Carnsmedia’s press release and influencer push launched the first interactive Angry Birds café: Bloomberg, Women’s Wear Daily and Secret NYC covered it, and the opening party sold out. Family influencers and parent creators carried the café to the audience that mattered most — the city’s moms, dads and kids.
Launch the world’s first interactive Angry Birds café, in Flushing, Queens — and make it impossible for families to miss.
A corporate acquisition, global Zooms with Asia, Europe, & Canada, a new restaurant category, and a remote location.
NEW YORK, July 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — One of the world’s most popular games is getting a delicious real-life twist in Flushing, Queens. The retail café, named iSwii by Angry Birds Retail Cafe, will feature playful desserts, trendy bubble teas, gaming stations, a retail section, and unique interactive activities for the whole family to enjoy.
Carnsmedia crafted a bespoke influencer relations strategy to attract a diverse audience to the Angry Birds Café, first focusing on a blend of local families and food enthusiasts. But we didn’t stop there: To broaden the reach, we thought outside the box by targeting gaming influencers, bloggers, and magazines, drawing in a passionate community who were 1) already familiar with the brand and 2) eager for engaging and interactive experiences. By forging authentic and meaningful connections with creators, we generated buzz that extended well beyond the local area.
Location played a pivotal role in our strategy, as well. Carnsmedia teamed up with travel media outlets and influencers to tap into the steady stream of tourists passing through LaGuardia International Airport, a quick five-minute drive away. We also capitalized on the café’s prime location next to the Tangram Center, a popular food hall, drawing foodies and families in search of an exciting and unique experience.
Lead with a press push the city couldn’t ignore, then hand it to influencers who reach parents and kids, the café’s crowd, and turn a video game into a real-world destination.
The acquisition required Carnsmedia to pivot — and promptly. Our team was at the forefront of navigating meetings with international stakeholders, coordinating across multiple time zones via video calls, ensuring legal compliance across continents, and managing complex licensing agreements. Despite these challenges, Carnsmedia successfully delivered on its mission, securing brand awareness and engagement as the company embarked on a new chapter.
Carnsmedia led the creative direction, press, and influencer relations strategies for the launch of the first-ever Angry Birds Café in New York City while also managing the brand’s internal social media team. By leveraging Angry Birds’ global recognition, we were able to attract local families,
food lovers, and tourists alike; secure coverage in family-focused local and national media (including big-name brands like Secret NY, Bloomberg, & Women’s Wear Daily); and engage key content creators.
However, things took an unexpected turn midway through the campaign. Sega’s $4 billion acquisition of Rovio transformed our role, and we were forced to pivot quickly. Within 48 hours, we were working across time zones with executives in Finland, Canada, Asia, and the U.S. to navigate legal approvals and press strategies while ensuring the café’s opening remained a priority.
Ultimately, our strategies delivered: A packed grand opening, ongoing media buzz, and a café that continues to draw families, gamers, and food lovers have proven that even amid a corporate merger, Carnsmedia knows how to turn disruption into opportunity.
Questions, answered
Our leadership is spread across the world — how can a New York agency work with all of us?
That’s our everyday. We’re a global company — daily video calls with brands across Canada, Japan, Finland, and beyond. A 4 AM call with Tokyo or a midnight call with Helsinki? That’s just Tuesday for us.
How do you launch a café for a billion-dollar brand?
When the brand is that big, the opening has to feel big too. We wrote the corporate press release, rallied local influencers, and turned the first-ever Angry Birds Café into a sold-out launch party — with viral videos to prove it.
How can I get customers to come to my restaurant with no foot traffic?
Give them a reason they can’t ignore. First, find what’s exciting about the place and hand that story to influencers — we’ve worked with 200 of them for years, and when we tell them something’s worth the trip, they go. Then layer in local families and food lovers, pull tourists from LaGuardia five minutes away and the Tangram food hall crowd — until “out of the way” feels like the place to be.
How do you get press if you don’t have a famous celebrity chef?
Find what makes the brand exciting and hand the press that story. You don’t need a celebrity chef — you need a sharp angle. For Angry Birds Café it was the first-of-its-kind launch in the middle of a corporate acquisition — Bloomberg, Secret NYC, and Women’s Wear Daily all showed up.
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