Panasonic Secret Heaven

Client: Panasonic PBITS
Case: Secret Heaven
My Role: Concept / Art direction


Problem
Every year there’s a large Broadcaster Technology fair at the Amsterdam RAI (IBC). The price of a stand at this fair does not way up to the leads resulting from it. Panasonic would like to explore possibilities to offer their top relations something outside the fair instead.

Insight
Fair visitors are bored and tired from visiting international fairs and talking about business all the time.


Solution
A highly exclusive cliënt event at another exiting, strange location in Amsterdam. Make this a place to relax and create an experience Panasonic's top cliënts won’t soon forget. Activate the brand promise ‘Ideas for life’. Make this activation an unforgettable experience.


Concept
‘Secret Heaven’. By following the purple butterflies from Amsterdam Central Station, the guests get to the raw, industrial environment of the Post CS building. A white angel on a black stallion shows them the way to a secret entrance. Via a dark tunnel the guests get into Secret Heaven. This is a bright white place with heavenly music and divine fingerfood. A complete contrast with the surroundings of the venue. Halfway through the evening the atmosphere turns around completely. The venue unexpectedly transforms in a dark, mysterious nightclub!

€ 600.000,- worth of Super High Definition equipment and a progressive VJ and DJ made this evening into an overwhelming experience. The transformation gave the visitors the boost they needed that evening.

Result
A very high number of visitors despite of the fact that the location was situated at the other side of the city. Visitors were awed all evening. Panasonic got a large number of sales appointments out of this evening.

Quote
“The team from Usual Suspects has great imagination and knows exactly how to put our message across in the most exciting way”.(Marc Irwin, European Marketing Manager Panasonic PBITS)

More on this case
http://www.flickr.com/photos/usualsuspects/sets/72157606106441457/
http://hk.youtube.com/watch?v=vCBsgyFNoCY
http://www.newmediacongres.nl/view.cfm?page_id=4659

Getty Images Ad Arena

Client: Getty Images
Case: Ad Arena, Tasting The Limits
My Role: Concept / Art direction


Assignment
Create an exhibition in front of the Palais du Festival. This exhibition has to generate traffic to the Getty Images lecture about the boundaries of photography in advertising during the Cannes Lions 2007 in Cannes.

Concept
‘Ad Arena; Tasting the limits’. Right in front of the Palais du Festival we created a square Arena. This structure showed a selection of provocative photos. By using engaging super post-its, passers by could give their opinion about the pictures. After the Lions al the comments were collected and published via gettyimages.com.


Result
The unconventional approach and the interactive component in this concept produced very much press attention. The expo attracted more than 9000 visitors and more than 300 comments. Getty Images strengthened their position as market leader on commercial imagery. The concept was such a great success that Getty Images decided to use it again for this years Cannes Lions festival (2008).

Also view this compilation about all the brand activity of Getty Images in Cannes (al concepted and produced by Usual Suspects):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4GrRahbSCY&feature=related

Quote
“The exhibition was such a success – we’ve had great feedback” (Patrick Dahrs, Corporate events and internal communications manager, EMEA)

More on this case
http://www.flickr.com/photos/27919282@N00/sets/72157605966821322/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izIPZDguWzc

The Playboy Experience

Cliënt: Playboy Netherlands
Case: The Playboy Experience
Role: Art Direction / Creative

Problem
The Playboy Brand has weakened in the Netherlands.

Insight
Internationally the Playboy brand is a very strong and widely aspired brand. This is because of icons like Hugh Heffner and The Playboy Mansion. Also the association with A-class celebrities creates this high level of aspiration.

Solution
The Playboy Experience, a plan that brings back the classical values of the Playboy Brand Identity in a modern way. By focussing on style, grace and class in everything Playboy undertakes these classical values can be revitalised. The Playboy Experience document describes how these values should be translated in several event modules.



Result
More and more consistent Brand Exposure through an integrated live communication approach.

The Naked Poodle

Together with my creative partner at Usual Suspects (Floor Begeman), I competed in PICNIC's creative contest: The Naked Poodle. More about the contest and our concept below.

What is The Naked Poodle?
In three rounds twelve creative teams challenge each other to conquer a pressing social issue. Meanwhile they are aided, agitated, rushed, confronted, interrogated and challenged by three influentials. These renown writers, designers, directors, architects and other gurus barge through the mosh pit from one team to the other. Big Brother cameras record the teams' efforts and instantly send their images to the large screens in the "Transformatorhuis", bringing the pressure to a boiling point. At the end of each 30 minute round an on demand mini-zine with the result of the creative rumble rolls out of the printer: an instant collector's item. The exhausted participants are then carried out of the ring to be replaced by four new and fresh teams.

Briefing Gluttony (round 3)
Find a solution, a way to or create awareness to
make people move or eat healthier.

Our concept

More about The Naked Poodle

http://www.thenakedpoodle.org/

Romantique, l'amour pour IAM

Graduation project HvA Interactive Media
Case: Romantique (l’amour pour IAM)
My Role: Strategy, Concept, Design, Copy and Art Direction


Problem
1. Students and companies in the creative interactive industry have trouble finding each other.
2. Students are not motivated to participate in any initiative outside school.

Insight
1. Both parties are inaccessible to each other. They simply don’t know where to look for each other.



Concept
‘Romantique’. Based on a passion for the industry both students and companies have lots of common ground. Through a series of online questions students where linked to representatives of several companies. In a large dating event on a romantic and informal location in Amsterdam the students got to talk with their dates. The event was combined with workshops about flirting during a job application, how to dress good and the power of confidence.

The concept had a smart marketing strategy designed to motivate student to participate. Weeks before the official launch several teasers (extremely large posters with corny love quotes) were placed within the school building and on the intranet. We also distributed 300 red roses with the logo attached to them in a mysterious ways around the school.


Result
- The event was completely filled. More than 100 students came for their dates
- 30 top companies from the industry participated. We were sponsored by Microsoft.
- Many contacts were made. Many students got a position somewhere because of the event.
- The event was such a success (graded A+), it still succeeds today.

More on this case
http://blog.iamthemedia.nl/romantique-pour-iam-onthult-zich-als-banenmarkt
http://www.marketingfacts.nl/berichten/20070118_romantique_pour_iam/