Small is beautiful – Retail kiosk designs

According to Coca Cola “It’s the little things in life that make us happy” – and this is the ethos (and slogan) behind their new product ‘Coca Cola mini’ which was recently launched in Germany with a series of tiny pop-up retail kiosk designs, complete with miniature Coca Cola  vending machines offering tiny chilled cans of the popular soft drink to shoppers in five of Germany’s busiest cities.

The campaign is the brainchild of the Berlin division of advertising agency Olgivy and Mather to launch the new product format across Germany. The kiosks also contained small versions of other goods including newspapers, sweets and snacks and were flanked with a small bin, tiny table and chairs and a quarter-size parasol – stopping most passersby in their tracks as they paused to marvel at the tiny products. Despite the fact that the 5 tiny booths were intended as a publicity stunt they sold an average of 380 mini cans of Coca Cola a day from each vending machine – according to Ogilvy and Mather this is 278% more than an average Coke vending machine – but of course these purchases may have been motivated by the cuteness of the product rather than thirst. Shoppers may have bought the cans as a souvenir and presumably as they were smaller, they were cheaper than a normal can of Coke as well…

According to the Pop Up City blog, Kiosks are a valuable part of the High Street retail experience – they act as the eyes and ears of the street and interact with shoppers at a more personable level than traditional retail stores, offering a unique level of customer service and experience which contribute to the atmosphere on the street, making it lively and vibrant. Coca Cola have a track record for using popular urban phenomena to market new products in this way – previous offerings have included a branded  pop-up park and pop-up dining room….Does it make you want to stop and buy one? Well, the only thing we can think when we look at these pictures is where does that fella put his feet?