Oscar de la Renta's spring 2014 Fashion Week pins
Luxury marketers used digital tactics to foster intimate connections with consumers during the third quarter of 2013.
Digital enabled marketers to engage with target consumers on a personal level through microsites, branded hashtags and digital touch points. These experiential and educational tactics integrated consumers into what felt like the brand’s inner circle, which ultimately drove brand loyalty.
Here are the top 10 luxury brand digital campaigns in the third quarter of 2013, in alphabetical order.
Emporio Armani fall/winter collection video
Armani’s Emporio Armani CGI campaign - Italian label Giorgio Armani is showcasing its Emporio Armani fall/winter collection through a short video that mixes images of the models wearing the products with reflections and images of clouds in the sky.
The 60-second video shows off the men’s and women’s collection through reflective techniques, quick shots and computer-generated imagery. Since a majority of brands use video to share new collections and advertisements with consumers, fashion marketers need to find a way to stand out from the crowd.
The artistic video begins with spotlights flashing on the screen.
Through a dark filter, a model’s face appears on the screen as another model’s entire look is shown as reflective views quickly show the front and the back. More models are shown in 360-degree mirrors, standing and walking. CGI is used to place the models in layers on top of one another. The video cuts back and forth quickly to male and female models in similar poses.
Barneys Twitter account
Barneys NYFW branded hashtag - Retailer Barneys New York made its presence known during New York Fashion Week by using a branded hashtag in its Twitter and Instagram posts.
Barneys’ #BNYFW hashtag varies from the other established Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week hashtags such as #NYFW and #MBFW. By using its own branded hashtag to promote Fashion Week events and products, Barneys is likely to make its brand stand out and be the go-to retailer for shopping during the week.
The retailer used the #BNYFW hashtag on its tweets and on its Instagram posts. Barneys used the hashtag on a number of posts ranging from shows and events at Fashion Week to product posts.
For instance, the retailer posted an image from the Proenza Schouler show Sept. 11 and used its own hashtag and another Fashion Week hashtag, #NYFW.
Barneys applied the hashtag to other fashion-related posts that it is posting during Fashion Week. In addition, Barneys encouraged Twitter and Instagram users to use #BNYFW in their own posts.
Bergdorf Goodman in New York
Bergdorf Goodman contemporary campaign - New York department store Bergdorf Goodman is pushing a new campaign for its 5F contemporary section through a digital campaign that includes images, video and a music playlist.
The retailer’s use of multiple touch points on a single page on its Web site will likely help keep the target millennial audience interested in the campaign. Since consumers are constantly bombarded with campaigns, creating multiple ways to interact may help attract consumers and keep them engaged.
Bergdorf has been promoting the new 5F campaign through its Twitter account to reach younger consumers. A click through on the link in the tweet brings consumers to the 5F homepage on Bergdorf’s Web site. The site is accessible at: http://www.bergdorfgoodman.com/5F.
The site offers rotating images of curated looks put together and shown off on model Wang Xiao. In addition, Bergdorf has also created a fall playlist on Internet music provider Spotify titled “5F Fall.” Consumers can play the music directly through the 5F Website with the Spotify widget or click to launch it in the Spotify desktop player.
Dior's One Essential serum
Dior skincare microsite - French label Christian Dior is generating interest in its One Essential skin care line through its Beauty Chronicles campaign that highlights the product line and offers information.
Dior’s multi-faceted approach pairs a series of social videos along with content explaining the harmful effects the environment and stress has on skin to promote the benefits of its One Essential products. By creating layered content that allows the consumer to fully explore a product, Dior is likely to see an increased interest in the skincare line.
The brand is promoting its One Essential skin care line through social media posts and an accompanying microsite that can be accessed through the beauty section of the brand’s Web site. By following the “discover the minisite” link, the user is brought to Dior’s first installment of its Beauty Chronicles campaign.
The Beauty Chronicle No. 1 highlights skin damage caused by pollution in major cities. Each Beauty Chronicle features a video allowing Dior to showcase the products in a realistic setting while further explaining the benefits of One Essential.
Fendi spring/summer 2013
Fendi’s Fendi Day microsite - Italian fashion house Fendi is generating interest in its spring/summer 2014 collection exhibited during Milan Fashion Week through a microsite that features interactive and behind-the-scenes content.
The Fendi Life microsite centers on “The Fendi Day” Sept. 19 at the fashion show in Milan, the opening of a Milanese boutique and a new exhibit exploring Fendi’s role in film. By displaying different aspects in one location, the brand is able to appeal to the different types of consumers who fall under the enthusiast umbrella.
During Fendi Day the brand launched multiple initiatives to increase brand awareness among consumers. The Fendi Day microsite can be accessed here and has been promoted on the brand’s social media platforms.
By dragging to the right, consumers can easily access Fendi’s social media pages through the “Social Wall” square. A click-through brings consumers to a streamlined listing of the brand’s Instagram, Facebook and Twitter pages with posts ranging from creative director Karl Lagerfeld sketches to photographs of the brand’s runway show in Milan.
