Saint Laurent Baby Sac de Jour
French atelier Saint Laurent Paris is targeting fashionable readers of New York magazine’s The Cut to promote its Sac de Jour handbag collection.
A product-driven advertisement strategy may generate click-throughs, but without enticing imagery the reader may continue on to the mobile site’s content. In Saint Laurent’s case, the brand relied heavily on its notoriety by choosing to display only its logo at the top of The Cut’s page and a smaller box ad embedded within the content where an image was included.
“The Saint Laurent ad is strong and effective – it includes the brand name, the product name and a product image in a black and white design,” said Simon Buckingham, CEO of Appitalism, New York.
“Although the ad blends into the header, I don’t think this reduces its effectiveness,” he said. “[For the banner ad,] The Most Popular section of a Web site is well read and therefore the placement of the ad seems effective.
Mr. Buckingham is not affiliated with Saint Laurent Paris, but agreed to comment as an industry expert.
Saint Laurent Paris was unable to comment directly.
Yves on your sleeve
Without an image of the Sac de Jour handbag on Saint Laurent’s banner ad, the brand shows its confidence. The banner effort sits against The Cut’s header, which is also black, creating a seamless transition from ad space to content.
It is only when the reader continues to scroll does she find a more specific box ad from Saint Laurent. The brand’s confidence comes into play at this point, with the idea that the brand’s logo is enough to generate a click-through while the box ad is a safety net to divert attention away from The Cut’s content.
The Saint Laurent box ad is simple in execution and shows the profile of a woman from the hip dressed in all black. Over her arm is a black patent crocodile leather Sac de Jour handbag, as reflected in the image’s text.
A click-through on either section of the Saint Laurent ad campaign lands on the atelier’s Sac de Jour collection section of its Web site. From here, consumers can browse the full collection, available in three sizes.
Organized in size order, baby, small and large Sac de Jour, the consumer can easily find the handbag ideal for their style and personality. If looking for a particular handbag, the consumer can use the menu bar on the righthand side of the Web page.
YSL ecommerce site
When a product is selected, a new page opens to show details and additional colors, price, different angle views of the handbag and the option to add to bag, wish list or share. Below the product image, Saint Laurent suggests products that accompany the selected handbag well, such as matching shoe, wallet or scarf.
YSL ecommerce site
On the left hand menu, the consumer can explore other points in Saint Laurent’s women’s range such as the spring/summer 2014 collection, shoes, leather goods, jewelry and sunglasses. Also, the consumer can explore Saint Laurent’s Music Project, its current collection or locate a bricks-and-mortar location.
An extra push
Most mobile ads aim to distract the reader by removing them from their intended reading, but may not have commerce as the only end goal. Many brands use mobile ads as an extra push to garner brand interest from a different angle.
For example, Italy’s Prada added more color to the vibrant print campaign for its spring/summer 2014 collection with a mobile advertisement seen on The New York Times’ On The Runway column.
As many fashionable readers were looking to be kept up-to-date with ongoing runway shows as Milan Fashion Week wrapped up and Paris set to begin, this column was an ideal space to promote a collection already available in stores. Although fashion weeks highlight collections ahead of season, the buzz around participating brands will likely pique interest regardless (see story).
Similarly, France’s Longchamp continued promotions for its spring 2014 apparel and accessories collection with a mobile advertisement on New York magazine’s fashion-centric blog, The Cut.
Longchamp’s mobile ad was seen within the online publication’s runway coverage of recent Fashion Weeks in New York, London and Milan. Placing an ad for a current collection among other high-end apparel brands creates an association between Longchamp and its competitors (see story).
A successful mobile ad effort is only as successful as its landing page, which must be mobile-optimized to ensure a seamless experience.
“The landing page is the only part of this ad that could be improved,” Mr. Buckingham said. “[With] small images of around 15 different products shown on a single page [the handbags] may be difficult to process and review on the small screen of a mobile device.”
Final Take
Jen King, editorial assistant on Luxury Daily, New York
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