Unilever Canada says strong sales at its Magnum Toronto pop-up shop have convinced the brand to extended its retail run until Aug. 30. Since opening on June 27 with a plan to close its doors on July 28, the shop has sold over 11,000 of its $6 ice cream bars, averaging 501 bars sold per day.
Called a “Pleasure Store,” the pop-up shop is as much an exercise in branding as it is a chance for Unilever to drive sales of its upmarket ice cream.
Though Unilever is no doubt pleased with the volume of ice cream it has sold, the store has also allowed Magnum to associate its brand with the luxury retailers that surround the pop-up’s Yorkville neighbourhood location. It is across the street from Holt Renfrew and a stone’s throw from the likes of Coach, Rolex and Louis Vuitton.
To draw consumers into its temporary store, Magnum enlisted the New York-based fashion designer Zac Posen to create a 24-karat gold dress – valued at $1.5 million – it displayed at the store. It also tapped Canadian fashion designers Kirk Pickersgill and Stephen Wong, the brains behind the label Greta Constantine, to host an event showcasing their designs at the store.
(Magnum has often used fashion in its marketing efforts, including an ad campaign shot by Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld starring clotheshorse and former The O.C. star Rachel Bilson.)
This string of celebrity appearances and PR stunts at the Toronto store have driven buzz about the brand in the press and on the social web, including coverage in Toronto Life, the Toronto Star and on PerezHilton.com. The PR campaign surrounding the pop-up also included a July 4 launch party attended by Top Chef Canada’s Mark McEwan and hosted by True Blood actor Joe Manganiello, who appears in Magnum’s most recent ad campaign.
On July 25, the brand will host NHL player Joffrey Lupul for a media event and fan meet and greet.
PR and celebrity appearances at the pop-up shop were done by Harbinger Ideas, while Mosaic staffed the store and handled the build of its interior. Ogilvy & Mather did social and digital marketing for the initiative.
