Sony: A more conscious future
Marshall
Immersive retail design
Marshall has always owned the soundtrack of rebellion – on stage, on the street – but the living-room was still missing its riff. With the launch of the Heston soundbar range, the brief to ISI Global was clear: turn Marshall’s heritage into a home‑cinema experience that feels instantly, unmistakably Marshall, wherever it appears.
By combining thoughtful retail design and a robust UX/UI framework we built a globally adaptable retail ecosystem that lets shoppers experience sound rather than simply read about it. What began as a bold new format has grown into a confident, multi‑continent presence anchoring Marshall’s home‑cinema story worldwide.
When Marshall decided to step into TV soundbars category with the Heston range, the ambition was simple and bold: if people were already watching the stories they love, Marshall would make them feel them.
That decision set a much bigger customer journey in motion. The brief to ISI Global was to imagine what Marshall’s first home‑cinema experience could look like everywhere: from a major electronics retailer in Berlin to a boutique store in Taipei, a mall in São Paulo, a big‑box retailer in the US. Each space was different and each shopper behaved differently, but the brand needed to feel instantly, unmistakably Marshall across every omnichannel touchpoint.
The Heston rollout proves that stores can still be places where people pause, engage, and connect – not just with a product, but with a feeling.
We translated that feeling into a physical language: black architectural fixtures subtle textures and clean lines that create a distinctive presence within busy electronics environments. This approach allows the Heston range’s signature gold detailing and iconic grille cloth to become focal points, reinforcing Marshall’s heritage while ensuring strong product visibility. Across formats, the look is quiet but unmistakable: a slice of Marshall’s live‑sound world dropped into the TV aisle. Regional teams can flex footprints, but the moment a shopper sees the black wall, the logo and the stacked Heston line‑up, they know they stepped into Marshall territory.
At the heart of the project is a simple shift: don’t give shoppers a demo, give them an audition. A bespoke UX/UI experience guides shoppers through Dolby Atmos demonstrations, product education and comparative listening experiences, helping transform a passive display into an immersive in-store experience. Rather than relying on static messaging, the platform enables customers to hear, compare and understand the Heston range in context, creating a more engaging and informed purchase journey.
Interactive playtables place control directly in shoppers’ hands, encouraging exploration through self-guided product demonstrations. Integrated screens, hardware and cabling are seamlessly incorporated into the retail environment, maintaining a premium aesthetic while supporting intuitive interaction. Clear navigation ensures shoppers instantly understand what they are listening to, which product is being demonstrated and how different configurations compare.
The result is longer dwell-times, stronger consumer engagement, higher participation rates and a more confident understanding of the Heston range. By blending digital integration with experiential retail design, the format transforms product discovery into a memorable brand experience.
The Heston ecosystem has given Marshall a clear, repeatable way to show up in home audio globally. With Europe, USA and JAPAC established, the ecosystem is now driving expansion into LATAM and Canada, alongside a simplified push‑button variant to reach a wider retail estate more cost‑effectively.
Like any global programme, the rollout faced challenges. Creative routes were refined, firmware updates arrived late, content assets landed in waves rather than all at once. Retailers changed floorplans, deadlines moved closer instead of further away. There were late‑night calls to solve technical glitches, fast‑tracked prototyping to hit a narrow install window, and more than a few nervous first power‑ons in store. But each hurdle sharpened the partnership. Processes tightened, communication became more open, and the collective focus stayed on what shoppers would actually see, hear and feel.
The most rewarding chapters came from the people closest to the shop floor. Regional teams talked about how smooth the installations were, how easy it was to brief store staff, how proud they felt seeing “their” Marshall space live. Feedback described ISI Global as a trusted extension of the Marshall team – a partner that could juggle multiple markets, multiple priorities and still land the details right. That trust is what unlocked the next wave.
Today, the Heston soundbar range is finding its place in homes around the world because it already has a presence in the places where people discover and decide. The roll‑out has become more than a fixture programme; it is Marshall’s new language in retail – a language ISI Global helps translate from market to market without losing the emotion at its core.
Trust, transparency, and shared problem-solving turned complexity into momentum, unlocking new regions and new opportunities.
As the rollout continues across the Americas and beyond, the foundation is firmly in place: a proven, scalable retail ecosystem that lets Marshall do what it has always done best – turn up the volume, and make people feel it.