Marketing luxury goods in a time when consumers are spending less and less money is tough. And now more than ever, the events promoting gadgets like cell phones and PDAs emphasize functionality as much as aesthetics. So for Tuesday night's launch of the new BlackBerry Bold—supposedly Research in Motion's answer to the iPhone—the focus was as much on the new smart phone's capabilities as it was on its sleek look.
Produced and designed by Harrison & Shriftman's creative director Ryan Jordan, the 250-person event at a TriBeCa residence involved three interactive stations where guests could play around with the new phone's video and music features.
With the new BlackBerry in hand, each guest was guided to different sections of the loft by models outfitted with black-rimmed glasses and T-shirts reading "Bold Brainiacs." One area held several computers for downloading music, and another featured artists who etched custom patterns onto the device. For a fun way to show off the phone's ability to take and send video, Jordan set up a video projection against one wall where guests could capture themselves running in front of a moving street backdrop and then email it to friends.
