A Mini Retrospective

Is there anything that hasn’t already been said about nostalgia? The culture is obsessed with it; it shows up in the form of tv reboots of old shows and anticipated film sequels. Then there’s Gen Z’s nostalgia for eras they barely remember, like the early 2000s or the peaceful idylls at the centre of cottagecore. And of course, there is the nostalgia for what could have been in 2020. Already, the missives and reflections of quarantine are slowly starting to make their rounds as we approach the anniversary of our changed lives.

We were tempted to do the same, but honestly, we’ve travelled down that road. Still, we wanted to give in to the urge to reminisce, so we thought we would reflect on what has happened recently — namely, some of the work we’re proud to have undertaken this year. Read on for our mini retrospective.

Life Coach New York

Okay, we know we said work from this year but we have some pretty huge news about our Life Coach experiential moment from 2018: it won a 2020 BizBash Event Style Award! Life Coach was BizBash’s Best Millennial/Gen Z Event of the Decade.✨

To reimagine Coach for a young, experience-hungry crowd, we drew on new spirituality to build an immersive, sensory environment that allowed guests to document their journey while promoting opportunities for genuine interaction. We also tapped the electric energy of Coney Island, the intrigue of psychics, and the allure of the mystical to create a calendar of cultural programming to round out the experience, which drew 141.8m social impressions and increased in-store foot traffic by 305%.

Pandora Colors

Amidst the grey of winter, we tapped into the vibrancy of color for Pandora Jewelry. To celebrate the launch of their Pandora Colors collection, we brought together a diverse cast of individuals with their own dynamic sense of self and style. Lachlan Watson, Deon Hinton, Sophia Li, Lorely Rodriguez, and Gabrielle Richardson embodied five Pandora colors — light blue, dark blue, green, red, and pink — and were photographed by the visionary Luke Gilford. A team of creative stylists like Rachel Wang and Raisa Flowers helped us bring the chromatic vibes of the collection to life. The campaign not only garnered a comprehensive engagement rate of 29%, it also inspired conversation and captured the spirit of the cultural moment by tapping the zeitgeist’s emerging icons.

#BlackBeyondMeasure: Target Black History Month, 2021

Following a summer that sparked necessary conversations around race in the US and worldwide, we knew Black History Month this year would have a distinct texture to it, especially for brands. To celebrate and observe the month, we engaged three members of our Target Talent cast to create content moments that would encourage reflection, engage with cultural tensions, and speak to their unique POVs in authentic, non-performative ways.

Parker Kit Hill was in conversation with George M Johnson, acclaimed author of All Boys Aren’t Blue, and Deon Hinton, discussing Black queerness and the journey to becoming authentically themselves. Sharing intergenerational wisdom, Tabitha Brown had a virtual teatime catch-up with Parker, talking about mental health and the importance of checking in. And, Glen Henry celebrated everyday life in Being Black is Enough, a poetic, visual ode to the beauty of just being. The campaign was led by our creative partners, not by product, and resulted in emotionally resonant storytelling that beat the industry standard by 25%.

Future Work

We’ve been working on some special projects behind the scenes the past few weeks, crafting something that we’re proud of – but can’t share just yet. Watch this space. 👀

The social landscape is going to be awash with reflections of the past year in the weeks to come, and no doubt we’ll be doing the same on a personal level. And as a collective, we’ll also be reflecting on the current state of culture. On its fluctuations and changes, on what may come — from new platforms to innovative creators to emerging movements. If you want to learn more about how we engage with and observe the culture, or about the work we’ve done this year or in years past, drop us a line!

Catchya,
Brenda