Louis Vuitton oversized experiential in Red Square

Joss Davidge, managing partner of brand experience agency BEcause, continues his weekly quest for great marketing ideas. This week he looks at how things got heated for Louis Vuitton in Moscow.
 
Over the past few years, pop up experiences have proven their worth for marketers and consumers.

Brands both large and small have taken to it to provide unexpected experiences that showcase key elements of the brand and provide easy access to hundreds of passers-by. 

We have come across dozens of great examples.

But this week, I’ve spotted this specticle from French luxury brand Louis Vuitton, who wanted to make a bold statement but underestimated the reaction to its oversized presence in a revered, much loved and historic public space. 


 
 
To celebrate the brand’s 120th anniversary a nearby Moscow department store wanted to create an out of store pop up exhibition. The creative team got to work and devised a 100 foot long by 30 foot tall replica of the famous Louis Vuitton trunk. A show stopper for sure. The structure appeared in Red Square, no distance from the Kremlin and Lenin’s mausoleum. Temporary structures are not uncommon in Red Square, but the commercial bluntness of this didn’t go down well. There were hundreds of complaints and the department store has had to set about deconstructing the huge structure.
 
Although Louis Vuitton has stated that it ‘highly respects the rich history and importance of Red Square’ and that the trunk was a tribute to its longstanding relationship with Russia the trunk’s size and positioning didn't seem to communicate this. The Vuitton invasion of Red Square has been brought to an abrupt end as Muscovites and tourists were far from amused.  
 
 
 
Oversized structures are not necessarily a problem, if done sensitively and if they prove valuable for passers-by. I’m sure the exhibition inside the trunk would have won over many visitors if it had gone ahead, but great pop up experiences work with the space, not against it.
 
Earlier in the year I featured the Target Dollshouse, a temporary structure that was built inside Grand Central station. The structure was impressive, interactive and provided passers-by with an interesting pit stop.  It also played with the interior of Grand central, using the lofty ceilings to add to the dollshouse illusion.  
 
 
 
Two brands, two public spaces, two oversized pop up structures, two very different reactions.  What do you think of Louis Vuitton's Red Square appearance?

Read more from Joss Davidge.