FIVE THINGS TO KNOW THIS WEEK
This week’s hot takes on hot topics in experiential marketing cover symphonies of screams, ferry fashionistas and drinking up DRIPS.
CRAFT CONCOCTIONS ARE TRENDING AND PEPSI IS POURING
The kids and their fancy drinks these days. With Gen Z leading the charge, non-alcoholic craft beverages continue to trend (look no further than dirty soda), and savvy brands are responding. Take DRIPS by Pepsi, a new line of craft drinks featuring PepsiCo products, all developed by its team of mixologists. And to get the concoctions in consumers’ hands, the brand is popping up around New York City with an Airstream-style trailer and eight exclusive beverages.
After soft-launching the drinks at Penn State University and Kennywood park in Pennsylvania, Pepsi officially debuted DRIPS in NYC at Central Park’s Summer stage on Sept. 12. There, the brand invited attendees to indulge in colorful drinks made using products like Mountain Dew, Starry and Lipton Iced Tea, each enhanced with a selection of fruit syrups, popping boba, berries and other mix-ins.
Throughout weekends in September, Pepsi will be serving up DRIPS at Brooklyn’s Domino Park at the Williamsburg waterfront. Lipton Mango Horchata, anyone?
Photos: Courtesy of Pepsi
FX WANTS TO HARVEST A ‘SYMPHONY OF SCREAMS’
If the phrase “harvesting screams” doesn’t give you goosebumps, you may be a fit for FX Network’s “Symphony of Screams.” Ahead of the debut of its horror drama, “Grotesquerie,” the brand has been crowd-sourcing yelps for its chilling musical composition with the help of Grammy Award-winning producer Blake Slatkin. How, you might ask? It all began last week on Friday the 13th when FX installed “scream chambers” in Los Angeles, Nashville and New York. Consumers were invited to walk in and submit their screams for a shot at being featured in the symphony.
The network additionally cast out a nationwide “call-to-scream,” that gave other U.S. fans a chance to be included in the composition by uploading their screams to Instagram and TikTok.
And there’s more to shout about. Following the symphony’s release, two dining events dubbed “The Feast” will be hosted by FX, one in L.A. on Sept. 19 and one in New York on Sept. 25. Registered attendees over the age of 21 will enjoy a horror-themed tasting menu crafted by chef Tim Hollingsworth, and get an opportunity to hear the “Symphony of Screams” played in spaces “engineered” to send shivers down spines. (Agency: NVE Experience Agency)
DID TOMMY HILFIGER JUST MAKE THE STATEN ISLAND FERRY CLASSY?
“SNL” stars Colin Jost and Pete Davidson stole headlines in 2022 when they teamed up to buy New York’s decommissioned Staten Island Ferry, long viewed as an eye sore, for $280,000. Then on Sept. 8 during New York Fashion Week, things got weirder when Tommy Hilfiger hosted a spring 2025 runway show aboard the vessel.
A host of glitzy celebrities hopped aboard the Hilfiger-branded ferry to view the nautical-themed fashion show. Beyond the runway, there was f&b, including stylish brand ambassadors dishing out branded containers of popcorn. Attendees were also treated to an appearance by Questlove, who spun tracks on the deck, and surprise performances by Ghostface Killah, Method Man and, to close, Staten Island’s own Wu-Tang Clan. And that’s how you rock the boat.
PARAMOUNT UNSUBSCRIBES FROM VIDCON
VidCon has been a haven for content creators, their fans and the brands who want their attention since 2010 when two YouTubers founded the fan con. After the property was acquired in 2018 by Viacom, a division of Paramount, VidCon and its community endured. Now, with Paramount restructuring its portfolio, there’s a new owner in town.
British media and events company Informa has swooped in to take over the flagship event in Anaheim, CA. But time will tell if satellite events, like VidCon Baltimore (which was canceled this year), will resume under new ownership. Here’s hoping.
Photo: Courtesy of VidCon
GOLDFISH SPLASHES INTO NEW YORK FASHION WEEK
Of all the unlikely brands to find their way to a New York Fashion Week catwalk, we did not expect Goldfish to be among the contenders. But alas, we seem to have forgotten that Cheetos once inspired runway looks. So it shouldn’t have come as a surprise when last week, Goldfish made its NYFW debut alongside Kate Barton, the womenswear designer known for incorporating goldfish themes into her styles, from tees to glass purses.
As models strutted down the runway wearing Barton’s exclusive NYFW debut collection, they donned tank tops and keychains embellished with a silhouette of the Goldfish brand’s logo. (Meanwhile, Hellmann’s hit the runway at London Fashion Week with a luxury handbag.) Beyond the apparel, models also carried glass handbags full of real Goldfish crackers to fulfill the brand’s hopes of “redefining what it means to be a fashion accessory,” according to a statement from marketing director, Sonali Doshi. Maybe we’ll see the Keebler Elves hit the runway at next year’s show?
Photo credits: Zach Hilty; Nicole Bell
