Talking heads...with Georgia Reed
What does the future of brand experiences and events look like? Adapting our activity.
2020 has been unpredictable to say the least. As the pandemic continues to keep event venues shut, and as our team in London adheres to the (current) six-person rule, events seem like a distant memory. Not so long ago we were able to host beautiful breakfasts with press, interactive workshops with influencers, or pop-ups for the public, showcasing brand launches and newness.
Isolation has meant we’ve had to adapt our activities, shifting towards digital solutions. We’ve managed to pivot our launch moments, taking it online with good old-fashioned elements of physicality. Here is a snapshot of what the beauty team has been up to over the last couple of months…
Dermalogica ClearStart: To launch the latest FlashFoliant product, we hosted an interactive webinar to introduce the range. Gen Z influencers were all invited to hop on the ZOOM for a “play and learn” session with our Dermalogica Education team, who took them through a ClearStart skincare routine, followed by our abstract artist, who hosted an interactive painting class, highlighting techniques on “creating an inner glow”. Attendees received a gift box in the morning featuring all the items they’d need for the event, including the full ClearStart product line up and branded paints and paper to get arty in our interactive painting class.
John Frieda X Deliveroo: Our original plan to leverage John Frieda’s Blonde ranges involved sampling to the public at popular UK hotspots. Re-thinking our strategy and pulling on everybody being at-home, we excitingly collaborated with Deliveroo. The partnership offered exclusive John Frieda X Deliveroo Blonde hair kits, available to order from the Deliveroo menu – straight to your door. What’s more, proceeds from the activity were donated to John Frieda’s charity partner, The Little Princess Trust.
Trinny London: To celebrate the brand’s biggest launch of the year, BFF De-Stress, we needed to do raise the bar with something special. With large-scale in-person events off the table, we invited journalists for socially distanced meetings, whether it be a dog walk in media’s local parks or a coffee at their local coffee shop – we took the new launch direct to them, allowing for press to be fully immersed firsthand. We created the Trinny Mini, a branded electric Mini Cooper, for content creation and an added element of excitement on social media as Trinny drove around London to appointments. Alongside this, we sent out 200 creative mailers, landing the product straight in the hands of press, influencers and makeup artists with hugely successful results.
So, what’s the future? A digital and real-life hybrid is likely to continue for some time. Brand experiences, events and immersion is still so important, yet virtual aspects allow us to capture wider audiences. There are benefits that both can have, but nothing beats the buzz of face-to-face moments. We’re looking forward to seeing the creativity and innovation that this brings to the industry. Stay tuned until next time…