Comfort is key to inventive experiential stunt in Peru

Clocking up the miles behind the wheel is usually a very tiring experience, especially when travelling across seemingly-endless landscapes. Sure, driving can be a lot of fun, but do it for long periods of time and it can really take it out of you.

That’s certainly the case for commuters on Peru’s Pan-Americana Sur Highway. This one long stretch of road spans thousands of kilometres from Lima to the Chilean border, with very few places to rest nearby. Weary travelers on this road have to stave off exhaustion and remain alert with just lots of land and a bunch of billboards to maintain their attention.

Sodimac Homecentre decided to deliver an experiential marketing campaign that would provide a very welcome respite to drivers and combat exhaustion in a highly practical way.

With one in every three road accidents in Peru due to fatigue, the South American home improvement brand looked to address this statistic by launching an inventive campaign that would give tired drivers the chance to have a much-needed rest as they made their way along this long stretch of Peruvian highway.

The activation sought to bring the comforts of home straight to drivers, as the brand inventively used billboard space to offer up a series of resting house stops free of charge. 

Weary drivers cruised into the pop-up rest-stops, which were all kitted out to look like actual homes. Met by smiling brand ambassadors, each driver was provided with a Sodimac-branded eye mask and the opportunity to catch some valuable shut-eye, safe in the knowledge that their vehicle was protected in a sheltered garage with 24/7 security. 

Once fully recharged, visitors could take advantage of free wi-fi and then hit the open road again with renewed energy – after being served a nice hot cuppa to send them off in the right way. Now how’s that for a refreshing approach?
 

It’s a simple but terrific activation that proves yet again just how effective experiential marketing can be. The most successful live brand experiences are those that understand the wants and needs of audiences, and one can only imagine the sheer relief that these rest stops must have provided to those that had been at the wheel looking out at largely uninspiring surroundings for many hours.

Much like Nissan’s recent brand experience that served up football fun, it also goes to show that automobiles provide a perfect platform for making an experiential impact and building brand love.

---

Joss Davidge is Director of the Unexpected at BEcause, the award-winning experiential marketing agency, dedicated to enhancing Brand Love. Sign up to Joss’ next complimentary brand experience masterclass to learn about the most effective experiential marketing strategies.