In a marketplace cluttered with new products, companies will do just about anything to grab the public's attention. Now, some companies are using short-lived "pop-up" stores to generate a little buzz.
In New York's SoHo district, some shops hawking cappuccino, imported beer or digital cameras are open a few weeks or months before closing. That's just long enough to stir up interest, but not too long to grow stale.
Illy, the Italian coffee company, hopes to get the word out about its brand in America. It runs the Galleria illy, where customers can sip espressos while admiring photos taken by local art students.
Kodak set up its own gallery in SoHo. In the three weeks it was open, visitors couldn't actually buy anything. But they could talk to the staff about Kodak products. To attract interest, the company offered to scan photos and put them on the Web or DVDs.
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