Four Seasons Pin.Pack.Go.
Four Seasons Pin.Pack.Go – Hotel chain Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts amplified its Pinterest presence with a “Pin.Pack.Go” service that enables consumers to better prepare for their trips by receiving travel recommendations from hotel specialists.
Creating a platform for the brand to organically chronicle its properties creates a gallery that clarifies remote aspects of travel and helps guests plan trips. The initiative takes Four Seasons’ Pinterest mission of providing insightful tips to the next level by spurring travel.
Pinterest users are able to create a Pin.Pack.Go board to begin the process. Guests are encouraged to leave a comment indicating which hotel they will be visiting. After the hotel follows, it will gather insights into the local area such as favorite cuisine or cool places to visit that are relevant to the user’s preferences.
Each hotel’s embedded nature in its local culture ensures the credibility of suggestions. Illuminating remote aspects of each property’s surrounding area may entice guests who did not consider the property beforehand.
Google Maps' interior view of Gucci's Milan store
Gucci and Google Maps - Italian fashion house Gucci is taking consumers inside its men’s flagship store in Milan through an interactive view on Google Maps.
Through Google Business Photos the label is able to give a 360-degree view of the inside of the store through the Google Maps feature. Since the store opened in June, Gucci is likely trying to increase awareness of the location and encourage consumers to stop in.
In June, Gucci opened its men’s flagship store in the Brera shopping district. Now the brand is allowing consumers to view the inside of the store through Google Maps by searching the store on Google or visiting the store’s Google+ page.
Through the store’s Google+ profile, consumers can click on “See inside” to take them to Google Maps to view the inside of the store. In addition to other Google Map functions, consumers get a 360-degree view of the inside the store.
Marc Jacobs's Honey
Marc Jacobs dedicated fragrance Web site - Marc Jacobs Intl. is increasing exposure for its fragrance collections by launching a specialized Web site that raises brand awareness and educates consumers on products.
Marc Jacobs’ newly launched Web site will mainly generate more exposure for the brand’s latest fragrance, Honey. By creating a focused Web site, brand enthusiasts can easily explore the brand’s fragrance collection and view content not found on third-party retailer’s Web sites.
Marc Jacobs’ new Web site features all seven fragrances produced by the brand and can be found here: www.marcjacobsfragrances.com. The homepage displays the newest fragrance in the Marc Jacobs fragrance portfolio, Honey.
The text that accompanies the photograph of Honey encourages users to “be apart of the buzz.” Once redirected, users are invited to take a picture or tag their favorite spots on Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #MJHoneySpots.
The right side of the screen shows a map that users are able to explore. The pins found on the map include where to buy the fragrance, designer Marc Jacobs’ favorite spots in New York and the favorites of brand enthusiasts.
Mercedes-Benz CLA
Mercedes-Benz Google Glass - German automaker Mercedes-Benz is looking to stay ahead of its competitors by fine-tuning a Google Glass door-to-door navigation system that will likely pique the interest of technology enthusiasts.
The automaker’s quest to create an operational Google Glass navigation program may encounter obstacles, but the innovative bent of the project demonstrates the brand’s forward-looking objectives. Reliance on GPS navigation is second-nature for drivers today, so searching for ways to enhance this technology will likely appeal to huge swaths of consumers.
The door-to-door navigation system aims to guide Google Glass enabled Mercedes drivers from the door of their home to the door of their destination.
To do this, Google Glass synchronizes with the vehicle’s in-car navigation system and the user’s mobile phone. An address is put into Google Glass at home and Google Maps is used to provide initial navigation. Google Glass communicates with the user’s phone and defers to the in-car navigation system when in motion, which will likely project standard GPS directions through the lens.
The current prototype only works with the iPhone, but Mercedes expects to open it up to Android phones by 2014, Mashable reports. It is still unknown whether such a program will be legally permitted by the time Google Glass becomes available.
Oscar de la Renta's spring 2014 Fashion Week pins
Pinterest’s New York Fashion Week hub - Social platform Pinterest launched a new page exclusively for Fashion Week-related pins that were curated from a number of brands, media outlets and industry influencers.
The Fashion Week page, which starts with the spring 2014 collection at New York Fashion Week, gives users a location to find a multitude of fashion related pins. Since Pinterest created a single source for Fashion Week pins, brands that had shows put out content on the page to reach users who browsed the site.
The Fashion Week hub begins with spring 2014 collections at the Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week. It can be accessed at: http://pinterest.com/fashionweek.
Boards posted during the event came from a number of creators such as Oscar de la Renta, Marc Jacobs, Nordstrom, Coco Rocha, Diane von Furstenberg, the Council of Fashion Designers of America, Michael Kors, Rebecca Minkoff, Tiffany & Co., the Style Network and others. Each of the boards contain a variety of pins including inspirational images, photographs from fall 2013 collections at the previous Fashion Week, celebrity photos and product images.
Final Take
Jen King, editorial assistant on Luxury Daily, New York