DIPLO RUN CLUB x NEURO PRODUCT SAMPLING
Dates: Jan 2025 -> Ongoing
Locations: NYC MIAMI LA SEATTLE SAN DIEGO PHOENIX
Campaign Overview
Neuro's partnership with Diplo Run Club created a nationwide experiential marketing platform that positioned the brand at the intersection of fitness, wellness, and music culture. Through strategic booth activations and street team distribution, Neuro reached thousands of health-conscious consumers in high-energy environments where traditional energy drinks dominated—and converted them to functional beverages that aligned with their lifestyle.
Date & Location: January 2025 – Ongoing, with activations in New York City, Miami, Los Angeles, Seattle, San Diego, and Phoenix
Attendees: Thousands of runners, fitness enthusiasts, and wellness-focused consumers at each Diplo Run Club event, plus high-traffic street team touchpoints in each market
Environment: A hybrid activation combining event booth presence at Diplo Run Club gatherings and mobile street team distribution in surrounding high-traffic areas, creating multiple brand exposure opportunities within each market
The campaign required precision logistics, early-morning coordination, and teams that could authentically represent Neuro's wellness positioning while engaging with active, discerning consumers who were already loyal to competing energy drink brands.
Campaign Staffing Requirements
The client required:
Teams of 4-8 brand ambassadors per activation, deployed across 6 major US cities
Roles included:
Brand Ambassadors for booth setup, product sampling, consumer education, and real-time engagement with runners and fitness enthusiasts
Street Team Coordinators to manage mobile distribution in high-traffic zones surrounding each run club event
Event Setup Specialists to execute booth buildout, inventory management, and breakdown logistics
Team Leads to oversee activation execution, ensure brand messaging consistency, and manage real-time challenges across locations
Additional challenges:
Early-morning start times required teams to arrive before dawn, often between 5:00-6:00 AM, to set up before runners arrived
Nationwide coordination across 6 cities demanded consistent execution, reliable staffing, and zero tolerance for no-shows or tardiness
Teams needed to authentically position Neuro as a healthier alternative to traditional energy drinks, requiring product knowledge and genuine wellness messaging
High-volume sample distribution (9,000+ per activation) required efficient logistics, inventory tracking, and crowd management
Our Approach
Software-Driven Reliability for Early-Morning Activations
Early-morning start times are the single biggest operational risk for event activations—late arrivals can derail setup, frustrate clients, and damage brand perception. We eliminated this risk through our proprietary staffing software and proactive team lead coordination:
Automated pre-event reminders sent to all team members 48 hours, 24 hours, and 12 hours before each activation, confirming arrival times and location details
Real-time check-in tracking via mobile app, allowing team leads to identify potential no-shows or delays before they became critical issues
Backup staffing protocols built into every activation—pre-vetted substitutes on standby in each market who could be deployed within 30 minutes if needed
Team lead accountability: leads arrived 30-45 minutes before the rest of the team to ensure setup readiness and handle any last-minute adjustments
This system ensured that across 6 cities and multiple activations, not a single event experienced staffing delays or compromised setup timelines.
Types of Staff Provided
Multi-City Coordination & Consistent Execution
Managing simultaneous activations across New York City, Miami, Los Angeles, Seattle, San Diego, and Phoenix required centralized oversight and localized execution. Our approach ensured brand consistency while adapting to each market's unique dynamics:
Dedicated team leads assigned to each market who understood local run club culture, traffic patterns, and optimal street team deployment zones
Centralized training materials and brand messaging guidelines distributed to all teams, ensuring Neuro's wellness positioning was consistent across every touchpoint
Real-time reporting from each activation—team leads documented sample distribution numbers, consumer feedback, and engagement insights after every event
Post-event debriefs to identify best practices and refine tactics for subsequent activations, creating continuous improvement across the campaign
Booth Activation + Street Team Distribution Strategy
Each Diplo Run Club activation combined two complementary distribution tactics to maximize reach and engagement:
Booth Activation (Run Club Event)
4-6 brand ambassadors managed booth setup, product display, and face-to-face engagement with runners before and after the event
Positioned Neuro as the ideal post-workout recovery drink, emphasizing functional ingredients, clean energy, and zero sugar as key differentiators from traditional energy drinks
Captured consumer feedback in real time, learning what motivated runners to switch from competitors and what messaging resonated most
Street Team Distribution (Surrounding High-Traffic Zones)
2-4 mobile brand ambassadors deployed to coffee shops, gyms, parks, and business districts near each run club location
Extended brand reach beyond run club attendees, targeting commuters, gym-goers, and morning walkers who aligned with Neuro's wellness-focused demographic
Reinforced messaging around breaking the energy drink habit and transitioning to functional beverages with real health benefits
This dual-channel approach ensured Neuro saturated each market, reaching both the core run club audience and adjacent wellness-conscious consumers who might never attend a run club event.
