The Gathery is an editorially-born creative agency founded by Luigi Tadini and Nicky Balestrieri that specializes in brand marketing and content creation. Tadini shares his experiences of collaborating with brands on virtual experiences & events over the course of COVID-19 and how they work to enhance the human and consumer experience.
How has The Gathery approached experiential marketing through a contactless environment?
Experiences are at the core of our practice. In creating The Gathery and over the course of our nearly 20-year career, Nicky and I have always believed in the transformative power of experience. When COVID-19 hit our industry and nearly decimated experiential marketing, we questioned whether and how we should pivot. In the months to follow, we watched many of our competitors offer new services that leaned heavily on digital. While some of these tactics seemed innovative, most felt flat and reactionary. Ultimately, they all missed point – the human component.
When Zoom-fatigue quickly set in, we knew more than ever that it was important to bring the tactile elements of experience even in a social distant setting. We utilize our audience’s senses to build true and meaningful bonds between customers and brands, so we decided to stick to what we do best – devise compelling brand stories and find new ways to deliver sense-driven experiences to audiences through new mediums.
How are you re-imaging events?
We believe events should always be driven by storytelling and the human component. During quarantine, we were tasked with creating in-home experiences for our fashion brands and media clients to replace what would have been premiere screening events and fashion shows. Instead of leaning into the virtual, we re-imagined these experiences into story-led boxes, allowing our guests to touch, see, feel and discover new collections or shows through their senses at home. By designing these ‘experiences delivered’ in eye-catching and clever ways, we prompted recipients to share their discoveries through their own networks expanding the brand’s stories to even wider audiences.
Do you think we will get back to a place where in-person experiences are the norm?
I don’t think there will ever be a world where people will opt out of in-person experiences for digital in the long run. While it would be naïve to think live experiences won’t change to adapt to our new times, I believe this period has made everyone far more conscious of the importance and impact of live gatherings. Nothing can really replace the experience of sitting in a dark theater, the energy of a live concert, the thrill of a fashion show or the cathartic feeling of a crowded dance floor. As we patiently wait for the world to resume, we can only adapt to bring some of the humanity of these experiences to a safe and contactless environment.
What is The Gathery most excited about/what’s coming up in 2021?
Being a Brooklyn-based company, we are very excited to be a part of rebuilding our city. New York is our greatest muse and the people, cultures, sounds and energy of the city has never seized to inspire us. In these times, we have felt ever more compelled to utilize our initiatives to support, promote and celebrate the people, businesses and organizations that make our city unique. It is our roles as marketers that allow us to highlight and invest in the things that matter.
A recent example was a project we created and produced for HBO Max’s Season 3 Premiere of Search Party. Originally imagined as a launch event, the activation was quickly adapted to an in-home experience. Since the show takes place in Brooklyn, we curated and partnered with over 25 neighborhood-businesses who were impacted or shuttered by the health crisis earlier this year.
Another example was an initiative we produced for the Season 4 premiere of hit comedy series High Maintenance. Instead of the staple screening event, we invested the marketing funds to refurbish a local Bushwick public park giving back to the community that is the setting for the show and mining some of the latest season’s themes to inspire our park design. The park was opened during quarantine providing a safe and socially distance outdoor environment to the mostly elderly neighboring community on Powers Street.
Can share some tips on how brands can execute a successful virtual experience?
Stick to what you know. Invest in the tactile and make sure to use virtual extensions only and when they amplify or help tell your story. Technology is a wonderful thing, especially when it can break barriers and connect the public directly to the creatives behind the product – the source. Certain industries, like fashion and education, can benefit from the access virtual and digital platforms provide. That said, we still believe that the virtual component should always be an extension of an experience and not the core of the experience itself. At the end of the day, a consumer will have to touch the product at some point.
What are consumers looking for when it comes to virtual brand experiences?
Connection. When we were all forced into our homes, we understood more than ever the importance of human connection. While these new virtual mediums help us connect and stay in touch, our IRL experiences are what builds bonds and bring us together. Consumers are looking for connection, so the most impactful virtual brand experiences are those that marry real-life tactile components with the ease and boundary-breaking access of our new technologies.
