Parallel Perspectives: on a road trip to gather inspiration and insights

January, 2020

Our clients have often been thinking about their challenges for weeks or even months before they turn to us. It is challenging for them to break away from their challenge and open up to new ideas and opportunities. That is why we organise Parallel Perspectives and take our clients on a full-day road trip to visit various companies and experts. We seek relevant inspiration in parallel industries by connecting with thought-leaders, visiting frontrunners to deepen our understanding of future challenges, finding fresh perspectives and exploring new opportunities.

So what can you expect from Parallel Perspectives and what kind of companies or experts do you visit? To give you a sneak preview, we would like to share some insights and topics we covered last year during various Parallel Perspectives.

New Premium

One of the buzz words of 2019 was ‘the new premium’. But, what does new premium mean at this time and what can we learn from innovators who understand the new rules of premium? One of the companies we visited to learn about this theme was Saints & Stars. Saints Stars is a luxury gym that has a premium position in a highly competitive market. The premises has a luxury look, feel, and experience: from workout studio’s to reception and changing rooms, every detail oozes that premium indulgent experience. They are ‘next level’ in making a personal connection with every member during several touchpoints.

Another Dutch brand that understands the new rules of premium is The Grey. The Grey proposes a new direction for men’s skincare and is a well-designed, luxurious, complete, and compact skincare range that meets the standards of the modern man. According to The Grey, premium consumers don’t just want a product but a full experience and engagement. From responding on Instagram to the look and feel of your products and packaging.

Win-win partnerships

At Fronteer, we define a partnership as an arrangement where parties, known as partners, agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests. It is a win-win situation: each partner gets a clear benefit out of the collaboration. So who do you team up with as a brand? One of the most eye-catching retail collaborations of last year was between Sonos and Ikea. They released two Sonos- powered speakers that were designed to look like furniture. Even if people don’t pick up a Symfonisk speaker, the co-branded collaboration still introduces more people to the Sonos brand – as already nearly one billion people strolled Ikea’s aisles in 2019. One of our key take-outs of our visit to Sonos: team up to reach a bigger audience but be selective in choosing your partners.

Another company we visited to learn more about partnerships was Rapha, a sportswear and lifestyle brand focused on-road cycling. They launched many collaborations during the year: from sponsoring professional riders to teaming up with like-minded brands and artists. Exclusivity plays an important part in these collaborations. Each collaboration with artists from around the world is, for example, inspired by each artist’s local riding and will be only available to buy in strictly limited numbers in specific chosen local stores. On the other hand, Rapha is the official sponsor of Team EF Education First Pro Cycling Team. This partnership follows a two-year study conducted by Rapha into the future of professional cycling. Together, Rapha and EF Education First will celebrate the team’s characters and heroes by showcasing their stories.

Next generations

As we discussed earlier, the next generations are on their way. We’d better take upcoming generations seriously and speed up with reality as 75% of the global workforce will be taken by Millennials (gen Y) in 2020. To create a better understanding of what fascinates young people and keeps them busy, we spoke with Youngworks. Youngworks is an agency that connects brands and organisations with young people. One of the many insights is that generational thinking is not enough. As a brand, you need to look beyond generational thinking and understand various life stages and their contexts. There are different target groups within generations, depending on where they grow up and with whom they surround themselves.

Fresh ideas and insights

For our clients and for us, Parallel Perspectives are a great start of a successful project, ready to co-create new ideas and solutions. Did we spark your curiousity about our Parallel Perspectives and other services? Read more about our approach and feel free to get in touch at info@elementalstrategy.com