Last month, ahead of the TCS New York City Marathon, local NYC-based creative agency and production shop N/A Collective partnered with sport headphone brand, Jaybird to launch a weekend full of immersive experiences geared toward marathon enthusiasts and the public.
Held in Brooklyn on November 2 and 3, N/A Collective and Jaybird hosted sessions encouraging visitors to participate in a three-part unique sit-down-audio headspace experience.
By providing many with specifically designed Jaybird headphones, visitors enjoyed activities such as:
· New product tech demo and hammock forest: Visitors walked in and were greeted by a Jaybird Ambassador who told them all about their four products. As visitors got geared up with custom fit earbuds, they were guided into the “hammock forest.” Here they had the opportunity to lay in a hammock and go through a meditative headspace session.
· Experience Zwift treadmill experience: Following the meditation, visitors went upstairs to enjoy a 10-15 minute workout experience where they got to virtually run through a course on a Zwift treadmill.
· Watch Jaybird Run Wild Movie: As part of the last portion of this experience, visitors got to watch the newest six minute Jaybird film in their Run Wild series.
N/A Collective took some time to answer a few questions about what went into bringing this experience to life.
What did the brief ask, and what challenges did it present?
The brief asked us to help a young brand make a big impact in the often crowded space of NYC during marathon season; the pinnacle of running focus in the fall. Every brand associated with running is asking themselves this, even as others that may not normally be associated with running look to capture the energy, excitement, and influx of individuals that travel to New York City to compete, observe, and revel in an epic experience. How does Jaybird stand out amongst all of this and introduce themselves to New York?
Which insights led you to go in the direction you chose with the space? Did you learn anything that surprised you?
Jaybird’s key demographic, the relentless trailblazer led us to focus our efforts in Williamsburg. We wanted a space that captured the relentless trailblazer mindset, something unique in New York, but still true to Jaybird’s roots. Knowing that this was Jaybird’s first time introducing themselves to New York City we wanted to bring their brand tone and style to New York. We knew the traditional shopping districts of Soho, Midtown etc. weren’t the right fit for our audience or the Jaybird brand and Williamsburg offered up a lot of freedom and aligned with our approach. Maybe not a surprise but the fact that mindfulness in performance is becoming more mainstream and there is a high demand for it, was fantastic to see. The mental aspect is so important and it’s exciting to see brands embracing it.
How did the client initially react to the idea when you presented it?
We spoke to them from the perspective of runner to runner. We are passionate about running at N/A Collective (multiple marathoners, collegiate stars and current runners) and this was evident in our initial ideas. It resonated strongly and together as one team we kept building from there.
Did you have any unexpected reactions to the “hammock forest” meditation?
I think the unexpected reaction was on our part and how naturally guests acclimated to that experience. It was a natural bridge into a mindfulness experience and was embraced more than we initially expected.
What was the greatest challenge that you and your team faced during the creation of these spaces?
Ensuring that the space felt truly authentic to Jaybird, a brand still growing and evolving visually, while entering a new space and city was the most challenging. Given that New York City is such a strong brand as a city and running culture is so prolific it was important to filter New York City through the lens of Jaybird. We needed to show that the brand could impact New York and New York running culture in a thoughtful way.
What did you enjoy most about seeing this through? Did you learn anything new from the experience?
We really enjoyed getting to know the Jaybird team, experiencing the passion for what they do and seeing all that they continue to do in the headphone space. It’s a very exciting time in the wireless headphone industry and Jaybird is changing the game with their technology. It was exciting to be able to bring these new products and a new way of approaching sport/running mindfulness to our hometown of New York City and our favorite run crews.
Are Jaybird and N/A Collective planning on bringing this experience or something similar to other marathons in the future?
You’ll just have to wait and see