If you're a fan of Western cinema then you'll be familiar with the visually distinct and bleakly whimsical films of Wes Anderson. Due to COVID-19 fans have been left waiting for quite sometime for is latest film, The French Dispatch, to hit cinemas.

 

However, now that it's slowly opening around the world fans in NYC, LA and Chicago in the USA have the chance to visit eye-catching pop-up cafes during November to enjoy a spot of tea and some unique French Dispatch promotional swag!

french dispatch cafe

Immersive Advertising and Merchandise

Wes Anderson's films are known for their colourful palettes and in The French Dispatch, one of the most colourful locations in the film is a cafe that the characters visit, Café Le Sans Blague. In real life Dayglow Coffee has teamed up with the promoters involved in the film to create pop-up cafes that look exactly like the fictional Café Le Sans Blague that fans can visit.

 

Not only do these cafes look just like the film's coffee shop, they serve an assortment of related beverages and meals in custom-branded ceramic mugs and on colourful yellow plates. While this type of marketing isn't unheard of (anime fans in Japan get "chara cafes" with themed food and merchandise regularly), this is the first time Wes Anderson fans have had the opportunity to dine just like his iconic characters.

french dispatch merchandise french dispatch printed tote

Custom Branded Swag for Fans

However, it isn't just the opportunity to drink themed beverages like "The Concrete Masterpiece" (a cinnamon-topped latte) that has attracted fans. Visitors to the pop-ups can also get their hands on some very limited edition The French Dispatch merchandise. Customers will receive one promotional item with purchase including:

As for the eye-catching mugs with Café Le Sans Blague, when the pop-ups close the staff will run giveaways so lucky fans may just get their chance to own one of them too! Obviously a big part of the appeal here is that the promotion is extremely limited, thus not everyone will have access to the available merchandise.

 

So while some might dismiss the promotion as "just" offering basic items like notebooks and tote bags, by only providing a limited quantity to consumers the marketing team is driving up the value of these products in the eyes of fans as they are an iconic part of the film's history, not simply branded swag.

 

So if you have an upcoming promotion, why not take a leaf from The French Dispatch's book? With the right branding and availability, any promotional products can become iconic collectibles! If you're like to know more about using branded merchandise in your next marketing campaign then please don't hesitate to give our team of experts a call for information.

 

Details/images from here: https://www.timeout.com/los-angeles/news/drink-like-a-wes-anderson-character-at-this-french-dispatch-pop-up-running-through-mid-november-102121