Party, Play, Perform: Delivering Results Through Experiential Branding
Colorful Colorado Summer Pop-up Bar
Project Overview
The objective was to launch a vibrant pop up bar experience that addressed a clear local market gap: a fun, outdoor destination centered on social energy and approachable cocktails. Unlike many existing Colorado Springs venues focused on craft and exclusivity, Colorful Colorado positioned itself with playful branding and a “good old fashioned fun” ethos to meet young adults’ demand for an affordable, lively experience. Insights from customer interviews and polls clearly showed a hunger for less formality and more party atmosphere, data the client gathered via their parent company’s text database guided this direction.
Role & Team
Serving as lead strategist, I directly oversaw everything visual (photo, video, design), established and maintained the brand voice, managed PR and influencer outreach, and led paid strategy. Crucially, I kept leadership informed with automated weekly updates, concise meeting recaps, and bi-weekly standups to ensure accountability. When the project began, Atlas Restaurant Group lacked a cohesive brand story and voice for the pop up, and my expertise was essential in crafting and executing a differentiated identity that drove the campaign forward.
Strategic Approach
Colorful Colorado’s brand strategy began with a competitive audit: while the local landscape teemed with premium mixologist concepts, it notably lacked brands prioritizing world-building, customer data capture, and storytelling. Brand consistency and a whimsical tone were central principles, drawing inspiration from playful icons like the Cheshire Cat, paired with a Van Wilder-esque approach to carefree fun. This not only established instant differentiation, but guided the tactical execution, enabling the team to focus campaigns on fun, value, and inclusion, rather than exclusivity.
Execution
Major milestones included:
Brand voice document creation
Photo/video shoot capturing visual identity
Launch of organic social, influencer, and paid campaigns
Email outreach for repeat business
Content scheduling (Later), project collaboration (Asana), and automated analytics reporting kept workflows efficient and teams coordinated. My teams and I managed pivots due to construction, menu, and staffing challenges by working closely with leadership and prioritizing essential elements for meeting launch goals. Email marketing “surprise and delight” tactics increased repeat business by 14%, while flash deals during slow periods kept momentum strong.
Synthesis & Iteration
As we fine-tuned our luanch strategy, I identified an opportunity for deeper audience engagement by rolling out a VIP text message program, offering early access to events and deals. This strategic move not only boosted immediate turnout, but allowed for granular audience segmentation, driving lookalike and retargeting ad campaigns. Dedicated fans identified through this initiative later became top contributors to the brand’s social buzz and repeat revenue.
Results & Impact
The pop up opened at 100% capacity for both the VIP night and Grand opening, with robust local engagement and new media/potential partnership opportunities.
