ASUS Zenbook Popup Store in Seoul Attracts 4,000+ Visitors in Four Days
Tech giant ASUS wrapped up a successful popup experience in Seoul's hip Seongsu district, drawing over 4,000 visitors who got hands-on with the company's ultra-lightweight Zenbook laptops.
Running from July 3-6, 2024, the "Zensation" popup took over all three floors of Stage35 in Seongsu-dong-a neighborhood that's become Seoul's go-to spot for brand activations and cultural events.
The popup centered around ASUS's newest ultraportable, the Zenbook A14, which weighs just 978 grams (about 2.16 pounds). This laptop packs some serious specs: a Snapdragon X Series processor, 14-inch OLED display, up to 32 GB RAM, and a massive 70Wh battery that ASUS claims delivers up to 32 hours of video playback.
What made this popup clever was how ASUS let people actually feel the laptop's portability. On the first floor, visitors played a "What's in My Bag" game-they had to balance their personal items on a scale to match the laptop's weight. Successfully balance it out, and you'd get entered into a prize drawing.
Ground Floor: Beyond the weighing game, visitors could test the Zenbook A14 directly and check out its internal components through transparent displays. Local artists Kim Na-kyung and Kim Hyun-min created a "Mirror Zone" photo spot that played with the laptop's minimalist design aesthetic.
Second Floor: This is where things got interesting. ASUS showed off the premium S14 and S16 models while letting visitors create custom postcards and t-shirts using the laptop's built-in AI features (Microsoft Copilot+ and Image Playground). The 500 t-shirts available were grabbed so quickly that it showed just how engaged people were.
Third Floor: Prize drawings and a chill café space where people could hang out with drinks.
The popup's success says something about how tech companies are marketing these days. Instead of just talking specs, ASUS let people experience what makes their laptop different-the crazy-light weight, the AI creativity tools, the all-day battery life.
The Zenbook A14 itself represents ASUS's push into the Copilot+ PC space, featuring Qualcomm's Hexagon NPU (up to 45 TOPS) for AI tasks. The laptop's body is made from something called Ceraluminum-ASUS's blend of ceramic and aluminum that's supposedly 30% lighter and three times stronger than regular aluminum.
Choosing Seongsu-dong wasn't random. This former industrial area has transformed into Seoul's popup central, where brands regularly launch immersive experiences. Stage35 has become a popular venue for these kinds of activations, making it perfect for reaching both locals and international visitors exploring Seoul's trendiest neighborhood.
The four-day event included plenty of freebies-portable chargers, umbrellas, mini fans, picnic mats, and keycaps-ensuring people left with something memorable beyond just the experience.
For ASUS, this popup likely serves as a template for future experiential marketing as they compete in the increasingly crowded ultraportable laptop market, where differentiation comes down to more than just technical specifications.