The premise is simple: by trading in your beer for a Crumpler product you not only get an new accessory, but also an invite to a party where youâ??re able to drink that same beer (as well as all the other beer traded by your fellow B4B participants). The idea is pretty damn smart. It's sure to garner great publicity, and result in a potentially influential group of people carrying around your product and some pretty good word of mouth advertising.
The beer required was a mostly highbrow variety, Grolsch, Boddingtons and Hoegaarden to name a few. One case of Coopers and four Fosters Oil Cans could be bartered for a Messenger bag (retail value $95). Two cases of Asahi and a packet of ramen noodles could be bartered for a laptop bag (retail value $80). Last year over 1000 cases were traded, but despite that popularity, we didn't spy much of a crowd outside Crumpler's SoHo outpost.
For the sake of research, we bartered a 4 pack of Boddingtons and were given a purple camera case, color aside it was not a bad trade. We were then given an invite for an all night drink fest at the new Highline Ballroom taking place on a Sunday.
The idea was great, although the actual event was pretty lacking. Despite Crumpler's freewheeling vibe and it's loyal following amongst scrappy bike dudes, the crowd was pretty tame. The band, the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble didn't connect with the crowd, and the acclaimed live venue didn't work well for a beer-drinking event. It was far from an Oktoberfest-style extravaganza and pretty tame by Aussie standards. At least all the leftover beer collected over the course of the week got donated to various charities (which ones?!).
The idea is smart but the party could use a little work, or a new space for next year.
By Amy Daroukakis for EMERGE
