WPP Agency SET Launches Smart Home Innovator, Hive, to North America through Vibrant Activations and Retail Engagements

WPP experience agency SET kicks off its partnership with smart home innovator, Hive, by developing retail strategy and environmental installations to help launch the brand in North America.

Building on the launch of Hive’s global repositioning campaign #LetsGetLiving created by its AOR CHI&Partners, SET initially developed an immersive set of activations for launch in seven test markets in middle America and Canada, all focused on generating PR, engaging consumers and gaining awareness among influencers and key retailers.

Among SET’s noteworthy executions was a multi-room pop-up that brings together education, playful product experience and commerce. With social media moments in mind, SET designed vivid, playground-like spaces for adults and kids alike to capture and share memories including a ball pit with ambient color supplied by Hive bulbs and an artificial tree-shaded rest spot complete with video and app-controlled lights and breeze. “The experience direction we looked to achieve was to enable people to immerse themselves in the proposition of what it feels like to Get Living and incorporate Hive’s products throughout the experience to demonstrate how Hive played the role of enabler in the proposition.” says SET President/Chief Strategy Officer Alasdair Lloyd-Jones. Following the initial activations, SET designed and developed standalone mall kiosks to generate awareness and commitments from key retailers and merchandising solutions across all forms of retail from big box to cultural retail.

“Critical to the success of our work was the need to achieve consistency across all channels for Hive,” SET Creative Director Cooper Gill explains. “As a result, our physical builds really feel like you’ve stepped into the brand and each digital touchpoint is a refinement on their existing platforms. Once we start rolling out retail initiatives at major partners like Target, Best Buy, and Home Depot, all channels will feel like one system.”

With its complete system approach and subscription-based model, Hive offers one key differentiator in the smart home marketplace according to Lloyd-Jones. “As a smart home user, there’s nothing more frustrating than having multiple smart home solutions working off multiple apps to engage the smart home functionality,” notes the exec. “Hive offers a complete system and it all works through one simple app and this is what excited us most. It’s a real differentiator and Hive, as far as we are aware, offers the only complete system in the market.”

With the smart home proposition still living at the bleeding edge of technology, SET took the approach of making the experience help users acclimate to the concept of app-based home control systems, but also seamlessly translate Hive’s leading position in the space. Given the extent of the launch, SET had to work closely across several functions and geographies within Hive to deliver solutions that all parties aligned with, and according to Lloyd-Jones, Hive’s commitment to making this work as seamlessly as possible played a significant factor in the success of this launch.

“We want Hive to be a smart home leader in North America and be a leading voice in the category,” the SET exec adds. “Their approach is considered with a focus on the consumer being at the center of the experience. They deserve to do well and we look forward to partnering with them as they expand their footprint globally.”

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About SET:

We are a global creative agency made up of designers, architects, and strategists, driven to create deep connections between brand and audience through concept-driven experiences, primarily in the physical realm.

We collaborate with innovators to solve complex business problems through inventive user experience and design.