“Success isn’t about how much money you make. It’s about the difference you make in people’s lives.” – The former US First Lady Michelle Obama.
The Industry is constantly evolving and the scenario is continuously changing. As the younger generations enter the scene with a zeal for adventure, thirst for knowledge and a naturally driven nature to make a change, the industry seems to reacting radically. Gone are the days of traditional broadcast spots. Programmatic media buying and short form content are paving the way. Everything is more customized, tied to consumer data and thus directed to that individual’s wants and needs.
Experiential is now one of the strongest ways to engage with a specific target audience, to get their undivided attention and to make an impact on them. The experts believe that this has led to an ever evolving social sphere. They also say that with Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and other social media channels constantly updating their product offering, experiential now has tools to expand the onsite experience beyond those there in person.
Here’s the inspiring story of that creative corporate leader who is following every word of the inspirational personality-Michelle Obama, and is playing a leading role in causing this revolution of experiential changes. This leader is Chiara Adin, Founding Partner at NA Collective, a creative experiential agency based in New York City that was born out of the need for a new and unique type of agency; a hybrid model of creative agency where creative ideas meet production.
Being an entrepreneur is not easy, but Chiara has proved that it’s not impossible either. Right from the beginning of the company, she has helped the organization to win a number of awards for its extraordinary work with industry-giants including Twitter, Tommy Hilfiger, Droga5, and Dixie among many others. In a span of less than four years, Chiara has helped the company to win over 10 awards and among them the most noteworthy is the achievement of Silver for the 11-75 Employee category in Ad Age Small Agency of the Year.
About the Journey which Molded a Girl into a Leading Entrepreneur
People often assume that Chiara is a laid back Cali girl, although she was born and raised in New York City and Connecticut. She originally thought she wanted to be an accountant, but soon realized her personality was perfect for the creative world and she made the switch to marketing with a concentration in advertising and promotions.
Chiara’s journey towards experiential innovation began in her senior year of college, when she was selected to be a part of her school’s ad team, culminating in a national competition. Chiara was challenged to build the entire experiential portion of a campaign and present it to an audience of 50-plus marketers.
Though her team came third in the contest, it proved an extraordinary experience. As she puts it, “Since that day I’ve always felt really confident speaking about experiential ideas, activations, budgets and logistics.” She wasn’t just lucky, she was better than the rest and that’s what drew the ever-improving graph of Chiara’s career, starting with an internship at her first experiential marketing shop (now known as MKTG), which eventually led to her joining the well-respected creative agency, Mother New York.
After a fun five year run with Mother which helped her find her footing in the experiential space, Chiara spent time at a few smaller shops, seeking an agency that married the culture and high creative expectation of Mother with the extremely detailed production chops that one finds at experiential agencies. That’s how NA Collective was born, the perfect marriage of creative, production and technical experiential excellence, and she’s never looked back. In the years since, Chiara has taken steps to improve her skill set and raise the bar both as the agency’s leader and in the work the agency builds for brandslike SoundCloud, Twitter, FX, LG and more..
Self-Criticism is the Best Inspirational and Motivational Tool One Can Have
When asked about the factors that motivate Chiara, she said“If I had to choose one thing as my motivational tool, I’d have to say it’s myself. Since I was a child I have been my hardest critic, and for better or worse, I am continuously setting higher and higher bars to reach.”
Not only is she inspired by her parents (both Entrepreneurs), but she is an enthusiastic athlete inspired by leaders in the world of sports including Shalane Flanagan and Robyn Arzon. From a business perspective, she is greatly inspired by Michelle Obama, the former First Lady of the United States. She stretches the discussion and says, “I also really admire Emily Weiss, we went to high school together and although I haven’t talked to her in years I truly admire everything she has built with Glossier. She was always a trend setter growing up and it’s really amazing to see how she has taken it global.”
When not in the office, Chiara has a strong passion for philanthropy, adventure and physical challenges. Some of her favorite moments “ include crossing the finish line of a marathon in Antarctica powering through her first Ironman 70.3 and finishing the SUP 11 City Tour, a 220 KM SUP race around the Netherlands.”
But traveling the world as a philanthropist has yet to beat the most memorable moment of Chiara’s life, which is taking the risk to build NA Collective with her co-founder, Aaron,and watching it grow over the past four years.
In experiential marketing, she has had some incredibly exciting moments, including building a skatepark on a barge for Nike in less than five weeks.
About the Company which Bridges Creativity to Production
NA Collective is an agency that doesn’t confine to the traditional boundaries of the industry; rather, it brings the inspired ideation that one would expect from a creative agency, with the rigor and precision of a production company. With a highly experienced team with over 20 years, the company ensures everything is solid, from conception through planning and ultimately execution. What makes them unique in the industry is NA Collective’s amplification tactics which turn adventurous activations into virally experiential campaigns. Chiara concluded her description of the company by saying, “We pride ourselves in having long, on-going client relationships and solid reputations for being the people that both clients and agencies alike call when they need help pulling off something epic.”
