COMEDY POP-UPS ARE ON THE RISE AS SERIES NOSTALGIA GROWS

We are approaching the end of a decade, and everything from the ’90s is becoming vintage. Earlier Millennials are looking the ’90s with a sense of nostalgia. At the same time, GenZ is discovering the cult series from that same period. What is making these pop-ups so incredible? Fans will have the possibility to play their favourite characters, and of course, take some memorable pictures. 

//3 Example of comedy pop-ups

• Seinfeld: the first comedy pop-up to offer an immersive experience. A live sit-com based on a fictionalized life of stand-up comedian Jarry Seinfeld. The pop-up launched to celebrate 30 years from the program’s premiere: displaying memorabilia, props and specific show merch. No need to say it was a success!
• Beverly Hills 90210: a teen drama following the lives of a group of friends living in the upscale community of Beverly Hills. The show most iconic location, The Peach Pit, in Melrose Place, was sold out after 1 hour of opening the reservations. If you get in, don’t expect Brandon serving you a drink and a burger. The comedy pop-up is an immersive experience beautifully curated. Every visual detail was carefully planned to recreate the sentiments of the cafè where Kelly, Brandon, Dylan, Brenda, Steve, Andrea, David and Donna met after school. 
• Friends: for the 25th anniversary of the sitcom’s first episode of the comedy based on the lives of 6 friends living in Mid-town Manhattan, has also launched a pop-up. The immersive pop-up, Central Perk Cafè, is the place where the party of 6 met regularly and the iconic orange couch where they sat. Will Gunter serve you a coffee? The pop-up offers the possibility to carry out different activities dedicated to specific experiences, such as the Monica-themed cleaning room. It refers to the most peculiar side of one of the characters, Monica Geller: her obsession with cleaning.

 

//The key factors of success 

These sit-comes are iconic, and their pop-up purposely celebrates significant anniversaries, so there was no doubt that they were going to be successful.  Still, there are 2 interesting takeaways:

1. Connecting through emotions and offering the possibility to fans to experience their fav series, through the original setting;
2. Visually well-curated set-up to make it highly instagramable;

Moreover, these comedy pop-ups have been an opportunity to revive the series and give them a new apogee.  Netflix, for example, decided to extend the offer on its platform: making a whole new generation Friends with Rachel, Ross, Joey, Phoebe, Chandler and Monica.