The force of advertising has always been based on the “capacity to offer, in very limited time or space, a remarkable quantity of information and emotions through the interaction of two modes of expression, verbal and visual” – the expert Annamaria Testa explains. In other words, text + image. With the advent of new digital systems and technologies available for use, our relationship with information and communication has evolved, becoming more assiduous and more interactive, to the point of engaging us in a multisensory experience. An approach that has not failed to be noticed by traditional advertising models, which in their effort to “offer information and emotions” have adapted to the contemporary world. How? The new advertising campaign of Poltrona Frau is a good example: under the name “Made of Stories,” it combines past and present, paper and digital in a single presentation, combining photography and augmented reality.
In “Made of Stories” a series of Poltrona Frau products (like the Let it be sofa, the Bolero table, the Archibald chair) are immortalized in a setting of varied forms and shadings, where only the individual pieces are in focus, representing the only fixed point of reference in the composition. But the scenarios of the campaign also expand, and the levels of interpretation are multiplied by means of AR – augmented reality – technology, which becomes part of the advertising via QR code: catching the code, we enter new dimensions, revealing the true nature of the narrative and the domestic landscape in which it unfolds.
From printed paper, then, further digital contents emerge in greater depth in the form of videos, which narrate “Stories of Design,” i.e. the creative processes of designers and architects collaborating with the brand, “Stories of Craftsmanship,” hence the know-how behind each creation, and “Stories of Living,” the contemporary lifestyles that form the settings for the products of Poltrona Frau.
The project “Made of Stories” has been produced in collaboration with AQuest WPP Group, a company that “has translated our ambitious communication project into an integrated advertising platform that for the first time in this sector enables us to engage with the audience on different levels,” says Leonardo Allasia, Global Marketing & Communications Director of Poltrona Frau. “In many markets the premium furniture brands prefer the printed page for connection with their clients, but that contact often has a short time span. We believe a deeper more interactive involvement is necessary. And this is where the use of augmented reality comes into play.”
