Snapple had a little better luck with its latest promotion in New York City than it did with the last one. Last year, the beverage marketer tried to stand upright a 17-ton Popsicle in Union Square.
Unfortunately, it was July and the thing melted all over the place, scaring consumers and creating a traffic hazard that had to be hosed away by firemen. This year's plan called for something a bit
lighter, both figuratively and literally. Last week the company offered free rides in hot air balloons in Bryant Park to promote its new light, white teas. "We thought what better way than to actually
let consumers be the lightest they can be"--said Holly Mensch, vice president of marketing for Snapple--than by floating them in what Ms. Mensch termed "personal oversize helium balloons." So it was
that at high noon on Thursday, under threatening skies, scores of people lined up to be harnessed and lifted 100 feet into the air--higher than a Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade float.
advertisement
advertisement
Read the whole story at The New York Times »