Author archive for Rachel Boucher
Merck Pop-Up Schools Canadians on Allergy Symptoms
To drive trial of its allergy control product portfolio during peak allergy season, Merck Consumer Care Canada activated a suburban-style pop-up in bustling urban centers in three major cities. The Allergy Relief House visited Vancouver in April and May, Toronto in late May and June, and Montreal in September. The 30-foot by 40-foot structure, complete...
American Express Charges EM’s Own with Parade Duty
Under the cover of darkness, 4:30 a.m. Aug. 22, I set off for Provincetown, MA, a top LGBT summer destination located at the tip of beachy Cape Cod. Cape traffic can be pretty miserable, though not at that hour, and so in those peaceful early morning hours, iced-coffee in hand, glowing sun rising above the...
How SXSW Crowdsources its Content with PanelPicker
Five years ago South by Southwest waded into the crowdsourcing pool, allowing its attendee community to submit and vote on conference session topics and speaker proposals. PanelPicker, as it is called, started relatively small, but it now forms the backbone of SXSW’s content development structure and is managed year-round. We’ll explore various crowdsourcing models, what’s...
Summer Sampling Goes Hyper-Local to Tantalize Tastebuds
If this summer’s sampling activations are any indication, small is the new big. The mass-market sampling sweeps through 30 states that were once the hallmark of a “summer tour” have become tiny, micro-targeted community stopovers and one-off events designed to win hearts, minds and tastebuds one local at a time. Through local engagement, local artists,...