Making an entrance in New York
The Challenge
Following its growth in the UK, etc.venues set its sights on the US, starting with its first venue location at 360 Madison Avenue, New York.
As a new name in the city, the brand needed to catch the attention of event planners and give them a good reason to choose them over established competitors, most of whom were hotels.
The Mind Hack
The opportunity was in the difference between a specialist and a business with other priorities. Hotels had bedrooms to sell and leisure guests to look after. Whereas etc.venues had just one laser-sharp focus: providing meeting and event space for a business audience. That gave us a clear position to build on. At etc.venues, meetings and events were the whole business.
The Idea
“We only want to meet you, not sleep with you.” This cheeky line brought the specialist positioning to life in a trade press ad aimed at event planners.
Meanwhile, we took the introduction onto the streets of New York. Pink balloons in the brand’s signature colour appeared at famous landmarks with the cryptic message “We want to meet you.”
People were invited to take a selfie with the balloons and share it using #BalloonsofNYC. As influencers and New Yorkers joined in, curiosity grew about who was behind them. A day later, a promotional video shared across social media revealed the answer and introduced etc.venues at 360 Madison.
The Results
The balloon stunt turned an unknown name into a talking point, with influencers and New Yorkers amplifying the launch through their own posts. Together, the activity helped drumroll etc.venues’ arrival and supported its early growth in the US.
Further New York venues followed, and the business was subsequently sold to a US venture capital consortium for $250 million.