For a Holiday Pop Up, tech startup Losant sources Christmas slapstick to introduce everyday people to IoT platforms
BY STEVE RAMOS
DATELINE: Over-the-Rhine, Cincinnati, OH
A collection of IoT products representing holiday experiences from trimming the tree to cooking family meals generates ear-to-ear grins from visitors to Losant’s Holiday Pop Up. There’s also plenty of laughter thanks to interactive displays inspired by fan-favorite, holiday comedies.
Wrapped with festive design and playful cheer, the How the Internet of Things Saves Christmas Pop Up may be the most playful storefront throughout Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine (OTR) entertainment and retail district. Charlie Key, Co-Founder of IoT platform company Losant, still can’t believe how the interactive marketing project came together in a matter of weeks.
More than a holiday retail space, How the Internet of Things Saves Christmas is a public debut for Losant, a Cincinnati-based Internet of Things (IoT) platform company working towards the release of its initial development kits and platforms.
I collaborated with Losant co-founders Brandon Cannaday and Charlie Key on marketing, onsite support and writing on the Iot Saves Christmas Branded Pop Up.
It’s impressive working alongside the tight-knit, Losant development team. Onsite, they install a series of low-fi interactions using smart paint and speakers to highlight how accessible, affordable and available IoT installations can be to consumers no matter their tech IQ. Offsite and online, they continue to polish the software to support the Pop Up’s activations.
The Pop Up’s theme, as explained by Losant co-founders Brandon Cannaday and Key, captures the project perfectly. They want the Holiday Pop Up to be a fun and vibrant space for everyday people to experience the benefits of IoT products and technologies via interactive tree lights and smart appliances.
“The Pop Up is a fun way to allow people to learn about and experience how the Internet of Things can add value to our lives,” Key tells the team.
Cannaday and Key also want to excite and educate passersby that IoT products and services are for consumers as much as large, retail, travel and consumer packaged goods corporations.
During the Pop Up’s three days of operation, visitors talk with the Losant team about what makes a Smart Home ‘smart’ and the best devices for climate control, security as well as audio and video entertainment systems.
The interactive project is also a good opportunity for Cannaday and Key to remind visitors that OTR is Cincinnati’s startup hub as well as a popular entertainment district. Key and Cannaday’s first company, Modulus, came to life just a block down Vine Street. Meanwhile, Losant also looks to grow in OTR.
Providing onsite support to the Losant team, it’s inspiring watching visitors interact with the twinkling lights and asking Losant developers how they can implement IoT tech at their own homes.
Listening to these animated conversations between experienced software developers and IoT immigrants, the success of the Pop Up becomes clear. Losant is not showcasing their proprietary tech at a trade show to corporate IT professionals. They’re polishing their message to everyday consumers at a public space.
By convincing people that IoT is an asset accessible to everyone no matter their tech IQ, well, then, the Holiday Pop Up storefront has done its job.
A night out during the holidays to meet family and friends at popular bars and restaurants often leads to good times.
Thanks to its unique Pop Up storefront, Cannaday, Key and their Losant teammates help make holiday get-togethers more memorable than ever. They want their Pop Up visitors think about what’s next for their smart homes and connected devices involving IoT. If you can do that with a laugh, a smile and as sense of wonderment, well, then How the Internet of Things Saves Christmas Pop Up has done its job.
I collaborated with Losant co-founders Brandon Cannaday and Charlie Key on marketing, onsite support and writing on How the Internet of Things Saves Christmas Branded Pop Up.
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Email: steve@steveramosmedia Phone: 513-295-4488 Skype: steveramosmedia
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