How Sour Patch Kids Is Using Free Lodging to Become the Favorite Brand for Band
In October, Sour Patch Kids opened the Brooklyn Patch, a brownstone nestled in the borough’s Clinton Hill neighborhood that roving musicians can use as a crash pad while in town for gigs and video shoots.
Less than six months later, bands like Dr. Dog, Deer Tick, Joywave, Magic Man and more have accepted the brand’s offer, staying at the Brooklyn Flea-decorated digs, seemingly free of charge. Now the Mondelez brand has established its second residence for musicians, in Austin, just in time for the city to be overrun with bands during the annual South by Southwest Festival.
But giving up-and-coming musicians a place to stay while on the road isn’t an altruistic move. The program—which is slated to run through at least the end of this year—allows the brand to situate itself within the music world and build brand awareness as well as credibility, according to Farrah Bezner, marketing director of Sour Patch.
In return for the rent-free accommodations, Sour Patch Kids asks that musicians create social posts on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat using the hashtags #BrooklynPatch or #AustinPatch, or videos for YouTube, that the brand then posts on its Tumblr page.