We wanted to make Southwest an integral part of the neighborhood in midtown Manhattan, home to 550 major corporations.

So we built a porch and installed the world’s first “Outdoor Living Room” in a major city park – the Southwest Porch at Bryant Park, right in the heart of the NYC business district. A free “lounge” style seating area, complete with Adirondack chairs, rocking chairs and porch swings, a beverage/snack service by Tom Colicchio (Top Chef), and Southwest employees as hosts. The Porch is open to all New Yorkers and visitors to relax, read, or converse – no purchase required.

•Ticket sales 35% higher than recent launches in other markets •Direct brand interaction with 125,200 Porch visitors in first six months – and counting•100 million media impressions – NY Times, US Weekly, NY Daily News, NY Post•“NYC’s Best New Outdoor Dining” – Food & Wine Magazine•Summer launch was so successful Southwest extended the Porch through 2011•Industry accolades: “Southwest gets it – you can’t build affinity with megaphones and street teams. But you can build it by inviting people to join you for drinks and conversation on a relaxing, country-style porch! ” (Cohn & Wolf)