• by Amy Corr , Staff Writer, July 11, 2011

I have a thing for NYC food trucks. I use Twitter to track when trucks are parked near the office to decide where I'll grab lunch. En route to Schnitzel & Things, my co-worker and I came across a pop-up butterfly sanctuary.

I've seen plenty of pop-up stores, but this pop-up butterfly sanctuary was a first. Couple that with a street team handing out yogurt -- and you have an interesting brand campaign launch.

Restart by Alpina is a fat-free yogurt with a granola mix-in. Alpina USA wants to position the company as one that inspires, supports and empowers women. The brand tasked Vitro to unveil the product and create an attraction to draw attention to a fundraising element.

That's where the butterflies came in. From June 5 to July 3, thousands of butterflies lived in a rented space on Park Ave. South. Pretty sweet digs. The monarchs were purchased from butterfly farms in New York and Florida to act as a symbol of inspiration and empowerment to women.

The agency also built a Facebook page where users can post "Wishes for Women." For each wish, a butterfly is released and a donation is made to Women In Need, a NY group that helps abused women.

In addition, when a passerby made a Wish for Women on camera, a butterfly was released, along with a donation to Women In Need.

In total, 2,500 butterflies were released and thousands raised for Women In Need. Fundraising continues through August, so an exact number is yet unknown.

"The overall goal was launching the Alpina brand in the United States, and getting its first product, Restart, in as many NYC area stores as possible, to pave the way for a national rollout," said Tom Sullivan, principal, Vitro.