LPGA & Accenture Song

In Her Head

The LPGA is one of the premier professional athletic federations in the world and yet its players face amongst the greatest disparity in compensation and access to resources of any major sporting league.

While the vast majority of male golfers earn enough in annual endorsements to cover their full annual expenses, only the top 5% of female golfers enjoy such peace of mind. The remaining 95% rely on tour earnings to cover their costs of travel, accommodations, and golf equipment. Many athletes change caddies week to week. Some sleep on strangers’ couches before and during tournaments. Most are struggling to pay even basic living expenses. All take on these risks for the love of their sport.

To raise awareness for the unique challenges faced by LPGA athletes, Accenture Song created ‘IN HER HEAD,’ an immersive virtual and experiential installation that would debut at The Chevron Championship in April, the first women’s golf major of the season

Brand Design
Design
Experiential
Film And Video

01 THE ASK

Accenture Song tasked Early Spring to concept, design and build an immersive experiential installation that grounded and reinforced the transformative VR journey.

02 THE INSIGHT

Working in VR presents a unique challenge: Bridging users in the real world with a digital creation to create a deeper, lasting emotional impact.

03 THE SOLUTION

We designed a 3-part physical user journey employing detailed lighting design, trained, scripted actors as docents in curated golf attire and invited guests (2 at a time) to first enter a promising, overly optimistic entryway adorned with suspended clouds, elevator music and AI generated posters of inspirational messaging.

We then invite our guests into a privately draped environment inspired by the topography of golf greens using CNC fabrication using hundreds of pulsing, color-changing LED lights that set the stage for a promising experience to come…

When guests complete the headset experience, the lighting in the room has changed to better match the more profound mood and sentiment of the experience they just completed. Our docents are now more authentic, empathetic and provide a moment of decompression from the emotional experience before leading people into a final gallery exhibition that honors and celebrates the real LPGA heroes whose stores we just shared.

04 THE RESULT

Having transformed a seemingly perfect day on the course into a surreal, technicolor trip that provided room for reflection on the emotional impact of the message, ‘In Her Head’ was an official selection of the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival’s Tribeca X.

Origins

Discover London

Embedded into the ground we walk on, a magical network of mycelium works quietly. It forms a resilient, fortifying foundation from which all life, Earth’s entire life force, flourishes.

In many ways, London is a microcosm of the planet’s mycelium network.

Within its biosphere a rare breed of thinker & creator, draws on the organic to create potent & pure works that nourish, inform, challenge and propel society into the future.

Origins & Early Spring invite curious guests on an adventure through fairytale gardens, towering treetops, & waterways in a quest to uncover the spores of genius – unleashing the mind unto the extraordinary power of nature – urging them to Never Stop Discovering.

Brand Positioning
Brand Strategy
Design
Film And Video
Influencer

01 THE ASK

Having secured a sponsorship opportunity for the Mushrooms: The Art, Design and Future of Fungi exhibit at London’s Somerset House, Origins tasked Early Spring with concepting a 3-day trip through the British capital for 30 key global retail partners and beauty influencers.

Each activity had to tactfully tie in a product benefit and pair back to who Origins is as a brand: Powered by Nature, Proven by Science; their Nature to Do Good; the focus on Inner Harmony & Outer Beauty, and finally, the global Origins story of endless discovery.

02 THE INSIGHT

The last two years have seen over 100 new skincare brands debuting in department and specialty stores. Given this sea of choice, 91% consumers admit they would switch brands to one that felt more mission-driven. What’s more, 80% say that they want to know more about how the products they use are being made. A watershed moment for Origins, they sought to crystallize their position & ethos as a brand dedicated to a more holistic & mindful approach to skincare.

03 THE SOLUTION

Inspired by their Origins’ founding motto philosophy, their growing sustainability initiatives & of course, their bestselling products, Early Spring designed & produced a 3-day trip that fascinated guests, radiating the brand, its story & products for months to come.

04 THE RESULT

Designed as a triptych, each day focused on an essential aspect of the Origins story while highlighting the brand’s hero product line. Each of the trip’s activities had a strategic purpose that dialed back to one of the brand’s pillars – their foundations in science, their philanthropic initiatives & their focus on providing consumers with a holistic experience.

Every activity had a different set design, integrating the brand’s products & ingredients in an arresting way. To highlight their founding motto, Powered by Nature, Proven by Science, we transported guests in a branded double-decker bus to Kew Gardens, the largest botanical & mycological collection in the world. Origins’ president, Julie van Ongevalle, shed light on their sustainability initiatives over a farm-to-table lunch at Petersham Nurseries. Paying tribute to the brand’s collaboration with Somerset House, guests descended upon an Origins’ green lit courtyard & dined at Spring, a restaurant tucked into the iconic landmark. We then paired the brand’s dedication to creating holistic, sensorial experiences with their driving concepts of achieving inner harmony & outer beauty to transform a trendy lunchtime spot, Wild by Tart, into a day-time spa, pampering guests with sound baths & facials. Finally, we threw a farewell party at the Conduit Club, a hub for social entrepreneurs.

