fbpx
Home / Venture  / Bambi Boutique: The business built by influence

Bambi Boutique: The business built by influence

The Bambi Boutique launch went off without a hitch, while Liu’s influence saw the launch almost completely subsidised by the vendors involved.

Flower walls, dessert bars, doughnut walls, balloon installments, lighting banners and free alcohol. The Bambi Boutique launch party was an Instagrammer’s dream. From the outside it looked like a tight demographic gathering at the waterfront for a night of mingling and photos. On the inside it was a clever marketing move.

Liu, who does influencing work herself as well as using them in her own marketing, managed to throw a $15,000 party without spending more than $2,000 of her own money. This was done through the generous backing of several vendors who wanted to take the opportunity to target Bambi’s loyal audience of affluent, social-media-savvy young women.

Candy Graze by Harvest and Gather – $750 retail value.

“We actually planned for a launch party in December when we first launched,” says Liu. “But December being such a busy month we decided to postpone it until February when everyone was back at work. Although it probably worked out better, as Bambi is little bit more established now, the ultimate goal was to get people talking about the brand on social media and establishing Bambi Boutique as a real brand.”

And talk they did. Photos followed heavily through the night with girls moving quick to ‘gram and share the different pieces before they were devoured. Tagging and sharing saw each vendor gain a bigger following, which no doubt solidified that this model was a good idea for all involved.

“I just wanted it to be a night for people to remember, and we wanted to make it really ‘Instagrammable’ – for example, having lots of photo stations and beautiful décor so that people would want to take photos there and post on their social media.”

Social media was a key aspect of the party’s ethos.

The success of the launch was in large part down to Liu’s attention to detail and her insider knowledge of the demographic she is trying to target. Knowing the consumer allowed her to cater the event to that audience while also communicating Bambi’s brand over and over, through the meticulous detail that went into customisation of the event.

“There was so much customisation, everything from the food to the balloons had our Bambi branding on it which really made the event feel customised.”

The Bambi branding was out in full force.

“I wanted to spend between $1000 – $2000, again being a start-up we didn’t want to over spend and spent under! I feel so grateful most of the vendors provided their services free of charge to support Bambi Boutique, which was just absolutely amazing.”

Altogether Bambi had 17 parties contribute to the event. Liu approached several personally but ultimately left OMG Ness Styling to organise the rest with a certain vision to go off.

Running around barefoot up until guests arrived, Liu oversaw the event, even going as far to drag her own partner’s bed into the venue as another photo station. The effort that was put into the launch was not for naught, with web traffic for both Bambi and the vendors increasing even as the night unfolded.

“Most people that attended the event did a post about the launch which was awesome, we tried to invite people from different parts of Auckland, and some of our favourite influencers even flew in from Australia and other parts of New Zealand for the night.”

Vendors went above and beyond expectations, according to Liu, whose favourite installation was the custom Bambi lighting wall. It had a retail value of $750 and was supplied to the event for free.

Other vendor costs included:

OMG Ness Styling

Design + Concept , Planning + Styling ($1000)

3 x Balloon Installation ($1500)

Shaun Ross

Photography + Audio ($500)

Millie’s Custom Design

Custom Signage + Donut Wall Hire ($857)

Our Little Kitchen

3 Tier Glitter Cake ($700)

Whisked Away Desserts

Desserts – Cookies, dessert cups, donuts, eclairs, chards ($665)

Macaron Heaven & Co

Macaron tower (80+ macarons), donut tower, desserts ($725.50)

Harvest and Gather

Candy Graze + Freak Shakes ($750)

Platter and Graze with Food Snob

Food Platter ($595)

Blooms with Gi

Flower wall hire & Selfie booth hire ($740)

Dream Catchers Events NZ

Streamer Wall behind bed & Mesh Black Backdrop Hire ($1190)

Light Letters NZ

BAMBI Light Up Letters ($750)

Letter Leaf Florals

Bambi Signage Floral Install on Mesh Wall ($300)

Little Celebration NZ

2 x Instagram Frames for photos ($190)

Rose Venom Official

2 x Timeless Rose Box’s ($848)

Darby and Grey

Event Furniture Hire ($1490)

Embar Designs

“Get into bed with Bambi Boutique” Acrylic Signage + Bambi Cake Toppers ($450)

Beverages

48 Bottles Master Ceremonies Rose

100 Vista Sparkling Water

100 Bondi Espresso Martini’s

The Wharf Venue Hire + Staff ($844)

Total Retail Value around $15,000

Liu’s structure of the event meant a start-up could have a fully established brand-type party. No doubt the aspect of social media sharing played a massive part in this event, and results showed this model was a successful one.

Liu’s attention to detail showed that she knows what her target demographic is after and can ferry traffic in the direction she wants. Collaborating, such as vendors did with Bambi, is a way to increase your audience reach and exposure.

This story first appeared at The Register.
Review overview