For Braun’s centenary (2021), we saw an opportunity to celebrate and revive our rightful place in design, for the past, present and future. The challenge: how can we put Braun on the radar of the global design community once again and grow our appeal amongst a younger generation. By partnering with some of the world’s most respected designers we managed to amplify our message and design POV up in popular culture for the first time.

- 69% say their purchase decisions are influenced by global design publications such as HS.

- 53% say they are more likely to buy a product they’ve seen featured on HS.

- They are 2.5x more likely to see more value in products that are recommended by design peers.

- They are 3.5x more likely to spend more money with brands who have heritage in the design space.

Our collaboration with Virgil Abloh was supported by a social documentary and supporting social campaign, exploring the process of reimagining a Braun classic - the Wandanlage - and talking about their shared values, within and outside of traditional design. How things from the past naturally transcend into today's cherished objects. How their story indeed goes beneath the surface and how the ethos of Braun Design inspires and influences the idea that art can indeed be functional.

The campaign targeted two types of design enthusiasts: purists & casuals. The purists being professionals, the casuals being more curious about the cultural component of design.

Both audiences are 3.5x more likely to buy and spend money on brands with design heritage. Braun needed to find a way to talk to design enthusiasts about its visionary design POV that’s been guiding the business for 100 years & educate on how it influences the design world today.

The message was simple but highly relevant in today’s design world: good design matters. A tribute to essentials, to simplicity, to purity, timelessness and pioneership in design.

A collaboration true to the brand, and true to Virgil. Choosing the wandanlage with its record player was naturally close to Virgil’s background & passion. A narrative that came natural without any rehearsals. Mies van der Rohe meets Paul Wall’s rims. The role of Brazilian soul in J Dilla’s samples. And the natural connection to the iconic Air Force One. The place where we chose to shoot the documentary was carefully selected, Farnsworth house is in Chicago (Virgil’s hometown) and was designed and constructed by Mies van der Rohe. The right choice of Director was more crucial than ever. Adam Jason Cohen was also from Chicago, is close to progressive design culture and had worked with Virgil before. While the visual direction and aesthetic had to mirror the idea of old meets new, the soundbites/narrative from Virgil came naturally and straight from the heart.

• PRODUCT DROP: 54.56% Average Click Through Rate vs. 4% Average Benchmark

• IMPRESSIONS TOTAL: 3,020,745 (+159% vs forecast)

• ENGAGEMENT TOTAL: 59,939 (+484% vs forecast)

• The Wandanlage at auction sold for EUR 28,050,00

• 61 social media posts across Highsnobiety platforms, 4 editorial articles, 2 newsletter posts

• 41 Instagram Stories and 1 Instagram Grid Post shared by 21 Influencers - Combined following of 1,032,626