Gaggenau delves into craftsmanship, history with multichannel culinary project

Gaggenau Restaurant 1683 takes inspiration from the Black Forest

German appliance maker Gaggenau is inviting consumers to explore its 333-year heritage through a multi-sensory experience.

Gaggenau Restaurant 1683, named to reference its founding year, will open with a pop-up eatery in New York this September, with follow-up events and digital components stretching over the next three years. While marketers traditionally use sight and sound to communicate a message, involving more senses opens up additional storytelling capabilities.

“Gaggenau delivers a dining experience as uncompromisingly exquisite as the legacy that inspired it,” said Natascha Kruusi, senior marketing manager at Gaggenau.

“Bringing to life the experience of Restaurant 1683, Gaggenau transcends physical boundaries by taking our sophisticated consumers on an epicurean journey, creating an unparalleled emotional connection that goes beyond the product,” she said. “Throughout its 333-year history, Gaggenau remains committed to its tradition of incomparable craftsmanship standards and its extraordinary authenticity.

“Gaggenau will showcase its visionary culinary expertise in an exclusive, pop-up restaurant experience that redefines the art of culinary luxury. The uncompromising quality and design of our products are essential, but connecting the brand to the consumer’s highly emotional sensorial experience is the richest space in which our brand can live.”

Consuming history
Gaggenau Restaurant 1683 will kick off with a four-night invite-only event in New York’s Chelsea neighborhood on Sept. 26.

“We will host 48 individuals for each of the four evenings during the NYC pop-up restaurant,” Ms. Kruusi said.

“Our exclusive guest list is a mix of highly sought after influencers from various industries, such as art, culinary, design, entertainment and fashion, as well as current Gaggenau brand enthusiasts,” she said. “Our target audience values intrinsic pleasure and appreciates brand passion and authenticity.”

Three Michelin star chef Daniel Humm and restaurateur Will Guidara, co-owners of Eleven Madison Park, will host an immersive dining experience. The menu will take inspiration from traditional cuisine in Gaggenau’s home region and the accuracy of the appliances.

Campaign image for Gaggenau Restaurant 1683

Joining Mr. Humm’s team on two of the nights will be Betony’s chef Bryce Shuman and general manager Eamon Rockey.

Guests will gather in a space designed by German architect Hendrik Mueller to transport them back to the year of Gaggenau’s 1683 beginnings with a contemporary touch. Elements of the pop-up restaurant are forged in wrought iron, an homage to the company’s founding as a hammer mill.

From its start using iron ore to create hammers, nails and other goods, Gaggenau expanded into coal and gas fired stoves. Today, the brand prides itself on being an innovator in both design and technology, producing professional-grade appliances, including ovens and cooktops.

Gaggenau 1683

After the pop-up debuts in New York, additional satellite events will be held in other U.S. cities over the next three years.

Extending the experience beyond the few who get an invite, the brand has established a dedicated microsite for Gaggenau Restaurant 1683. Here, consumers can explore the project through each of the five senses.

Taste offers background on chefs Mr. Humm and Mr. Shuman, while smell gives an idea of the wine and locally-sourced ingredients being used for the September event.

Feel plunges consumers into the concept through a short film. At the opening, an aerial shot of snow-covered evergreens makes way for a time-lapse view of ice forming as a voiceover asks, “What is the feeling of true luxury?”

The video then switches to a kitchen scene, as chefs prepare foods that are equally stimulating for the eyes and the palette. These create fog or are plated in an artistic manner.

At the end, the voiceover proclaims, “A new age of culinary luxury begins.”

This section also tackles the space itself, which is designed to evoke the Black Forest. Mr. Mueller explains on film that he grew up nearby to the natural landmark and describes his memories of the magical environment.

He also describes how he tried to bring a sense of nature to Gaggenau Restaurant 1683.

Gaggenau campaign image for Restaurant 1683

The microsite will be home to original content over the next three years, including features on the menu and wine served at the events and video interviews and behind-the-scenes footage of the chefs.

“Bringing the story of Gaggenau to life makes the culture of the brand tangible,” Ms. Kruusi said. “The core of the experience is to feel the nature and to feel the brand essence and its core values and identity.

“The three year campaign and experience of Restaurant 1683 will extend beyond the invite-only real world events through a virtual culinary exploration on Restaurant 1683’s microsite,” she said. “The microsite will feature original culinary and design content as part of a real-time look inside each exclusive experience, ultimately communicating the brand difference and reinforcing Gaggenau as a pioneer of culinary culture.”

Sensory appeal
With the help of digital media, exclusive events can be experienced by more than attendees.

The Ritz-Carlton is painting a sensory picture of the boundless possibilities accessible at its properties with help from two Condé Nast publications.

Titled Room No.8, a sensory experience was held in London in partnership with British Vogue and British GQ, during which guests were immersed in a series of audiovisual displays, performance art and theater. Taking the experience beyond the singular event, Ritz-Carlton is using footage from Room No. 8 in a creative campaign running on both of the titles (see story).

As marketers look to effectively appeal to consumers, a strategy that takes all five senses into consideration is the best approach, according to a new report by Shullman Research Center.

Sight may be the most important sense, ranked highest by 84 percent of consumers, but the other four also play a major role in consumers’ purchasing decisions and perception of a brand. Luxury brands in particular should take note of the senses outside of sight, as luxury buyers have less of a focus on sight than those who do not indulge in luxury (see story).

“Since its founding in 1683, the name Gaggenau has been synonymous with uncompromising quality and design, as well as extraordinary vision,” Ms. Kruusi said. “This rich brand equity, deeply rooted in Gaggenau’s three-century heritage, will be translated throughout this exciting three year initiative.

“Restaurant 1683 is a declaration of elegant precision and culinary progression and will indulge even the most discerning connoisseurs,” she said. “The stage will be set for a multi-sensory culinary experience and take guests on an emotional journey into the origins of the contemporary luxury brand.

“Guests will be transported back 333 years, to the misty, dense woods of Germany’s Black Forest. The backdrop will focus on the mythical beginnings of Gaggenau, as a forge, where a spark of fire and the strike of a hammer marked the age of industrial craftsmanship and the interactive environment envelopes with the natural elements indigenous to the region, warm woods and lush greeneries, the sounds, sights and feel of the forest.

“The mood is anticipated to be both mystical and fascinating, the space, a serene and surreal oasis from the bustle of the outside urban streets.”

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