The Proper Lounge

Art Basel Miami — Experiential Brand Activation

The Brief

Client: Proper Men’s Skincare

Objective:
Introduce Proper Men’s Skincare to a culturally influential audience during Art Basel Miami through an intimate, refined brand experience designed to prioritize quality of engagement over scale.

Role:
Principal Creative Director & Experiential Producer
Led concept development, venue strategy, partnerships, guest experience design, and on-site execution.

The Concept

The Proper Lounge was conceived as a refined brand experience offering a moment of pause within the intensity of Art Basel.

The activation focused on:

• Refined hospitality

• Sensory brand immersion

• Intentional, high-touch guest engagement

The goal was to create an environment that was tasteful, intentional, and encouraged connection to positioning Proper as both culturally aware and quietly confident within a global creative moment.

The Execution

The experience was brought to life through:

• A curated environment aligned with Proper’s brand ethos

• Intimate spatial design and refined experiential touch points

• High-production standards executed within a limited footprint

• Strong collaboration and alignment between brand and agency

Every detail was designed to allow the brand storytelling to speak through the experience.

The Market Reality

Art Basel Miami is one of the most saturated experiential markets in the world, defined by:

• Hundreds of simultaneous brand activations

• Large-scale PR teams managing tightly controlled guest rosters

• Legacy brands commanding attention and foot traffic

Operating within this environment provided real-time insight into how intimate activations perform amid cultural oversaturation and how strategy must adapt accordingly.

Strategic Learnings

This activation reinforced several key principles critical to executing within high-density cultural moments:

• Proximity and walkability are essential during peak event periods

• PR-led guest strategy outperforms influencer-only models in demand-driven environments

• Longer planning timelines unlock stronger partner ecosystems and media presence

• Clear logistics communication is as vital as creative storytelling

These insights inform how future activations are structured for greater predictability, performance, and impact.

Outcome & Takeaway

While external market conditions influenced some attendance, the activation confirmed:

• The concept was strategically sound

• The creative execution met luxury brand standards

• The format is scalable with refined positioning and planning

This experience directly shapes how future cultural activations are approached; balancing intimacy, accessibility, and strategic alignment to deliver refined brand moments that resonate beyond the event itself.