Into the Unknown.
Helping clients to see an old product in a new light.
Client
Client Confidential
Studio Expertise
Event Design
Creative Strategy & Concept
Storytelling: name, tagline, key messages
Venue Sourcing
Experience Design
Communication & Content
Briefing & Management of all contributors
Event Management & Production from A to Z
Project Partners
Graphic Design - Benoit Clair Leonardo Da Vinci Museum - Milan
In a nutshell
Trade shows are a battleground for attention. Our client wanted to use the opportunity to promote a product that their customers thought was old news.
Their need was to shift mindsets rather than simply diffuse information. This meant finding a way to access their customers’ full and undivided attention for more than a few minutes. Because there was no space within the trade show schedule, anything they did had to take place during delegates’ free time. But who would waste their time going to a presentation on a product they think they already know?
The solution was to redesign the communication around the product in such a way as to render it totally unknown to delegates. We transformed the standard product presentation into an innovative talk-show spearheaded by leading industry experts. By creating a unique brand universe as well as an enigmatic communication campaign, we provoked curiosity to such an extent that delegates voluntarily gave up their free time to attend. The result was not just a full house, but a willing audience that had understood there was something more to discover. And this is precisely the message our client wanted to deliver.
5 minutes read
Insight
Perhaps the single biggest obstacle when trying to communicate something new is the belief — I already know. As long as we think we know, there is very little room for listening. And without listening, communication is difficult.
Contrary to what we might think, effective communication design is one that succeeds in showing us just how little we actually know about things. It moves us from a state of I know to a state where we feel Ah, there might be something new to learn here. It frees us from our preconceptions and allows us to see things anew.
Leonardo da Vinci – illustration for The Divine Proportion.
— Is what you see all there is?
Our client needed to deliver a message about a product that everyone thought they knew. So the goal was to move people from the known to the unknown.
What we did
We started from the principle that every detail of this communication campaign would have to have the quality of never been seen before.
1.
Changing the topic
Because customers considered the product to be old news, we shifted the focus of the event from the product to a celebration of innovation. The trade show was in Italy, so we designed an event inspired by one of the greatest Italian inventors of all time: Leonardo Da Vinci.
2.
From a PPT Presentation to Saturday Night Live in Milan
We created a new kind of product presentation in the style of a late night TV talk show.
To host the show, we brought together four of the industry’s leading experts. Over a period of several months, we worked with them to develop a script that adapted the key messages and questions into a talk-show format. This transformed what could have been a didactic, passive presentation into a dynamic interview that was entertaining, provocative and educational.
The design of the experience worked on two levels: not only was the content new, but the way it was delivered was unlike anything our client had done before.
3.
An evening to remember
The Leonardo Da Vinci Museum was privatised for the event. We chose it for its link with innovation and excellence, reflecting the qualities of the product being presented. The atmosphere and gravitas of the venue reinforced the sincerity and authenticity behind the messages being delivered while giving delegates a delightful experience they would never forget.
Following the talk show, we organised a networking reception and dinner under the stars. This created a more informal setting where delegates could unwind, continue the conversations sparked by the event, and exchange ideas with their peers away from the usual trade-show scene.
4.
Overcoming Deja Vu
To pierce through any sense of deja vu or ideas such as I already know all about this, we created a unique brand universe for the event. From the Save the Date to the invitations and tickets, every detail was designed to intrigue and delight
Event tickets used Leonardo Da Vinci's mirror script.
5.
Intrigue Until the End
Right up until the very last minute, there was a real risk that customers wouldn’t attend because they were being pulled in all directions by competing events. Our strategy was to reveal as little as possible. Communication was rolled out in carefully timed phases and kept deliberately enigmatic and ambiguous to spark curiosity and generate questions, the answers to which would only be revealed on the night.
Phase 1 consisted of a printed invitation delivered by hand to customers in advance of the trade show. This was followed up by personal phone calls from sales reps to confirm attendance.
Phase 2 was a printed program with additional details that was delivered to the hotel room of each customer on the first day of the trade show week.
Phase 3 took the form of a ticket that was handed to customers as they boarded the buses to the venue. It featured a puzzle generating intrigue on the journey.
Results
The knock-on effect.
Getting bodies on seats is one thing. Getting people to listen is another.
The important result of this campaign was that by the time people arrived at the event, we had already created a sense of curiosity and an opening for new learning. Customers arrived expecting the unexpected which gave our client the opportunity to deliver their message.
Not only did the event succeed in communicating the message to customers, it had a knock-on effect which increased product awareness and knowledge internally among sales reps and marketing teams.
In addition, the project helped our client to clarify their strategy regarding the product in question. By working on the essence of the issue and addressing difficult questions around how to shift mindsets and change perception, senior management were able to clarify their global business vision and strategy for the product.
On the back of this event we launched a global awareness campaign which was driven by the insights and content that were identified and developed for the trade show meeting.
Let’s talk! — We’ll look after you.