VCOM Students Explore the Future of Experiential Retail on a Visit to BASE Hologram in Los Angeles
Students in Amanda Thevenot’s Experiential Techniques in the Visual World class visited BASE Hologram this week on a field trip to explore the possibilities of new ways to create exciting experiences to engage customers in brick and mortar businesses.
The Visual Communications students were treated to a private demo of BASE Hologram films by EVP of Content Development Gary Shoefield, who also spoke to the students about the history of holograms, how far the technology has come, and the endless potential for the use of it in marketing and the retail experience.
BASE Hologram partners with leading artists, cultural and educational institutions, and media companies for live entertainment events. They produce unique holographic productions designed to tour with live artists or stand alone. They are also the company responsible for bringing back music legends Buddy Holly and Roy Orbison, and are currently working on a Whitney Houston hologram tour that kicks off in the UK in February 2020.
Gary encouraged the students to explore PORTLhologram.com to learn about the first fully integrated hologram box. The product, out for only the last 3 or 4 months, is 4.5” wide by 7” tall by 2.5” deep, and its possibilities in experiential retail and marketing are endless.
PORTL’s founder David Nussbaum recently flew to Paris with a crew of hologram content creators and filmed 70 Dior models. They brought the footage back to Los Angeles for special effects and post production, and a few weeks later, global partners MDH Hologram constructed the longest hologram stage ever built for a hologram runway show in Shanghai, China.
Gary encouraged the students to google Mariah Carey’s holographic concert that she did for a T Mobile product launch and also British pop group Girls Aloud as they appeared and performed as a hologram in a store window in London.
The Experiential Techniques in the Visual World class emphasizes the importance of creating exciting experiences to engage customers in brick and mortar businesses in the ever-changing world of the retail industry. An emphasis is placed on the analysis of the use and effectiveness of existing as well as researching the direction of technologies to create retail environments of the future. Blue sky ideation allows students to think creatively in developing a future vision. Throughout the quarter, students visit technology companies, forward thinking retailers, and non-traditional retail spaces to explore the possibilities of new ways to engage the customer.
FIDM Instructor Amanda Thevenot is the Director of Retail Development for Urban Decay.
Categories: Visual Communication