Converting Energy Drink Consumers to Functional Beverages
One of the campaign's core objectives was shifting consumers away from traditional energy drinks toward Neuro's cleaner, wellness-aligned alternative. Our teams were trained to execute this conversion strategy authentically:
Educated consumers on ingredient differences—highlighting Neuro's functional benefits (L-theanine, natural caffeine, nootropics) versus the sugar and artificial ingredients in conventional energy drinks
Asked qualifying questions to identify current energy drink users, then positioned Neuro as the smarter, healthier choice for sustained energy without the crash
Leveraged the run club environment itself as proof of concept—runners who prioritize fitness and wellness are already primed to care about what they put in their bodies
Collected real-time testimonials from consumers who tried Neuro on-site and reported feeling the difference compared to their usual energy drinks
This messaging strategy, combined with the credibility of the Diplo Run Club partnership, created an environment where consumers were open to switching brands—not just trying a free sample.
Training & Brand Alignment
Every brand ambassador underwent comprehensive training to ensure they could authentically represent Neuro's wellness positioning and execute high-volume distribution without compromising engagement quality:
Product knowledge: understanding Neuro's functional ingredients, flavor profiles, and competitive advantages over traditional energy drinks
Engagement tactics: how to initiate conversations, qualify consumers, and transition from product sampling to brand advocacy
Booth logistics: setup procedures, inventory management, crowd flow optimization, and breakdown protocols for early-morning activations
Street team tactics: identifying high-traffic zones, approaching consumers in public spaces, and maintaining brand professionalism in mobile environments
Market-specific insights: understanding the unique characteristics of each city's run club culture and adjusting engagement style accordingly
This training ensured that whether a consumer engaged with Neuro at the booth in Miami or via a street team in Seattle, they received the same high-quality brand experience and messaging.
6
Diplo Run Club Cities Activated
9,000
Samples Distributed Per Activation
Outcomes & Impact
The campaign delivered measurable results that demonstrated the effectiveness of combining event-based activations with mobile street team distribution:
Multiple activations across 6 major US cities — New York City, Miami, Los Angeles, Seattle, San Diego, and Phoenix
9,000 samples distributed per activation, reaching thousands of fitness enthusiasts and wellness-focused consumers at each event
Zero delays or missed activations despite early-morning start times—software-driven coordination and backup staffing protocols ensured flawless execution
High consumer engagement with ambassadors reporting significant interest in Neuro as a healthier alternative to traditional energy drinks
Dual-channel reach combining booth presence at run club events with mobile street teams, maximizing brand exposure in each market
Conversion-focused messaging successfully positioned Neuro as a functional beverage that helps consumers break free from unhealthy energy drink habits
By combining logistics precision, authentic brand representation, and strategic multi-channel distribution, we delivered a nationwide activation that not only distributed tens of thousands of samples but also shifted consumer perception around what energy and focus should look like in a health-conscious lifestyle.
Key Takeaways
Early-morning activations demand software-driven coordination and backup staffing—manual scheduling creates too much risk for time-sensitive events
Multi-city campaigns require centralized training and localized execution—brand consistency matters, but so does adapting to each market's unique culture
Combining booth activations with street teams extends reach beyond the event itself, saturating a market with multiple brand touchpoints
Wellness-focused environments like run clubs are ideal for positioning functional beverages—consumers are already primed to care about health and ingredients
Brand ambassadors who genuinely understand product benefits and can articulate them authentically drive higher engagement and conversion than those simply handing out samples
This case study demonstrates how precision logistics, authentic brand messaging, and strategic distribution channels can turn a sampling campaign into a consumer conversion engine—reaching thousands of high-value consumers and shifting them away from competitors toward a healthier alternative.
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