Owala Drip Stop

Where The Drip Don't Stop.

For the launch activation of their newest product, the Smooth Sip Slider (A new leak-free coffee cup), Owala approached us to think through how to bring this to life in a big way. This event being their first live activation, Owala wanted to do something unexpected that would attract their Gen Z target audience and let the world know they were in the coffee game for real.

Building on the insight that hydration today is more about personal expression than the liquids in the bottle, we created a conceptual platform that would talk about the product, the technology, and the consumer. And “The Drip Stop” was born.

With the concept dialed, we set to work building an entire identity system for the activation. We knew we wanted the activation to be driven by graphics, so a set of type, illustrations, and color was created to drive the design of every component in and outside of the event. Everything from signage, wayfinding, environment graphics, merch, social posts, and OOH, down to the napkins used was made custom for the event.

The next phase was to scout and procure a space for the pop-up. After an extensive search we landed on the perfect location in Los Angeles. Once the lease was signed, and a site survey performed, work began in earnest to transform the space into our concept. Keeping in mind the small footprint of the space, we viewed the experience through the lens of the consumer’s journey and created a plan that would create an immersive and memorable experience. With the primary objective being about creating content, we designed a cohesive graphic system that would make the small space feel big and create a ton of moments for content.

With designs set, we moved directly into fabrication and production, building all the elements needed for the event to come to life. This included building out walls, and treating every surface in the space, inside and outside, as well as the back of house. This was a complete takeover of the location.

All that was left was to open the doors and let the event happen. We pulled together and trained a team of brand ambassadors to work the event, making coffee, running transactions, working the line, and making the guests’ experience as fun as possible.

The reaction was incredible, with fans lining up at 3:30am to be the first to see the space, and get the newest product. The line grew and grew, until it had to be capped due to the overwhelming turnout. The end result was that Owala not only sold out of merch, gave out double the product they anticipated, but the response from the fans was totally positive and inspiring, leading to countless posts and Owala love.