June 19, 2018 | With over 1,000 entries from around the world, Chief Marketer and its team of leading brand-side marketers chose the best of the best in brand activations and promotion marketing at their annual Pro Awards. With categories like Best Digital Campaign, Best Use of Video, and more, Newbridge Marketing Group took GOLD for Best Holiday or Seasonal-Themed Campaign with their planning and execution of L.L.Bean’s Northern Lights Festival in December of 2017.
L.L.Bean wanted to create a holiday happening that would increase retail foot traffic, create regional buzz, fuel social reach through word of mouth and user-generated content, and grab earned media during the fourth quarter, the most important sales period of the year for the outdoor equipment and apparel retailer.
With regional holiday celebrations getting increasingly competitive, the primary goal of Northern Lights 2017 was to differentiate the L.L.Bean experience from all others in New England. It was key that as many of the elements as possible be sourced locally from Maine vendors, strengthening the sense of community that L.L.Bean has worked so hard to foster. The target was a group the brand referred to as “The Outdoor Family Enthusiast,” middle and upper middle-class families who have a passion for the outdoors. (Think weekend warriors and avid hikers.) The 15,000-square-foot space had to be engaging, without disrupting consumer flow during the busiest time of the year.
The brand didn’t disappoint. What was once a celebration focused around a single tree became a magical forest of over 700 locally and ethically sourced Christmas trees. Instead of placing Santa inside the store, a custom post and beam barn workshop was created for St. Nick. Maine’s only live reindeer was there to graze and amaze visitors and in the center of the park, a 30-foot yurt housed an idyllic L.L.Bean Christmas scene, a fireplace, a hot cocoa bar and a kids craft area inside. A 10-foot-tall snow globe that visitors could actually go inside was a lively photo op setting. And, visitors could check out a 12-foot by 22-foot model train exhibit with an accurate replica of the original L.L.Bean store, period correct to the company’s founding in 1912.
Over the six-week activation period, L.L.Bean saw an all time record in foot traffic, with 527,985 visitors to the Northern Lights footprint. The Northern Lights celebration garnered 793,850 Facebook impressions, a Twitter reach of 114,193, and an Instagram reach of 352,099.
“We are absolutely honored to receive this recognition alongside one of our closest brand partners, L.L.Bean,” said Gabe DiGristina, VP of Brand Partnerships at Newbridge. “While awards are appreciated so much, the most rewarding part of this whole adventure has been seeing the genuine happiness and joy the Northern Lights program brought to families, friends and the community as a whole during the holiday season. We loved providing an opportunity for people to get lost in their holiday happiness and experience something beautiful, magical and truly unique.”
About Newbridge Marketing Group
Founded in 2004, Newbridge Marketing Group is a brand experience agency. In their college marketing work, Newbridge consolidates a fragmented market via relationships on over 2,000 campuses, providing brands with efficient and relevant digital and in-person access to students and parents. In their award-winning experiential business, growth is fueled by mobile tours, special events, student ambassador programs and grand opening activations. For additional information, visit www.newbridgemg.com or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @newbridgemg.
About Chief Marketer
Chief Marketer, an Access Intelligence brand, provides marketers and aspiring CMOs with content, ideas, recognition and events that help them make smarter decisions with their marketing budgets. It offers data-driven industry intelligence, actionable insights, inspiring case studies and the latest technology trends so marketers can improve their campaigns and increase ROI. CM has more than 150,000 readers who rely on its content and live-event resources to help them cut through the noise and find the solutions necessary to optimize their performance. In addition to the Chief Marketer 200, Chief Marketer also produces the PRO Awards and annual training events including Leaders of Brand Activation and B2B Leadscon. Learn more at chiefmarketer.com.
About Access Intelligence
Access Intelligence, a portfolio company of Veronis Suhler Stevenson, is a b-to-b media, event and information company serving the media, PR, cable, healthcare management, defense, chemical engineering, satellite and aviation markets. Leading brands include PR News, AdMonsters, Cynopsis, Cablefax, Folio:, Event Marketer, LeadsCon, Chief Marketer, MultiChannel Merchant, Media Industry Newsletter, Defense Daily Network, Aviation Today, Studio Daily, Power, Via Satellite and Exchange Monitor. Market-leading events include LeadsCon, AdMonsters Operations and Publisher Summits, Folio: Show, Experiential Marketing Summit, EventTech, SATELLITE 2018, OR Manager, LDC Gas Forums, Clean Gulf, ELECTRIC POWER and Western Power Summit. Learn more at accessintel.com.
