The smoothfm Relaxation Station is making its way around shopping centres in Sydney and Melbourne. “We want people to feel relaxed but it also offers some escapism in the middle of what can be a stressful environment,” Leanne Glamuzina-Gibb, Nova Entertainment group marketing manager, told Mediaweek.
Nova Entertainment sourced the unit, which looks like a cross between a tanning lounge and a spaceship, in Europe, investing a substantial sum in getting it to Australia.
In addition to going to the smoothfm audience via shopping centres, the relaxation station will also be on offer to media agencies. Many agency people have already sampled the smoothfm experience via the smooth suites in Sydney and Melbourne hotels.
Even though the smoothfm brand is currently #1 in Sydney, Glamuzina-Gibb said “this year is all about reinforcing what a great brand smoothfm is, not just in Sydney, but in Melbourne too.”
She noted some people understand how a relaxation brand like smoothfm can rank #1 FM in the most-stressed city in Australia. “It has resonated with listeners and we think we will have similar success in due course in Melbourne.”
Nova Entertainment has an arsenal of strategies for smoothfm after starting the year with Spandau Ballet and the TVC they recorded for the FM brand. “That still has some life left in it and it will be returning soon. This week of course was also the Festival of Chocolate in The Rocks in Sydney. There will also be some more music events but we aren’t quite ready to share the details just yet.”
But what exactly happens when you enter the pod? “It goes for about five minutes. People are intrigued by its design in the first place. People lie down inside and are given an iPad and asked how they are feeling. They can choose happy, mellow, stressed or loving. Based on the selection a customised soundtrack then plays featuring three or four songs from the smoothfm playlist which are introduced by some of the smoothfm announcers – Richard Wilkins, David Campbell, Melissa Doyle and Cameron Daddo. The user also has the option of selecting some massage therapy to set the mood.”
Users can then share the experience on social and then they also go into a draw for a (relaxing) holiday.
After its initial visit to Sydney, the Relaxation Station will be in Melbourne Westfields at Fountain Gate, Southland and then Doncaster from late September in addition to visiting media agencies.
PHOTO: smoothfm’s Cameron Daddo and Melissa Doyle with the Relaxation Station