Next up for the Workfree Connects series we spoke with David Ogiste, founder of Nobody’s Cafe, a super cool experiential agency based in London. Now's the time to get curious about experiential marketing. We chatted about how the space for brand experience has shifted massively in the last 10-15 years and how he feels freelance talent is crucial for growth in the creative industries.
Accessible talent pools aren’t just for the big agency dogs out there, but for small independent businesses like his own who still work with some of the biggest brands out there. Having worked with the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Spotify and Chelsea Football Club, Nobody’s Cafe wants to keep expanding and creating top of class brand experiences . Dive in to find out more!
What did experiential marketing look like when you were starting out and where is it now?
Back in the day brand experience was based around sampling campaigns. Literally, hire a truck, rock up on a high street and give away samples. It was a large part of the puzzle with less creative agencies involved, more supply and deliver strategies. There’s notable differences now and the experience has shifted. It’s much more of a hybrid experience than sampling outside of TESCO. Even billboards or murals played a part in that and still do today.
Freelance creatives working in the industry have helped it evolve. So many designers are involved, from digital to 3D, to QR codes. As technology evolves, the experiences get better but also as the industry understands it better the more we try to improve and refine the work. The way I look at it, experiential is a brand experience, something tangible. So that might be: an event, people coming together to launch something at a screening, with drinks, with food. PR stunts are a part of it too. We don’t do one specific thing at Nobody’s Cafe, there’s more of a 360 approach to cater to what the brand wants to achieve. We create in person moments that people can absorb, taste, smell, hear - marketing for the senses more than the everyday thing.
We think beyond the experience too, it’s not just the event. We think about the content around the event, the design, how it comes across on socials, how it lives on afterwards. For example, we worked with Spotify and Equal Measures - a non-profit striving for diversity within hospitality - to create cocktails that were drunk at the beach during Cannes. We went one step further and made podcast content and videos so that people could make those drinks at home.
How do you find your talent at Nobody’s Cafe?
We rely on freelancers so much as we have a small core team. It’s not the easiest job finding them. I’ve been looking for a platform that houses everything in one location - beyond putting names down in a google drive, for a lonnnng time. When I first started I had ‘The Roster’ - which was basically a facebook group of freelancers. The reality is there’s no decent search method, if you forget the person's name or their speciality it’s so hard to find them again. If you haven’t met them, how do you test them out? Then, what if it’s three months before you actually need their skills? Sometimes there’s just no time and you default to the person you used before. We need a location for it all - a lot of people get in touch and I don’t always know where to funnel them.
For longer term projects, I’d say having a passion for what you’re delivering really helps you stand out. Sometimes in the old school agency method you’re forced into a box but at Nobody's Cafe we look to see what your passions are outside of work. Just asking those questions, what matters to you, feeds into the work.
What challenges do you come up against with freelance talent, aside from finding the right fit for your projects?
Invoicing can be a struggle. When you’re chasing the freelancers to get their invoice, that's a tough one. We’re small and growing. An invoice dropped two months after the work is done can be tricky on both sides.
The talent we look for is so varied too. We could need a designer, a copywriter, a producer, an illustrator, a videographer or a digital app designer or even a set designer. That's why experiential marketing is a little bit different - in the sense of delivery - because you don’t know until the project is defined what the talent you might need is, to build it out. Sometimes it’s super niche and it’s not someone you’d expect to see on a freelance roster like an artist.
If there are other jobs going we really strive to pass that onto someone in the community too. We get a lot of people messaging asking for talent recommendations. It requires organising, liaising diaries and budgets - we don’t always have the bandwidth to present multiple options if the one that’s top of mind falls flat. To have one place with the job details would be so cool and effortless. This would allow for so much more movement when it comes to freelance talent and growth of communities. Imagine actually allowing the talent the ability to benefit from the network you’re both a part of for future work opportunities? It’s mutually beneficial.
Will freelancers be supporting nobody’s cafe growth strategy in 2024?
A million percent. The access that Workfree can bring will massively, positively impact the work we can take on and even with locations too. It’s hard to manage growth in different locations at the moment not because we don’t want to do it but because it’s difficult to manage payments amongst other things etc. Workfree would allow us to expand by contacting and connecting us with global talent.
Who is exciting you in the experiential space?
Fashion brands in general are doing so well at the moment, my favourites are Burberry , Louis Vuitton and Moncler genius.
Thank you for your insights David Ogiste 👊