HearDis! Adapted In-store Music to the Premium Brand Repositioning
Esteemed in the worldwide fashion industry, German premium fashion house Hugo Boss boasts an inherent prowess to foresee and smartly adapt to the evolving trends of a perpetually dynamic market. Recently, the Metzingen-born Group executed a repositioning of its fashion-conscious brand HUGO. So as to guarantee an intuitive perception of the HUGO brand across communication channels, HearDis! conceived a comprehensive realignment of the in-store music for worldwide touchpoints of the premium brand.
Setting the Context to Delineate the Frame of Audio Branding
New generations introduce new attitudes and standards. Today, we live in time of individuality, with a youth incrementally relying on means for self-expression, regard for the eccentric and an eager desire to freely create and challenge the status-quo. Hugo Boss is committed to fulfil such yearning with HUGO, now addressing an audience of millennials and influencers: marked by an urge for authentic expression, these are citizens of the world who have passionate interests, particularly in their on-trend approach.
Accordingly, the Group produced a fresh concept store for HUGO by focusing on the unconventional and iconic: in harmony with the loyal red colour, the interior design highlights clean contours with elaborate features, modern furniture, refined textiles, and a multipurpose service area blending digital media with the traditional appeal of a bar. Within this framework, we translated HUGO’s brand identity and core values into their respective significance from a audio branding viewpoint to delineate the new in-store music profile to optimally suit the present shop concept.
Decoding the Music DNA of HUGO
Musically, the history of the brand has always indicated an evident appreciation for the electronic scene, especially that of Berlin and broader Germany. Over time, such a fondness denoted the sound of HUGO and distinguished it in the market. This is why we decided to treat electronic music as the foundation of the in-store music profile, now adapted to the re-positioning of the brand. Having identified the revolving frame, we then elaborated those sounds that would best resonate with the specific brand values:
For starters, HUGO is to curate and inspire with contemporary music gems across dance, house, electro and electro-pop - whose discovery calls for assured excitement for the latest unconventional trend. Next, HUGO is to unlock possibilities with 80s-90s tunes from new wave to rave - this way eliciting a joyful nostalgia that indulges the need of authentic expression. Lastly, HUGO is to dare and experiment by combining and re-contextualising different elements together (genres, time period, styles) - for the sake of individuality and thirst for curiosity. So as to ensure a thorough representation of the brand, we smartly interlaced these music directions, where each expresses a singularity of the brand, while together they form a bold yet playfully fresh mix, nevertheless promising an authentically expressive and inspiring atmosphere.
Strengthening Marketing Efforts through Branded Content, always On-point
With the case of HUGO, it is clear that the newly fine-tuned positioning of the brand required an overarching realignment of different elements within the branding strategy. Music expresses mindsets and atmospheres, and because of that, it serves as a key asset to strengthen marketing efforts of brands. Particularly with our curation of in-store music for HUGO, the premium brand can now benefit from audible content tailored to its repositioning and new concept store, always on-point.
