EVENT & ACTIVATION: POTATO UTOPIA PARTNERS WITH THE SHOP & WINE BAR IN BONDI
Situation:
Potato Utopia brought its signature gratins to Sydney, partnering with local favourite The Shop & Wine Bar in Bondi to launch Bar Gratin, a three-day menu takeover that put the humble potato centre stage and tapped into Sydney’s appetite for food-led experiences.
To launch the collaboration, Movement Agency held an intimate key opinion leader dinner, bringing together a curated group of Sydney’s social set and food creators to be the first to taste two exclusive menu creations by Head Chef Adam Wallhausen, including Potato Utopia’s Parmesan & Black Pepper Gratin, served with Bloody Mary dipping sauce, bacon and pickles, and the Mozzarella & Hot Honey Gratin, a twist on The Shop & Wine Bar’s hot halloumi dish, finished with its signature sauce, fresh hazelnuts and thyme.
Bar Gratin was then open to the public across three days to purchase the limited edition menu items, with an hour window on the weekend giving away free gratins to the first 100 consumers who stopped by.
Strategy:
Movement took a two-part approach to build momentum around Bar Gratin, using the launch event to create an organic social moment before bringing the experience to a wider consumer audience.
The KOL dinner was curated around guests with strong food, fashion and lifestyle audiences, such as Phoebe Spiller, Cassidy McGill, Ben Turland, Janelle Halil and Alyce Tran, ensuring the collaboration reached beyond traditional food creators and into Sydney’s broader scene. The intimate format gave guests the opportunity to experience the partnership, creating talkability and visibility through highly shareable content.
The following days, Bar Gratin introduced a consumer giveaway, offering 100 free Parmesan & Black Pepper Gratins within a one-hour window. The limited allocation created excitement for Sydney consumers while giving a broader audience the opportunity to trial the product first hand.
Movement also engaged with a paid talent to create dedicated social content in the lead up to the free giveaway, driving awareness of the collaboration and encouraging their audience to visit The Shop & Wine Bar across the weekend.
Services Provided:
Activation Ideation and Management
Event Concepting and Creative Direction
KOL Outreach and Coordination
KOL Partnerships and Collaboration Management
Media Outreach
Venue and Supplier Management
Event Production and Logistics
Graphic Design Support
Runsheet Coordination
On-Ground Event Management
Results
The consumer activation saw all 100 free gratins given away within the one-hour window, driving strong foot traffic and immediate product trial.
The launch event also delivered high ROI across attendance and organic social posting, with guests actively sharing their experience across social media and extending the reach of the activation beyond the event itself.
Together, the event launch and consumer activation built strong local relevance for Potato Utopia, positioning the brand within the city’s food and social scene while driving in-person engagement and organic social visibility.
