FM 2023 complete (1) - Flipbook - Page 15
Event Review: The Rituals
of Sakura
Words and pictures: Frank Wainwright
I love it when I get to go to a brand
experience for a brand where I don’t feel
that I am the primary target. It means that
I can judge the experience without
preconceptions and the brand
ambassadors are challenged to make sure
I feel included.
My brand preconceptions were not zero,
when I had told others I would be going to
see Rituals Cosmetics’ The Ritual of
Sakura Collection in Covent Garden, some
friends were loudly expressive of their
jealousy.
The experience, a pop-up designed and
developed by Backlash, at 4 Henrietta
Street, Covent Garden, would be a chance
for me to immerse myself in the bestselling aforementioned Collection, a
springtime celebration scented with the
aromas of cherry blossom and rice milk.
This was a two-day experience, 21-22 April
2023, and I went on the Friday. It was a
ticketed affair, in a thoughtful way, with a
£10 ticket being redeemable against £15
worth of product. There was a nice bit of
bustle around the doorway on the light
rainy morning I attended suggesting
excitement and busyness but not a
discouraging queue nor a sense of hurry.
The studied lack of hurry was in fact my
main take-out from this event. Brand
immersion needs space to breathe. This
experience had been designed to
accentuate calmness and to provide a
relaxing walk through. Notwithstanding, the
experience had lofty ambitions to
rejuvenate the mind, body and soul of its
customers.
Whilst a complete rejuvenation was beyond
any likelihood in my case the experience
did make a very good attempt to engage
with my mind, soothe me physically and
depart soulfully. The blossom tree set
used WebAR to playfully engage. The tech
was very much a nice add on alongside
traditional sensory touchpoints –
messages to write, photos to take, tea to
taste and best of all, a hand massage.
Budget holders take note, there’s nothing
a digital advert can do to equate to a hand
massage. The human touch is a powerful
thing, something we fully understood when
Covid took hugs away. My hand massage
connected me to another person but also
in that moment – and I only know this for
certain a few weeks post experience – it
connected me to the brand. I was literally
asked ‘how do you feel about the Rituals
brand now? and I answered ‘warm’, and it
brought to mind the arrival of Springtime.
Human touch, human warmth, it is part of
our daily connection with others. I reflect
that Rituals is very well named for the
Sakura Collection, a softly scented product
that would help anyone feel balanced and
ready for the day ahead.
Summer 2023
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