4C Interview
Ron Pompei From Pompei A.D.

Ronald Pompei

Pompei A.D.               

Q.    Briefly describe your products and services

RP.  Multidisciplinary creative services agency creating transformational environments and experiences merging with commerce, community & culture.

Q.    What cultural trends are affecting your customers and end users?

RP.  Search for authenticity, relevance and intimacy.

Q.    What other market trends are impacting your business?

RP.  Globalization, reframing human resources, innovation and creativity.

Q.    How is your company reacting to these opportunities/challenges?

RP.  Travel, trainings, collaborations, initiatives, strategic partners.

Q. We’re increasingly seeing the use of pop-up retail to create brand experiences. What’s Pompei AD’s opinion on these and are there any trends in pop-up stores that are important to watch?

1.    Pop Up generates buzz because of its short life.  Customers don’t want to ‘miss out’ on the fleeting experience it provides.  The ‘circus comes to town’ and once the tent is down you may have missed out on an experience that can’t be re-created.  And your friends may have caught the ‘act’ leaving you ‘outside’ the shared experience.

2.    Anything temporary excites us because by it’s very nature implies change and variety.  The non-permanent creates possibilities that remain unknown.  Anticipation is heightened.  What will I find?  How will I feel?  And most importantly, who will be there?

3.    The brand can morph in a Pop Up and become something outside it’s own norm and people accept this and actually expect it.  We meet the brand everyday in it’s usual setting however, the Pop Up allows for variants that express the brand in new ways and allows for new experiences.

4.    As a trend, Pop Ups have the unique opportunity to offer ‘limited edition’s products, services, events, networks, and activities.  This is premium value.  Customers collect experiences as well as product.

5.    Pop Ups are a great ’storytelling’ venue if the brand is creative enough to mine this mind-expanding option.  Here they have to merge commerce, culture and community.  Few brands have taken advantage or the rich possibilities of Pop Up retail and those that have many times fail to mine the dynamic possibilities inherent in this venue.

6.    The Pop Up has a bright future of many iterations in many expanding markets.  Look for it and enjoy!

Pompei A.D.

The ‘4C Interview’ is a new regular section on PSFK where we ask senior
execs in a myriad of industries what cultural trends are facing their
business today. If you know of someone who’d like to participate in this column, then email Piers at piers@psfk.com. Thanks.