Dive Brief:
- Museum of Ice Cream (MOIC) pints will be sold exclusively at most Target stores beginning in July, according to a news release. The debut line includes MOIC’s signature Piñata and Sprinkle Pool flavors, as well as new flavors, Vanillionaire, Chocolate Crush, Cherrylicious, Churro Churro and Nana Bread.
- MOIC launched "The Pint Shop" in New York City, an interactive pop-up grocery store sponsored by Target that has life-size pint installations, aisles lined with ice cream and branded merchandise and exclusive flavor tastings. The partnership between the two brands includes the ice cream line, as well as a limited-edition children’s apparel and accessories collection within Target’s Art Class line. This marks the first time MOIC has extended beyond the pop-up space and into another retailer’s space, according to Ad Age.
- In a press release, MOIC founder Maryellis Bunn, who launched the concept in 2016, described this iteration as a new experience: "I set out to create The Pint Shop as a place where you can curate your own experience to share in real life, and among your peers. The launch of The Pint Shop is a new experience under the umbrella of MOIC, which celebrates the accessibility and democracy that ice cream brings."
Dive Insight:
With its new sponsorship with Target, MOIC's Pint Shop joins a number of food companies that have successfully leveraged interactive pop-ups to drive interest and traffic.
The new collaboration will expand MOIC's reach, which until now only had footprints in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Miami, while Target is a staple retailer in 49 states. On the flip side, Target can take advantage of MOIC's active, youthful and loyal fan-base who are an integral part of MOIC's marketing with their savvy social media presence. The company notes in its press release that it has generated more than 1 billion social media impressions globally. In less than a week since the grand opening, the Pint Shop — with its color displays and whimsical decor — already has nearly 14,000 Instagram followers.
The pop-ups include interactive workshops and reservation-only tasting sessions that meets growing consumer desires to have memorable and experiential relationships with brands. According to Mintel, millennial consumers, especially, are more likely to purchase a product if it "makes them feel special," which aligns with The Pint Shop's brand.
Like Pint Shop, Chobani partnered with Target in 2016 to showcase its product inside stores with a yogurt cafe and expanded that concept into Walmart. Whole Foods got into the action in 2017 by hosting Amazon's pop-up in select grocery stores before the holiday season began. Both Pure Leaf and Kellogg have also generated buzz with their pop-ups in New York City.
