ARTSPEAK 10 YEARS: FOUNDER'S REFLECTION
Join me on a journey through the untold story of Artspeak – from its humble beginnings to its unforgettable milestones!
Reflections from Milan: A Decade of Artspeak
For a forward-thinking person – like me – it was quite a challenge to reflect on the past decade. Yet all the more rewarding. I am currently sitting in a ☕️ in Milan where we experienced our first interactions with the world design scene. With nothing urgent on my agenda and finally in the right headspace to let the following sentences come to life…
The beginNings
I started the path down memory lane by asking Antonin designer of LAFORMELA (and a long-time friend with whom I was in Milan) the following question: 'How would you define the Artspeak milestones?' He came out by listing names of individuals and companies whoever chose to collaborate with Artspeak and left a lasting impression on him. Many of these names were clients, which profoundly impacted us, too. He was right and so I went back to the people unintentionally shaping Artspeak during the last decade.
THE International (success) story
I must start with Nicole Sivek, my co-visionary behind establishing a self-standing entity providing communication services to independent brands in the Czech and the United States. She also coined our timeless name!
Following this grand idea, we soon received an opportunity to work for PRECIOSA Lighting. This already brings me to another name, Jindra Vejvodova – the overwhelming woman standing behind the evolution of the ''Promotion Department'' successfully shifting it into a legitimate ''Marketing Department'', thanks to which the brand repositioned to an international level. Thanks to PRECIOSA, we learned and understood the sense of responsibility that goes with working for a luxury business underpinned by a fascinating heritage. We figured out what it's like to support a client during Salone del mobile – from behind the press desk with its best-ever-localized spot at this fair. We held a press trip for the New York Times team around the Crystal Valley and gave an in-person factory tour to Arik Levy, whilst also providing communication support during important international trade shows and design events, including the Glass Symposium in Novy Bor. What a school! 🙃
Speaking of international success, I must again mention Antonin Soukup and Mirka Kohutiarova, the founders & creative duo of LAFORMELA. For more than 10 years of partnership, with its ups and downs, our collaboration always made me think ''If you love her, there is nothing there to question''. At the beginning of our story, we passionately outreached international publicity and business opportunities during fashion weeks in Paris, Milan, and Budapest. We grew together during these events – events holding a very special place in the industry and our hearts, too. Special thanks also go to former LAFORMELA marketing interns that I have onboarded during all these years, such as Natalie Gocikova, Sabina Vojtiskova, Binh Thanh Mai, Adela Malcova, and MANY more…
An international success and a milestone dazzling in our portfolio have been the US market launch of Bohempia – a Prague-based hemp sneakers and apparel brand. Tomas Rohal and his marketing team (based on heroine Klara Cerna) entered the continent with a Kickstarter campaign and we supported it with PR & Influencer Marketing. We pitched his story on Forbes.com and other great media platforms and collaborated with a number of influencers globally promoting ethical fashion.
OVERCOMING CHALLENGES
Media Relations, Influencer Marketing, and a focus on local brands with the potential to succeed internationally. These were our domains until 2020 when the Covid era hit us. Naturally, our instinct was to help our clients remain so we could survive too. Together with journalists and influencers, we joined forces and created a campaign highlighting the significance and meaning of local brands. As part of this initiative, we created a website listing businesses that joined, communicating special offers using #malynakupvelkapomoc (#shopsmallhelpbig). Our data show we helped these brands to raise their income by up to 25%. Nevertheless, we lost quite a few clients and I think the former team consisting of Eva Cao Thi, Misa Novakova, and Natalie Sebkova, truly deserve a badge of honour for this period. Looking back to the initiative I found a few online articles online Forbes, Seznamzpravy.cz or Vogue but let’s keep them 😷 in a history, please.
New fields of interest
Once we were finally free to leave our houses in June 2020, we filled up a minibus with journalists and held our first architectural press trip to the Czech wine region in the South for the occasion of Lahofer winery's grand opening. A project we envisioned for nearly five years of cooperation with our former client, Chybík+Kristof architectural studio. I would like to express my gratitude to Ondrej Chybik who actually introduced us to the architectural scene and congratulate on his studio's success that is such a pleasure to observe 👏🏻
Before and after this moment, our paths crossed with several great architects whom I will get back to later. However, let me mention two whose support we had from the very beginning – Marek Habr and Jiři Kucera from the Kvalitar gallery. Back when we were starting with Nicole, they kindly offered part of the gallery space for us to use as an office. Together, we worked under one roof for eight years, enjoying the symbiosis of art and communication. By the end of the pandemic, we amicably ended this setup and decided to leave and enter another chapter 🔜
The chapter on extending the family. On the personal level 🤰🏼 and on the professional one, too. We grew, and our team comprised three leading figures managing three main pillars of our services – Strategy & Branding, Photography, and Public Relations indeed. The leaders being me, my husband Mojmir after his Royal College of Art graduation and Circa x Dazed Class of 2021 nomination and the internationally experienced strategist and motivating power, Eva Cao Thi. In this constellation, we found ourselves as comfortable as ever before. With our feet firmly on the ground, Artspeak offers a complex set of services with visual and strategic approaches.
Since then we have worked on newly emerging brands and led them to their successful launch, for instance, Peer architects or luxury vintage Store & Studio Unlikely but we have also helped esteemed brands such as Konsepti and Qarta architectural studio to grow. Last but not least, we have also become a local PR retainer for an international luxury 🎧 brand whose attention to quality design strongly reflects our aspirations and visions – the Danish company Bang & Olufsen.
TO CONCLUDE…
The great people and clients come and naturally must leave throughout the years. All the challenges and successes not only brought an evolution to Artspeak but always led me back to my business and personal values. I am lucky that people and brands were choosing us as we were choosing them and moulded Artspeak all the way to the vision we already had 10 years ago. A confident business that sticks to quality, strong aesthetics and deliverables to the client.
Admittedly, I have no idea who will read this to the end, or if anyone will. But if you did, I am assuming you are someone close to us and maybe missing on the list – even though you probably want to be. If that is the case, please, do let me know what we could do to have you thereafter next decade olga@artspeakpr.com 😉
Big thanks to all our former and current clients: Javorina, NILA, Perspektiv, Arkhe, The Emblem Hotel, Vavavoom, SmetanaQ, Pauline Hagan, zeitgeist.limited, Kavalier Design, Kvalitar, Antipearle, Imreczeova, Haenke, Balance is Motion, Maria Kobelova, Zuzana Kubickova, Eliska Lhotska Jewellery, Stradivari Design, Slou Days, Braasi Industry, Verlein, Nastassia Aleinikava, ROJI, La femme Mimi, Alter Era, ZIBA and many others…