Darty, France’s leading company in the distribution of electronics, appliances, computers and telephony, chooses IAKI to design a below the line project in-store. Sandro Marchetti, CEO of IAKI, tells us how it went.
What were the client’s objectives?
Generating traffic to the stores, increasing sales, developing a positioning effectively striking a balance between the product supply and communication.
How have you tackled the task?
We have defined a communication strategy focused on a language that is both commercial and creative that takes into account not only the products offered, but also the originality of communication. All below the line materials in-store have been designed with this aim; in order to create traffic, visibility and brand awareness.
Tell us about the below the line project that you developed.
Darty had little awareness in its target audience, the brand reputation was little established in Italy, so it needed a strong, clear, memorable strategy, based primarily on people’s needs. With this in mind we started with the first complete redesign of the communication media of Darty, the flyer, redesigning the graphics and conceptual lines, and commercial areas as well, making them more flexible for vendors. Compared with the previous flyer, now it finally seems as a child of the same mother! Now it had a brand identity!
Some examples of art direction?
The stylistic references, color choices, the language of the titles, all had a common thread matching the new brand guidelines. Red ears that recall the Darty logo, the breath of white that recalls the dominant color of the pages, the minimalism of the spaces marked with the cleaning and the sharpness of his character, are all creative gimmicks to support a strong and clear brand identity.
An extended below the line project then?
Of course! IAKI, as you know, likes to do things big! We like to combine many small pieces, to achieve a single objective which is right for the client, for the people and for the agency. In fact, we have not limited ourselves to the flyer, but we brought the communication strategy right into the store. Rotair, price signs, signals orientation inside the store, totems, exhibitors and panels all showcase a language that’s intuitive, creative and inviting and that’s enticed consumers. The copy has ridden the so-called “phrases” in order to create a more intimate relationship and empathy with people. We knew that in this way the result would have been reached almost spontaneously. We IAKI know that “talking” to people is far more effective and important than mere “saying”. But we did a little bit more, we talked even more with people.
Sandro drums on the table with his fingers, and suddenly smiles. Below the line that talks he says… please tell us something more.
Well yes, dialogue is the key word. We redesigned Darty’s Bill of rights, a bill designed for people and whose language is at people’s level. A visual-conceptual language which is clean, straight, young, in line with the new guidelines of Darty. “10 ways to tell you that we do not leave you alone, tomorrow like today. And we write it in black and white” is the motto, the signature, stamp. A new awareness for Darty, fueled with conversations everywhere in the world of below-the-line: windows of the store, internal corners and information desks. A project of integrated communication seamlessly fitting the new DNA of the brand.