In the year that will go down in history as the year of isolation, the need for closeness has proven to be more important than ever. And in this new normality that had little to offer that was tactile, another sense came to our aid: hearing.

We have all learned to live with headphones in our ears, while a friend told us about the latest TV series or a colleague presented us with the latest progress of the project. The voice of the people, the dialogue with them, has been what has kept us sane throughout this time. In this more than unique historical context, a new social platform emerges – currently limited to iPhone owners: we are talking about Clubhouse.

A sense of connection and solidarity that can only be found when you are surrounded by those who share a passion.

In a courageous move, the evening before the Derby della Madonnina on February 21, Internazionale Milano made its debut on Clubhouse. The football club is already known for being active for years on all digital platforms: we find Inter on YouTube with original formats, and we stumble upon them scrolling through the TikTok feed. And now here it is also on Clubhouse, with an event in all respects dedicated to the dialogue between fans, the one that is usually done in the crowded stands, or at the bar in front of a cold lager, with the irony and apprehension of those who still do not know what to expect from the upcoming match, but a sense of connection and solidarity that can only be found when you are surrounded by those who share a passion.

It was an event where you could touch the community of fans – a part of them – while the moderators, radio speakers of Radio Deejay and Radio24 held the reins of a plot that always remained bidirectional between them and their audience, with interventions by “common listeners” but also by guests such as Marco Santin (Gialappa’s Band).

We wear headphones, brands speak
Hearing is the first sense we develop: in the fourth month of pregnancy, in fact, we already start to hear. “We launched Clubhouse to build a more human social experience, where instead of posting you can talk. The thing we love most is how the voice can bring people together.” Founders Rohan Seth and Paul Davison know what they are doing.

Clubhouse has been able to intercept this more alive than ever need on the one hand, but also interpret a growing trend, that of audio, on the other. Podcasting has been talked about for years now and its growth among the public and adoption by brands has grown dramatically. The voice of brands, in particular, is becoming a hot topic again. We have seen it – or rather heard it – with voice assistants, but also with music playlists curated by brands.

A certainly smaller audience, but one on which the activity manages to dig a deeper groove.

In addition to Inter, other courageous brands have also decided to play the game of audio attention. IKEA, for example, recently debuted on social media with three themed rooms (living room, kitchen, bedroom) in which influencers and commentators contributed on how to best live our homes, thanks to the support of psychologist Luca Mazzuchelli.

Certainly, such an open scenario as the one offered by Clubhouse – where anyone can join in and have their say live – presents some risks: the hater is always around the corner. But the potential of the medium is undoubtedly fascinating. If traditional communication campaigns generate brand awareness on a large scale, operations like those we have seen from Inter and IKEA are aimed at extremely vertical qualitative niches, in which those who participate are an attentive, warm audience, more easily converted into Brand Ambassadors. In this we do not find many differences with Live Communication, which also offers rewarding live connection experiences that remain vivid in the memory of the audience who experienced them, an audience that is certainly smaller, but on which the activity manages to dig a deeper groove.

The question at this point remains one: will brands be brave enough to leave the locker rooms and step onto the pitch, as Inter did? Will Brand and Marketing Managers get their hands dirty, coming into direct contact with their consumers? The game is still all to play for, emotions are just around the corner.