Working with Estee Lauder, we ushered in a new era of social media strategy for the brand. Capturing the activities in real-time, we leveraged a host of innovative mixed-media Instagram formats, broadcasting them in near real-time. Our work paid off: Origins Taiwan sold out of brand’s hero product & e-commerce sales increased by more than 100%.

DISNEY & REFINERY29

The Rise of Skywalker

Throughout history, stories have shaped and informed culture more pervasively than any other device. From Artemis to d’Artagan,

Pocahontas to Pandora, Robin Hood — and of course, Rey — the protagonists of the stories we are told endow us with a collective code of conduct. They demonstrate, through action — good versus evil and right versus wrong. They show us what is dark and inspire us to overcome it with light.

Our greatest stories have been etched on the walls of caves, whispered around fires under the stars, and inscribed in the pages of epic novels. For the generation that gathers around the glow of a screen, Star Wars is the preeminent tale of our time.

At 29Rooms, Early Spring invited audiences to experience Star Wars’ transcendental relevance across cultures, harnessing Rey to ultimately inspire and empower women to discover the Force within.

01 THE ASK

In anticipation of the release of The Rise of Skywalker, the final installment of the Star Wars franchise, Refinery29’s experiential arm, 29Rooms, approached Early Spring to produce an experience that would drive viewership among both legacy super-fans & a newer & younger audience.

02 THE INSIGHT

Throughout history, stories have shaped and informed culture more pervasively than any other device. Across civilizations, one of its most gripping and inspiring archetypes is the hero’s journey – where the hero’s story is divided into three distinct movements – departing on an adventure, overcoming a decisive struggle and the return home, a changed person.

03 THE SOLUTION

As an homage, we invite guests to traverse their own adventure, at once introspective & shareable, aboard a rendering of the pop culture icon, the Millennium Falcon. Prompted to reflect on their own journey, their challenges & the hero they want to be, they ultimately leave 29Rooms empowered to use the Force within.

04 THE RESULT

Coinciding with the premiere of the final installment of intergenerational epic space opera Disney invited all those familiar with the franchise & cinematic thrill-seekers to discover their inner hero at Refinery29’s Expand Your Reality NYC Tour.

Through a three-step interactive pathway, guests were prompted to reflect on their lives, their fears and their aspirations. Programmatic lighting and tessellated mirrors transformed each of the three shareable photo moments into extraordinary optical illusions where different facets of the hero’s journey were highlighted.

The Arrivals

The OutThere Lab

Over hundreds of thousands of years humans have evolved primarily as an outdoor species.

Industrialization and technology compounded in the last two hundred years has brought us inside where we now spend 90% of our time.

This Resource Center is an institution that provides the tools and knowledge necessary to blur the lines between the individual and the elements, ultimately empowering humans to get back #outthere.

Design
Experiential Retail
Pop-up Store

01 THE ASK

With a legacy of beautifully designed pop-up retail spaces in their wake, The Arrivals came to Early Spring to step their game up and create a space that not only looked great, but integrated an overarching narrative focused on outerwear for out there.

02 THE INSIGHT

Industrialization and technology compounded in the last two hundred years has brought us inside where we now spend 90% of our time.

03 THE SOLUTION

To cement the brand’s position at the intersection of form and function, we created a space that brought notions of the ‘out there’ inside, pairing product against the backdrop of their use cases.

04 THE RESULT

The space is a re-imagination of a community resource center in the near future; stark and clinical, it is the last stop for explorers to stock up on equipment and gain valuable insight from seasoned guides to face the elements of the omitted Out There.

Products are showcased through the space, while the latest innovations are highlighted with analogous vignettes that draw a clear visual delineation to their use cases.

Harnessing modularity, the space can be transformed to serve as a community meeting center, hosting forums and discussions.

WELLFARE

A World Well Nourished

The pandemic has laid bare many of the cracks upon which this country is built, but few needs are more fundamental than our access to food. Food insecurity existed long before COVID-19, but has worsened and especially left low-income communities more vulnerable.

While food banks, pantries, and other community-supported programs work tirelessly to close the gap on food scarcity, it isn’t enough to cover the up to 8 billion meal shortfall America is projected to experience over the next year. And incase you missed it—we live in a country where 40 percent of our food is wasted, lost or simply thrown away.

Brand Design
Brand Strategy
Experiential
Social Content

01 THE ASK

Founder, Cole Riley came to Early Spring seeking support in solving the massive food insecurity problem the country faces.

02 THE INSIGHT

Barriers to accessing sufficient food are far too high for far too many, not only due to cost & availability but a lack of adequate education around nourishment and achievable health.

03 THE SOLUTION

Early Spring concepted and designed a non-profit, subscription food service for those in need called Wellfare. Wellfare will deliver nourishing food and drink to those who need it at low-to-no cost.

In parallel, Wellfare will produce relatable & insightful original content around what ‘health’ looks like, lifting the veil on ‘wellness’ & well-being. It will also help brands talk about the work they do with Wellfare in a meaningful way.

04 THE RESULT

The operational and creative chasm between the nonprofit world and the commercial world had to be traversed. Old-world nonprofits may have global reach, but they often fail to treat their beneficiaries with the dignity, the attention, and the care that companies show their consumers.

