2021.03.10 Hyundai Motor Company
What is the IONIQ Lifestyle?
There’s a new brand experience space in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, where you can encounter the IONIQ lifestyle.
Brand experience matters for consumers of today, who have lots of channels where they can follow the brand they desire and obtain product information. Here they can understand the brand history in person and build trust in the brand as they experience it. For such reasons, corporations are introducing various types of brand experience space. Spaces that can naturally promote the brands to the consumers like Dooggupsangheo for HiteJinro and Maxim PLANT for Maxim are on the rise. Hyundai Motors’ Hyundai Motor Studio and Kia’s BEAT360 are also popular as automobile brand experience spaces.
Hyundai Motors’ eco-friendly brand IONIQ recently opened their brand experience space ‘STUDIO I’ in Seongsu-dong. This space introduces the IONIQ brand philosophy crossed over with everyday life via various contents. The name is consisted of words ‘I,’ which stands for myself and IONIQ and ‘STUDIO,’ which stands for creative space, to represent the lifestyle created by no one other than myself.
Sustainable Life, Created and Led by Me
‘STUDIO I’ provides opportunities for the customers to experience and think about a sustainable lifestyle in the future that they will naturally encounter through IONIQ’s electrification experience via everyday life contents. Hyundai Motors developed STUDIO I to deliver the message, ‘a sustainable lifestyle in the future will be created by no one but me, and this is not at all difficult; it begins from small choices and endeavors for change in our everyday life.’ Let’s find out what IONIQ lifestyle looks like in our everyday life.
A Sustainable Relationship with Coffee and Dessert, STUDIO I Pairing Table
IONIQ talks about a sustainable lifestyle with coffee and dessert. Coffee is the most popular lifestyle content enjoyed by the MZ generation while also being a great medium between people. The customizing coffee bar ‘STUDIO I Pairing Table’ is prepared inside the STUDIO I to provide the ‘coffee pairing course’ for the customers which they developed jointly with the omakase style cafe brand, Perlen.
When you order the course, the barista will set out 3 types of four-seasons themed coffee/dessert pairing and tell you stories on sustainability for each type. Stories about solidarity for a sustainable society, choosing quality coffee grown by farmers, and responsible spending that can contribute to the society such as fair trade, etc. will be provided with food. Such experience will allow the customers to think about sustainable consumption and relationships while enjoying fair trade coffee and dessert prepared with healthy produce.
The cafe interior was also designed to remind one of IONIQ’s eco-friendly message. Eco-friendly papers were used while multiple use containers are also used to minimize trash. Due to social distancing caused by COVID-19, the cafe is operated 100% through reservations.
Sustainable Consumption through Eco-friendly Goods, STUDIO I Store
On the 1st floor of the STUDIO I, there is a store that sells eco-friendly goods to allow the consumers to realize a sustainable lifestyle. Here the MZ generation can choose and curate products that fit their lifestyle as they experience the IONIQ brand. In the store, there are products in various categories which include Home, Outdoor, and Office. There are many eco-friendly goods in IONIQ colors.
There are also items such as bags upcycled from discarded PET bottles, pots and pencils made from coffee grounds, bathroom/kitchenware made from eco-friendly materials, and stationaries, all of which can be utilized usefully in our everyday life. Store products are consisted of items that are made from recycled materials or which can help minimize disposable products. Consumers can experience ‘good consumption’ as they purchase the store products.
The store interior is decorated in white and IONIQ blue so that the consumers can recognize that this is an IONIQ brand space. The convenient store concept interior was implemented so that this would be a familiar space for everyone who can visit easily. Enjoy small but definite pleasures in life as you choose out items that show your identity and help save the Earth.
Sustainable Life Experienced through Expert Insight, STUDIO I Lab
Aside from the cafe and the store, STUDIO I provides ‘STUDIO I Lab,’ which holds upcycling DIY classes and a sustainable lifestyle-themed lectures by experts. This is a warm, comfortable place decorated with upcycling paper and plant decorations where the upcycling classes are held. DIY programs for ipod/mobile phone case by using discarded automobile seats are prepared as well as classes for making coffee grounds pots with natural coffee clay, making coasters with leftover denim pieces, etc. The programs are operated through reservations. Take the time to understand the necessity of eco-friendly activities as you create everyday life products with sustainable materials.
‘STUDIO I Lab’ also introduces stories about people who live out a sustainable lifestyle. A designer who makes chairs out of discarded masks and CEOs from zero waste brands hold lectures here while the author of ‘That’s not trash’ also holds a book talk; you can listen to their stories and get inspired about living sustainable life. The lectures are held for free. You can choose and participate in desired lectures from the STUDIO I reservation page.
STUDIO I will be open until March 28th. You can sign up for any experience you wish from the reservation page; cafe, store, DIY classes, lectures, etc. and experience sustainable life IONIQ pursues.
Photography by. Joo Tae-hwan
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