

• Perrier and experiential marketing shop Kinetic are launching an immersive pop-up experience called The Perrier Flavor Studio in Soho, New York City, that's centered around stoking the five senses in a socially shareable way, according to a press release made available to Marketing Dive. Running from July 12-16, the effort is part of the brand's Perrier Flavors Campaign, made with the help of Ogilvy, and features additional work from 360i, Team-N and Metavision. 
• The event will include a studio space with work from partner artist AKACorleone, live music, an interactive art wall, a bubble ball pit and a Perrier "mocktail" bar. The brand is also targeting social influencers and visitors will be able to interact with a digital coloring book featuring AKACorleone's art that can be printed on a keepsake tote, a hashtag photo printer and a Twitter vending machine.
• The Perrier Flavor Studio will be free and open to all ages and comes ahead of the launch of two new flavors of sparkling water — Perrier Strawberry and Perrier Watermelon.  

Dive Insight:

Even as much of brands' marketing budgets are being put toward purely digital experiences, out-of-home activations remain a fun, memorable way to connect with consumers and generate buzz for a new product launch. These efforts can further be bolstered by digital tie-ins, however, and Perrier is putting a strong emphasis on social media for the Flavor Studio through the influencer component, the Twitter vending machine and what the press release described as an "Insta-worthy" bubble ball pit.

By making the NYC pop-up experience highly shareable, the brand might achieve reach and awareness that extends far outside of the SoHo neighborhood. It's also an opportunity for Perrier to get hands-on with consumers during a highly relevant time of year for sparkling water and other beverage brands — the peak of summer.

While the soda category has long been seeing a dip in sales amid consumer desire for less sugary options, sparkling and flavored water brands like Perrier and La Croix have been getting a boost over the past several years as healthier alternatives.