Early Spring imagined, instead, a nonprofit that does not ignore design, nor branding, nor quality, nor agility. A nonprofit that pays as much attention to the needs of its beneficiaries as companies do to the needs of their consumers. A nonprofit that recognizes that people in need are not just mouths to feed but people, consumers like the rest of us, who want to be healthy, fulfilled, and happy.

VEVO

Music Television The Way It Was Meant To Be

Long before the pandemic, Vevo hedged it’s bets on the proliferation of connected television. It was only inevitable that when the opportunity to personalise their viewing experience become available that consumers would prefer to pilot their own way through the music videos and artists they loved. With stay-at-home mandates, came a resurgence of the television—stadiums, stages and sets converged in the living room.

With over 40 million daily viewers in the US and 150 million globally, Vevo’s investment in connected television was paying off. The 2021 IAB NewFronts would be the place to galvanize media buyers around the platform, but the traditionally glitzy in-person event would now be experienced behind a screen.

Vevo tapped Early Spring to develop a fresh perspective on a brand narrative to launch at the IAB NewFronts and collateral its sales force would use to secure ad dollars.

Early Spring pulled back the curtain of Vevo’s staggering numbers, drawn to explore the science behind the emotional & cerebral connections triggered by music videos.

We sought to get to the heart of why music videos are the optimum medium for cultural influence.

Brand Positioning
Brand Strategy
Design
Film And Video

01 THE ASK

Leverage Vevo’s growing viewership, content & capabilities to capture advertisers’ attention & a lion’s share of their dollars.

02 THE INSIGHT

When watching music videos, we are more likely to feel positive about and recall ads.

Music activates the part of the brain that is crucial to processing & registering emotion, the amygdala. When processing music the amygdala releases chemicals responsible for bonding, trust & intimacy. Further, when the brain copes to processes the compounded stimulation of music and simultaneous visuals, recall is improved.

03 THE SOLUTION

Early Spring joined forces with DLA productions to script, direct and shoot a digital NewFronts Presentation for Vevo.

Beyond that, we restructured Vevo’s internal sales deck integrating a narrative approach to bring the brand to life for media buyers.

04 THE RESULT

Madonna’s Vogue. Beyonce’s Formation. Kendrick’s Humble. Drake’s God’s Plan. Wet Ass Pussy.

Visually arresting, these manifestos shock & awe the mind, flooding it with emotion. They dare to rewrite the rules of how fame, power, freedom & beauty come to be & their very potential.

More than a creative mark of excellence, Vevo is the petri dish from which culture takes shape & evolves. It is a laboratory for cultural experimentation, where creators provoke the antiquated &, in turn, synthesize a new way of being, of doing, of interacting with one another.

By leveraging music videos’ ability to create lasting impact, Early Spring positioned Vevo as the gatekeepers of culture, inviting brands to its platform in an effort to permeate society on a molecular level.

Bumble Bizz

Making The First Move

The audacious, creative and tenacious amongst us imagine a world of limitless possibility. Despite uncertainty & adversity, they lead the charge. The first to arrive & the last to leave—the first to get up, shake it off & get back in the saddle.

But blazing trails isn’t without its challenges. The spring of inspiration, confidence & progress isn’t always brimming over. For moments when the flow abates, the brightest must seek out sources of support, mentorship, and financing to nourish one another, maintaining the course.

Bumble Bizz & Early Spring join forces to empower Atlanta’s first movers to beat the odds, grow beyond expectations & pool their collective power to render one another undefeatable. When just one makes the first move, they’ll be serving with the power of 100. So make the first move, we dare you.

01 THE ASK

Bumble Bizz wanted to leverage their technology to give voice to underrepresented and niche communities, focusing on the power of connection — not privilege. Bumble Bizz sought to create a space where Atlanta’s first movers could learn and connect during a day of thoughtful programming.

02 THE INSIGHT

The nation has seen an explosion of women-owned business – an increase of 467% in the last decade – with Georgia leading the charge, being the state with the fastest growth in women-owned firms. However, we found that women face three key challenges that stand in the way of their success: lack of funding, good mentorship & a strong support system.

03 THE SOLUTION

Early Spring crafted a summit that would host Atlanta’s best and brightest for a day of engaging programming, facilitating connections made and lessons learned that would not only uplift them but, ultimately, the community around them.

04 THE RESULT

Driven by insights, we crafted a summit that reinforced Atlanta’s entrepreneurial resolve. Though thoughtful programming was key to ensuring the summit’s success, the event hinged on the quality of the attendees. We crafted a series of registration questions & helped vet each attendee to ensure that everyone present wanted & needed to be.

Through design, we aimed to create a sense of movement, connection & intimacy. Capped at 100 attendees, titans of Atlanta strode through colorful benches and bleachers & sat side by side with their captive audience.

The apex of the summit were two key events: a summit-wide hackathon that empowered the next generation of leaders and a keynote delivered by Serena Williams.

21M+ Social Impressions

66M+ Earned Media Impressions

How Serena Williams Continues To Go Beyond Expectations At The Bumble Bizz First Movers Summit