Donar
Chairs with a story
How Donar took its communication into its own hands with four video stories
- Client
- Donar
- Year
- 2020–2021
Donar makes finely designed furniture from recycled materials and enjoys a good reputation in the media. But the story of who it is was mostly being told by others.
So we suggested it take its communication into its own hands. We drew up a content communication strategy and a series of four video stories that show, on Donar's own channels, how the company thinks about the planet, design and work.
In numbers
- 4
- Video stories that work on their own or together.
- 3
- Brand pillars that became three content strands.
- 13
- Minutes of video stories across the series.
- 6
- Hours in Donar's workday, the subject of one of the stories.
The three pillars of the Donar brand
Earth. Intelligence. Comfort.
Background
We reviewed coverage of Donar in the Slovenian media and found that it had a good name. The media presented it as a forward-looking design company committed to sustainable solutions, and they also wrote about its six-hour workday.
The timing was right. Donar had just refreshed its values, identity and visual image, and the Gigodesign agency had distilled the brand into three pillars: Earth. Intelligence. Comfort.
From PR to its own channels
A good media reputation is a fine start, but communication should not stop there. So in the overarching strategy we proposed moving from a PR approach based on traditional media to Donar's own digital channels, with video stories in the lead role.
The products were not to take centre stage. We did not want a series of ads, but stories in which the products find their natural place.
What changed
- Others tell the company's story
- Reliance on traditional media
- One-off articles and mentions
- Donar tells its own story
- A direct channel to the audience it wants
- A series of stories that keeps growing
Three pillars, three strands of video stories
-
Earth.
Sustainable solutions: upcycling, recycling PET bottles into felt, the circular economy, care for the planet and social responsibility.
-
Intelligence.
Practicality and innovation: the technological development of products and work with partners, such as Bose on the Beatnik sound chair.
-
Comfort.
Refined, ergonomic design and comfort at work.
Four video stories
For each story we prepared a detailed flow: the content and questions, talking points for the statements, the images and the interviewees.
The series opens with Introducing Donar, the story of its transformation from seller to innovative manufacturer. Co-owner Matej Feguš plays the lead: he cycles to work, picks up litter and explains how developing its own products grew out of the wish for a better world.
Less work for a better result explains the famous six-hour workday. The idea was born during the crisis of 2009 and 2010, when there wasn't enough work and Donar chose shorter hours over a smaller team. In 2018 it introduced them for all employees, who are paid for eight hours. The story shows what this means for social capital, employer branding, productivity, satisfaction and fewer errors in production.
»I think that with all this technology, we should shorten working hours in order to allow people to lead quality lives in their old age.«
Matej Feguš, co-owner of Donar
Click a video to open it below its title. The videos are in Slovenian with English subtitles.
Three more stories from the series
On location
We shot on Donar's premises on Kamniška ulica in Ljubljana, in the showroom and in production. On 30 October 2020 we also recorded the remaining and base shots there.
Details, textures and functions.
In beauty and technical shots we showed the lines and textures of the materials, the adjustments of the office chairs and the Nico Less chair in different colours and materials.
Recycling you can see.
We showed how a chair comes to life step by step: from a PET bottle through granulate to felt and the Nico Less shell. Discarded shells then get a new life as lamps.
Portrait and action.
Matej Feguš works with 3D models, makes a call in the Room-in-Room acoustic booth and sits in the Beatnik sound chair, while seamstresses and assemblers are at work in production.
Authenticity first-hand.
Interviews with co-owner Matej Feguš, CEO Ivan Ukmar, HR manager Karmen Komel and industrial designer Primož Jeza made the stories more authentic, both on the technical side and in showing the atmosphere and relationships in the company.
How the project unfolded
-
1 June 2020
Communication concept
We present the strategy and three content strands to Donar.
-
Autumn 2020
Scripts and shooting
A detailed flow for each story, then shooting in the showroom and in production.
-
30 October 2020
The remaining shots
Chair details, the recycling process and Matej Feguš in action.
-
January 2021
The series goes live
Four video stories on Donar's YouTube channel.
The result
Donar gained its own voice and a series it can use in several ways: as social media posts, as a standalone series on YouTube, as content for trade fair screens or, combined, as a corporate presentation at business meetings.
The result is a modular documentary-style corporate campaign that uses carefully planned video reports and interviews to show how Donar thinks about sustainable design and fair working conditions.
Where this project sits in our matrix
We work across all of these layers, and any combination is possible.
- Who we worked for
- Executive leadershipCorporate communicationsHRMarketingPublic sector
- Project scope
- Small brand storyAlways-on communicationBig brand story (a full campaign)
- What we improved
- ProcessesRelationshipsContent
- How we approached it
- StrategicallyDigitally, with AICreativelyIn an advisory role
- How long?
- Short-term (up to 3 months)Mid-term (3–12 months)Long-term (a year or more)
- What we created
- DocumentsPresentationsVisual identitiesDesignWebsitesSocial mediaCopywritingPhotographyVideo storiesAnimationsPodcastsEventsWorkshops