Japanese works of art form marketing campaign for Less Mess Storage

On 19th May 2022, some unusual works of art appeared on Less Mess Storage’s buildings in Warsaw. The famous Japanese artist, Photographer Hal, has a style which arouses both interests as well as controversy. Indeed, he was recently a feature on CNN.

So what is all the fuss about? Photographer Hal’s core style is to place people, including naked couples, in a bag and in intimate positions and then suck all the air out to give a vacuum-packed effect. The very creation of each work requires weeks of planning, hours of set up and then only a 10-second window in which to take photographs. The bag then has to be broken quickly to avoid suffocation of the subjects inside.

How has Less Mess Storage, a company with a network of self-storage centres in Poland and the Czech Republic, come to commission Photographer Hal’s art? The idea was initiated and driven by the creative agency, Mamapool, whose partners have decades of experience all over the world, and who had previously worked with Photographer Hal on a condom marketing campaign.

Tom Pinsent, Partner at Mamapool, commented: “We were thinking about how it feels to live in an office or home when it is full of too much stuff. We were also talking about the effects of lockdown. In both scenarios you feel trapped, almost suffocated. It is dislocating and stressful. We felt that Photographer Hal’s art perfectly captured the emotion of feeling stressed, of feeling crushed by too much stuff. Of course, this is an emotional problem that Less Mess solves. I worked in Tokyo for many years so was familiar with Hal’s work.”

Being “crushed by clutter” and “suffocated by stuff”, whether in a home or business context, is a problem and stress in life that everybody can relate to, and for which Less Mess offers an easy solution. Photographer Hal’s art is a way of providing a metaphor for these emotions of stress in exciting and colourful images.

CEO of Less Mess Storage, Guy Pinsent, on his first reactions to the idea of the vacuum-sealed photoshoot, said: “I loved the idea. It is original and unusual. With the team we are constantly debating and thinking about our offer and how to connect with our customers, so as to improve continually and be the best, to stand apart from the crowd. The idea of commissioning work from a famous Japanese artist and working with the brilliant talent at Mamapool to produce the marketing images and marketing campaign was thrilling.”

Commenting on the reception of such a controversial and unique campaign in Poland, Guy added: “The idea touches on universal human emotions: being under pressure, being stressed, being suffocated – in a metaphorical way of course – by too much stuff in the office or at home. We of course hope this will generate interest in Less Mess Storage and improve our brand awareness. At the very least, people can enjoy the images for their artistic quality and quirkiness. Working with brilliant people on this fun marketing campaign is a source of personal joy and satisfaction.”