NEW YORK and SAN FRANCISCO, November 13, 2014 /PRNewswire/ —
Just in time for the holidays, German premium audio brand Sennheiser [http://en-us.sennheiser.com ] announces it will open two temporary concept stores in the U.S., running from November 22nd to December 28th. To increase consumer awareness on the benefits of premium sound and the Sennheiser brand, the experiential stores will feature an audiovisual cocoon design, host events and premiere an interactive installation by Andreas Muller of Nanika.
(Logo:
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20141113/717112-a )
(Photo:
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20141113/717112-b )
Located in the trend-setting neighborhoods of New York’s Lower East Side and San
Francisco’s Mission District, the stores will act as urban hubs, allowing visitors to hang
out and enjoy the pleasures of excellent sound (#earlove) while browsing through a
selection of curated magazines and playlists. They will also be offered refreshment
drinks.
The concept stores will feature a mélange of sonic and visual elements, interluding
between abstracted forms, cityscapes and visual sound waves. Grey acoustic panels will
cover the walls and not only convey a unique visual experience, but also reduce outside
noise and create a sonic ‘cocoon’ – a temporary ‘escape’ from the Christmas shopping
hustle.
Each store will feature a DJ booth and gaming area where visitors can test specific
products in their home environment. Another highlight is an interactive audiovisual
installation by Andreas Muller which will visualize the ambient sounds outside the stores
in real-time.
While Sennheiser offers many professional audio products, the store’s offering will
focus on Sennheiser’s consumer headphones: the recently launched young URBANITE, the
premium MOMENTUM ON-EAR and smaller earphones. Prices will range between $20.00 – $300.00.
“The primary mission of these pop up stores is to offer urban consumers a deeper
appreciation of premium sound, while encouraging them to foster a closer relationship with
Sennheiser,” explains Stefanie Reichert, Director Strategic Marketing Sennheiser. “During
November and December, in each of these U.S. urban capitals, consumers will have the
opportunity to interact directly with our brand, giving us the opportunity to better
understand customers’ needs while perhaps influencing their decision-making criteria.”
In-Store Events
In the New York store, Sennheiser will host weekly events with local musicians and
artists that will be live streamed on Sennheiser’s website. Vogue’s ‘One to Watch’ 2014
Marques Toliver is already confirmed. Others will be announced soon.
The Design
Inspired by Sennheiser’s mission ‘The Pursuit of Perfect Sound’, the award-winning
spatial designer Helen Sirp collaborated with Saintil Communications creative director
Jean-Robert Saintil to create the experience of the stores. Envisioning a sanctuary for
excellent sound, Sirp explains: “I wanted to create a space that offers a unique
experience for sound and was intrigued by the contrast of sound vs silence. That’s why we
chose the grey acoustic panels which also match Sennheiser’s corporate colors quite
nicely. I especially like that the stores are in urban areas – sound waves meeting the
cityscape!”
Central to the store space is the installation of the URBANITE headphones which will
be placed on illuminated ‘sound towers’. These will form a visual ‘sound wave’ of light
which echoes the urban environment, reflecting the cityscape in an abstracted form
extending over the entire space. The second product series, the MOMENTUM On-Ear
headphones, will be housed in milky perspex illuminated towers converging out of walls
horizontally.
The window installation by Andreas Muller of London-based interactive design firm
Nanika [http://www.nanikawa.com ] visualizes the ambient sound inside stores to the
outside world in a real-time 3D display.
Helen Sirp, [http://helensirp.com ] the London-based designer who graduated at the
talent pool Central Saint Martin’s, is best-known for designing and curating retail and
event spaces for the lingerie label Kriss Soonik, top-line London creative agency My
Beautiful City and Eesti Disainikeskus (The Estonian Design Centre) which was awarded as
best ‘International Fashion Showcase’ by the British Council during London Fashion Week
2013.
#Earlove
The opening of Sennheiser’s concept stores follows the company’s highly successful
‘Let Your Ears Be Loved [http://sennheiser-urbanite.com/en-US ]’ campaign that launched
earlier this fall, and gained over one million views in just ten days. The campaign, which
features video, social media and experiential event components – each driven by a sensual
and somewhat controversial German-accented ‘URBANITE headphone character’ – encourages
millennial consumers to pamper their ears with aural pleasure.
Sennheiser
Sennheiser is a leading manufacturer of microphones, headphones and wireless
transmission systems for professional use in the music and sound industries, conferencing,
as well as for private use. The audio specialist brand puts great effort into audio
development, innovation, excellence and science – making it a real icon among people in
the audio and music industries.
Founded in 1945, the Sennheiser Group is headquartered in Wedemark near Hanover,
Germany, and employs more than 2,500 staff worldwide with a network of subsidiaries in
France, Great Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, Ireland,
Germany, Denmark (Nordic), Russia, Hongkong, India, Singapore, Japan, China, Australia and
New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, and the USA. It also has long-established trading partners in
other countries. Georg Neumann GmbH, Berlin, a maker of studio microphones and monitor
speakers, and Sennheiser Communications A/S, a joint venture making headsets for PCs,
offices and call centers, are also part of the Sennheiser Group. Sales in 2013 totaled
590.4 million euros.
Pop up store address details
New York City
11 Kenmare Street
New York, NY 10012
Directions: Between Bowery & Elizabeth
Subway: Bowery (J, Z)
San Francisco
2277 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
Directions: Between 18th & 19th Street
Contact
sara [at] saintilcommunications [dot] com
Photo:
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20141113/717112-a
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20141113/717112-b
Photo:http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20141113/717112-a
Photo:http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20141113/717112-b
Sennheiser
CONTACT: Sara Kietzmann, +44(0)203-143-3586
