The Naked Launch
Seriously who has not heard of the New York design and marketing firm Viceroy Creative that had a tremendous way of doing marketing? Gabrielle Rein and her partner David Moritz decided to go completely naked to launch the rebranding of their business. The rebranding basically broke the internet it was all over the news, not only in the US but even in the Netherlands it was big news!
Viceroy Creative has been all over the news and magazines, but who is Gabrielle Rein, who is the woman behind this successful business? Women On Topp is proud to highlight Gabrielle Rein as the Co-Founder and Creative Director of Viceroy Creative.
From a young age, Rein loved to create art and design. It’s always been a part of her as she is fascinated by visual communication. This led Rein to attend New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology where she achieved her Master in package design.
Experiment gone RIGHT!
According to Rein, Viceroy was an experiment gone right! Rein has never had any entrepreneurial experiences, she didn’t have any expectations when she founded this company without any investments. …And yet it has been fortunate enough that the business grew organically over a 10 year period!
Rein is a truly gifted individual who began her career in the big world of fashion and has collaborated on projects with super famed designers Marc Jacobs, Donna Karan, Milly, John Varvatos, and Dolce & Gabbana. She has worked on branding and design projects for brands including Pepsi, Patrón, Skyy, Colgate and many more. Rein is also the designer of the FIFA World Cup SheBelieves Trophy.
Rein has won awards from Graphic Design USA, the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and the World Beverage Competition for her works in spirits package design, and has been nominated for a Pentaward. Rein was also named one of Luxury Daily’s Women to Watch in 2015 and is a contributor to Women’s Wear Daily and Luxury Daily.
What sets Viceroy Creative apart from other Marketing & Design companies in the area and how do you make sure anyone can find Viceroy Creative?
I don’t. It’s probably not the best form of advertising but if a potential client wants to hire Viceroy they will find us.
We are much smaller than most NYC agencies and our processes are routed in fine art and psychology, which is very different than the typical agency ‘problem/solution’ model.
Who came up with the campaign idea of posing naked to rebrand your company? What has been one of the best responses you got from this campaign?
David Moritz and I was not a fan but well, here we are. This shoot is the bane of my existence! The funniest response was a call from Bridgewater. They wanted to hire us for a job.
Tell us about a case of a client that you are particularly proud of:
The project I am most proud of is for Axiom Space. It allows me to design for good and give back to humanity.
What steps do you take to prepare for a difficult case?
Research. I like to learn new things and the best way is to study up. That’s how I spend most of my free time: research and reading. It’s very glamorous!
What types of requests of clients do you specifically handle?
Any and all requests. If the client needs something related to design/marketing and I can successfully complete the task I will take the request.
How do you manage your work days as the founder of Viceroy Creative? What reward is it giving you?
Every hour of my day is strategically scheduled in advance and that’s how I manage. I like structure and organization. Hyper-organized and detail oriented. Perfection is in the details (if there were such a thing).
The reward I am getting is my team and my clients. I’m lucky to have worked with so many outstanding people and my life is better from having known them. Also being an entrepreneur gives me freedom and flexibility. It feels good to own something and create.
What is Viceroy Creative’s most popular service at the moment and why? And what advice do you most often to your clients?
All things digital. Brands want content, stories, video, cool stuff for the ‘gram. Create something real. Give consumers quality products and make them happy. People are smart and we need to embrace their needs.
What would you like to share and advice to people who are starting a business of their own?
Just try it out, you can always get a job later if it doesn’t work.
When are you not at work, what are some of your favorite pastimes?
I spend all my time with my girls. But I also like to dance and workout, cook, travel, hang with friends. Nothing too exciting. Just live.
What marketing strategy do you use for Viceroy Creative? Have you tried a strategy that did not work at all in the past, what strategy would you advice someone to leave behind?
In the past, I had submitted for design awards and won a bunch but in the end, I don’t think it was a valuable use of time or resources. None of my clients came to me because they saw I won x number of design awards. I no longer have a marketing strategy for the company and it’s going okay at the moment.
Do you believe in destiny or do you think you can control your fate?
I think we all try to have some kind of ‘control’ over our lives and what happens to us but there’s really no such thing. The universe decides.
Tell us about your proudest achievement and what have been some of your failures?
Proudest achievement: Becoming a mom 2x! Learned from failures: I think when you try to be something you’re not to please people it always backfires. I’ve learned it’s best to be yourself and be consistent.
What are the pro and cons of starting a business with your life-partner?
The pros are you get to fight all the time and the cons are there’s a high probability they will no longer be your partner. I recommend not doing this.
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