BIRCH in NYC: Observations from the Big Apple

A week of meetings has reaffirmed a few things...

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A bite-sized update this week, while it’s hectic in the studio. We’ve just returned from a week of meetings in New York, so we thought we’d share some observations from our time across the pond.

1. New York feels alive in a way that London hasn’t in years

We don’t like to be down on our home city, but London feels flat – it has done for much of this year. NYC, by contrast, felt optimistic, energised and open for business (to our team, at least). A week of bright sunshine possibly helped. There’s an entrepreneurial and creative spirit in the city, which left us feeling both invigorated and upbeat. It feels like a good city for creative businesses, right now.

We plan to spend more time in New York during the second half of this year. If you’d like to connect or discuss a project in the US, you can reach us here.

2. Small agency vs big agency is finally becoming a reality

One of our catch-ups was with Sarah Watson, who spent some time with our founder earlier this year, when he was invited to participate in D&AD’s inaugural Creative Leaders programme. Few people in our industry have the experience that she can bring to bear, given her years spent as BBH’s Chief Strategy Officer and Global Chair.

One thing she’s noticed: Big agencies are getting smaller at a rate of knots, and small agencies are growing. Are we entering an era where more independents start to take on corporates? Let’s hope so.

3. Taste is more important than ever

We know this is a drum we’ve been banging for the last two weeks, but many of other conversations we had last week confirmed it. We caught up with Nick Ragosta, the co-founder of menswear brand Stòffa, in the brand’s immaculate new Soho boutique. The space was chic, thoughtful and a crystal-clear distillation of Stòffa’s own taste level.

It also feels intentionally curated – and the sense of curation that permeates the brand is what’s enabled Stòffa to grow so steadily in recent years, Nick says. “Consumers are seeking brands that feel unique, expressive and human – not like predictable luxury machines,” he told us. He’s right.

4. Luxury is moving from novelty to legacy

So says Highsnobiety’s latest research report, Luxury Redefined, for which the Highsnobiety team interviewed almost 7,000 luxury consumers in 11 global markets, in partnership with Boston Consulting Group. We attended a presentation by Harry Bainbridge, Highsnob’s Head of Strategy at Nine Orchard, where he boiled down the report to three fundamentals.

First: Product knowledge is becoming cultural currency, as consumers reconnect with craft-led brands. With this shift back to ‘commercial luxury’, brand icons, like Chanel’s ballet pumps, or the New Balance 991, are back at the heart of consumer spending. Secondly, ephemeral, mood-based advertising is out, in favour of storytelling that evidences a brand’s pedigree. And, in tune with these two shifts, high-end brands are having to reverse away from novelty, both in terms of product and marketing, towards communicating legacy, longevity and authenticity.

5. ‘OOH’ ads are alive and well

Why does an out-of-home ad in New York look so much more glamorous than one in the UK? We were struck by the variety, quality and impact of large-format, OOH display ads in the city. In Manhattan, every ad placement was full – and always occupied a serious brand. Four Seasons and Loewe were both running standout campaigns, for example.

We find often that UK-based clients are resistant to OOH ads, but, in a digital age, OOH can hold a similar power to print publishing, which we’ve talked about before with The Brand Identity. A great billboard can stop you in your tracks and consider the story in front you like a painting in a gallery. It asks to be contemplated, not swiped over. You just need to nail the story you’re telling.

That’s it for NYC, this time around. We’ll be back in September.

Next week: An interview with one of New York’s most fascinating hoteliers. Stay tuned.