How do you launch a Gen Z news brand in New York City?
Time travel and immersive theatre.
Making a splash in New York City is notoriously challenging. The News Movement needed something totally unique that would grab the attention of potential partners, make headlines and set them apart from traditional news media. This is how we created an immersive launch event for them.
This Audience
The guest list for this event posed a blend of media and marketing movers and shakers and influential members of Gen Z; the kind of audience that is invited to launch events regularly in the city that never sleeps.
To highlight what makes TNM different, we wanted to show the antithesis of their brand. We created an interactive entrance that transported guests ‘through’ time, taking the audience back to a 1950s New York newsroom to reset their senses and spark their intrigue.
And, scene.
The doors opened to the present day, and the event transformed from monochrome to technicolour, bringing The News Movement’s modern news values to life and launching the brand as an innovative and unstoppable media partner.
Immersive Opening
Guests were cast as employees of The Manhattan Monitor and set tasks by a time-poor editor trying to meet his deadlines. From briefing the actors on guest names ahead of time to sourcing costumes and hairstyles reflective of the era, every detail was considered.
Set Design
Custom headlines were projected around the space, with newspaper clippings curated based on real stories of the 50s. The carefully curated props, such as the phones and typewriters, were used by the actors, which made the event feel alive and interactive from the moment the guests stepped into the experience.
Stepping into the loft launch, the audience was reminded of TNM’s proposition as a credible and fast-moving news source. We anchored The News Movement as a powerful partner by creating a live-action news briefing, inviting the co-founder on stage with two young journalists to demonstrate how a news story is identified, reported and broadcast, whilst simultaneously showcasing their journalist talent.
This Impact
Our understanding of audience engagement completely informed our creative concept. The News Movement was blown away by our ideas and partnership approach, and the success reflected in the advertising interest following the launch.
There was a 91.5% adoption rate from registration to attendance, with 200 acceptances and 183 attendees – unprecedented uptake considering the calibre of the guests.
“I had very high expectations, and this event surpassed all of those. I spent about an hour watching people’s faces as they came in because the reactions were unbelievable; it bonded people who didn’t work together or had never met as they came from the front door. It was one of the best things we could have done at an event.”
– President, The News Movement
