One of Little Red Rooster’s first commitments to Smeg when it began work for the iconic Italian brand way back in 2015 was to build upon its already extensive image library, and curate a collection of images that would help elevate the brand from being seen as ‘mass market’ to one that is desirable and aspirational; a lifestyle brand to covet. With this in mind, we recognised its press images – often managed entirely from the brand’s Italian HQ – weren’t reflective of our PR campaign. So, upon careful review with the internal marketing team, we advised hosting our own photoshoot to create a bank of inspirational images that would strengthen Smeg’s position as the ultimate design- led, luxury kitchen appliance manufacturer.

First, we conducted an audit amongst some of our closest peers to gather their honest feedback on Smeg imagery – those they liked, those they didn’t, to inform our brief. We then timed the photoshoot to coincide with a number of new launches – in particular, for profit- driving large appliances such as American-style side-by-side fridge freezers and luxury range cookers; products that can surprisingly be trickier to photograph due to their large size that would look out of place in a studio shoot. Press coverage for these models would undeniably help drive sales, thus providing a valuable return on Smeg’s investment in the photoshoot. We also briefed the stylist to shoot a number of smaller items, such as kettles, toasters and stand mixers, plus its forthcoming cookware collection – ensuring we had all assets in order several months prior to the November launch, providing as much time as possible to sell-in and secure coverage – ultimately guaranteeing a bumper month of press upon launch. Little Red Rooster partnered with stylist Joanna Thornhill for the shoot, selecting a beautiful location house in Hackney for the project. The property – straight out of the pages of Elle Decoration – was a welcome departure from the locations Smeg has shot at previously, thus adding much-needed variety to Smeg’s image bank.

Little Red Rooster orchestrated two photoshoots for Smeg – the first a product photoshoot, the second a specific festive shoot to help bolster its Christmas campaigns. The ensuing result was a varied image library that well and truly demonstrated the high-end nature, quality design and timeless aesthetic of Smeg products, positioning them as a luxury item. As Little Red Rooster is responsible for Smeg’s social media channels, too, we could carefully tie up the official release of new images across Smeg’s platforms to ensure a carefully co-ordinated marketing plan that straddled both PR and social simultaneously.