GoldRun teams with Young & Rubicam to launch a store without walls

NEW YORK NY November 9 – AR mobile startup GoldRun worked closely with the Branded Content Division at Young & Rubicam to create the world’s first Invisible Pop Up Store, selling limited edition Airwalk sneakers available exclusively through the GoldRun app.

Airwalk, known for their ultimate hangout kicks, was looking for a way to celebrate the re-launch of their classic style, the Jim, that speaks to the roots of the brand and channels the shoemaker’s lineage. “GoldRun is all about brand engagement, a platform that allows agencies to think up new ways to connect people with products. We ran with it, creating the first ever Invisible Pop Up Store,” says Kerry Keenan of Y&R’s Branded Content Division. “We are always looking into technologies to help us push the envelope and develop innovative brand experiences. GoldRun made it easy to conceive a new use for its core features, and implement a customized experience that dovetails with Airwalk’s overall brand narrative,” continues Keenan. “What better place to showcase these limited-run replicas than in the parks and beaches that made Airwalk famous.”

On Saturday, November 6, people who wanted a pair of these Airwalks –the Ladies’ Jim Plastic and the Men’s Jim Tennis – simply downloaded the GoldRun app, and headed to Venice Beach, Los Angeles, or Washington Square, New York City, to capture virtual versions of the sneakers GPS-linked to each location. They were immediately given an exclusive code link to complete their purchase of one of only 300 pairs produced by Airwalk.

The Airwalk Invisible Pop Up Stores mark the second major promotion for GoldRun within their first week of launch, with user-controlled, virtual catwalks for H&M running through Wednesday. “The Airwalk collaboration was important for several reasons,” says GoldRun CEO Vivian Rosenthal. “It shows that GoldRun is not an isolated app for one brand, but a versatile mobile ad platform that can host many different promotional programs for all types of organizations.”

Equally important, the Invisible Stores highlighted the versatility of GoldRun. “We know that working with agencies like Young & Rubicam is vital,” continues Rosenthal. “Less than a week after our debut, we see creative minds already developing an understanding of GoldRun’s potential, and designing programs that will help the platform to evolve.”

Opening up GoldRun to a variety of agencies and clients is part of the startup’s plan to help brands take advantage of influential shifts in the technology and advertising sectors. “For us, GoldRun is the culmination of significant marketing industry trends, moving away from campaigns to a relationship-based paradigm, and the ascendance of the mobile interactive space,” says Daniel Crowder, chief innovation officer, Goldrun. “We use features totally unique to the new breed of mobile devices to create a huge amount of brand intimacy using augmented reality."

With the explosion in smartphone sales and increasing recognition of the power of mobile marketing, GoldRun’s protean platform provides a flexible and responsive solution for organizations looking to extend brand presence and expand distribution channels. “We can deliver discounts and host sweepstakes for H&M while simultaneously selling limited edition products for Airwalk,” says vice president, creative Shai Rao. “That excites us as it shows that GoldRun can maintain the ingenuity and creative vision that defines a brand, while translating their objectives and overall values into the mobile space.” 

GoldRun will be launching additional promotions with nycgo.com, Esquire magazine and Gwen Stefani’s Harajuku Lovers fragrance line in the coming weeks. 

About GoldRun

GoldRun is an augmented reality mobile platform comprised of an app that enables users to locate, interact with and take photos of GPS-linked virtual objects positioned in the real world, coupled with an adaptive and easy to use CMS. Simultaneously a powerful promotional tool and a social network tailored for the mobile environment, the app is designed to drive traffic to physical and online destinations, increase product sales, enhance brand engagement and bolster viral impact.GoldRun users can take pictures alongside virtual objects and immediately post these photos to Facebook. By helping brands tap into this sharing impulse, the platform turns social networks into even more effective distribution channels as GoldRun users share images of themselves interacting with everything from scenes in blockbuster films, to iconic sports figures and the season’s must have fashion items. GoldRun’s content management system makes it easy to create and launch runs within days, enabling marketers to quickly produce and modify highly segmented, regionally indexed campaigns. All interactions with AR objects are trackable, allowing the platform to provide detailed analytics on consumer behavior and purchasing patterns. GoldRun can play either a central or a supporting role in a variety of consumer-direct marketing campaigns and promotional programs including:• Product launches• Virtual retail location enhancements & PopUp shops• Support for online programming and content• Social media, gaming and contests• Virtual tours and scavenger hunts• Mobile extensions of ad / branding campaigns

For more information email: info@goldrungo.com

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