Squint/Opera, the creative studio, has announced its latest state-of-the-art concept for a central New York City location.
The Rockefeller Group hired Squint/Opera to reimagine The Plaza at 1221 Avenue of the Americas as New York City’s ultimate location for an immersive brand experience that extends five storeys below street level. Squint was a creative collaborator in the plaza’s transformation and has helped lay the path for a promising future for the district.
65,000 square feet of retail space is available at The Plaza, which is located in Midtown Manhattan’s Rockefeller Center neighbourhood and just blocks from landmarks including Radio City, the Museum of Modern Art, and Times Square.
Unlocking city experiences
Collaborators on the project included CBRE, Churchill & Partners and Coda to Coda, during which Squint/Opera had the brief to deliver a teaser and vision film, brand guidelines, marketing suite, wayfinding, microsite and presentation deck to help position, market and establish a new destination for immersive experiences.
“Unlocking new opportunities and experiences for brands and people was at the heart of Squint’s response to the brief,” says Squint/Opera director Matt Quinn.
“The project was an exercise of ambition and imagination. For us, it was always about seeing the potential in underloved space and dreaming big on behalf of future visitors and tenants.”
Creating excitement
To make the plaza a popular destination, a show-stopping immersive experience was conceived for the centre of the popular public retail space. Squint produced powerful films and visual presentations showcasing the range of creative uses the multi-storey space possesses to draw the calibre of flagship resident businesses capable of capitalising on the new and unique offering.
Equally crucial was getting residents and workers enthused about the plaza’s future. The plaza serves 2.6 million square feet of offices within the Rockefeller Center neighbourhood, which is NYC’s busiest area for business and recreation.
Squint introduced several characters that were inspired by the plaza patrons themselves, helping forge a compelling narrative in a range of formats. To create a feeling of place and build interest in this future location, the characters are also featured on street banners and construction barriers.
Marketing Rockefeller Group’s vice president Amy Ankeles adds: “Squint/Opera came to mind for the project because of their understanding of architecture and placemaking. It is a unique expertise that you don’t find with many other creative agencies. A trusted creative partner, so fun to work with.”
Squint/Opera’s work with Casson Mann on Jodrell Bank’s First Light Pavilion was recently recognised with third place in the Spectacular category of the blooloop Innovation Awards.
