Barneys Brothers, Sisters, Sons and Daughters campaign image
Retailers showed their dedication to consumers in the first half of 2014, placing them at the forefront of campaigns or ensuring that their voices were heard.
Department store chains are recognizing the importance of a multichannel presence, with bricks-and-mortar stores launching mobile applications and increasing their ecommerce and digital experiences, while online retailers found ways to have a presence apart from the online environment. As consumers become more demanding in terms of customer service, ensuring a seamless experience across platforms will be critical for retailers.
Here are the top 10 luxury retail efforts from the first half of 2014, in alphabetical order:
Barneys’ Brothers, Sisters, Daughters and Sons campaign
Barneys’ Brothers, Sisters, Sons and Daughters campaign
Department store chain Barneys New York aligned itself with the fight for transgender equality with an ad campaign and outreach.
Barneys’ “Brothers, Sisters, Sons and Daughters” campaign features 17 transgender individuals with diverse backgrounds and stories that were told through a series of short films.
Consumers were able to see the film online on Barneys’ content Web site The Window on Feb. 11. The video also played in the retailer’s Madison Avenue flagship store windows through March 16.
For this campaign, Barneys partnered with both National Center for Transgender Equality and the LGBT Community Center, both of whom speak out about trans issues. To aid their efforts, Barneys donated 10 percent of the sales from all of its stores and its ecommerce on Feb. 11 to the two organizations, giving each 5 percent.
As part of the outreach, Barneys is creating an education program for its employees that will focus on helping them understand issues facing the transgender community.
With this campaign, Barneys showed a more personal, human side to its brand that allowed it to connect on a deeper level with consumers (see story).
Photo from Bergdorf Goodman’s @Goodmans Instagram
Bergdorf Goodmans’ men’s store Instagram
New York retailer Bergdorf Goodman is reaching out to fashion-savvy men through a new Instagram account separate from the main store profile.
Bergdorf Goodman launched its @Goodmans account at the beginning of the spring/summer 2015 menswear runway shows. Joining the existing male-specific Twitter account, this addition will help the department store connect with its male consumers on a more focused level.
This move to a separate Instagram account matches the separate building that now contains the men’s apparel and accessories. Bergdorf’s menswear department was developed into its own store location across Fifth Avenue in 1990 (see story).
Longchamp Year of the Horse bag for Bloomingdale’s
Bloomingdale’s Chinese New Year celebration
Department store chain Bloomingdale’s rang in the Chinese New Year with a month-long series of events in select stores inspired by Chinese culture.
The retailer set up themed pop-up shops, gave away prizes and selling Year of the Horse apparel and accessories designed exclusively for Bloomingdale’s. By hosting this event for the second year in a row, Bloomingdale’s was able to both attract Chinese tourists and Chinese-American consumers, as well as give its devoted customers a reason to come in-store.
Bloomingdale’s celebration included pop-up shops within select locations, with a selection of apparel and accessories as well as home décor items chosen by the fashion office. Bloomingdale’s is carrying exclusive items for the occasion, including a Longchamp Year of the Horse tote bag and a red chinchilla jacket by Carmen Marc Valvo Couture.
The retailer also offered consumers in stores at New York’s 59th Street, Chicago’s North Michigan Avenue, the San Francisco Center and South Coast Plaza, CA, the opportunity to open red envelopes, some of which contain prizes such as bMoney gift cards worth $8, $88 or $888, since the number 8 is lucky in Chinese culture (see story).
Facade of Fortnum & Mason
Fortnum & Mason’s heritage domain
British department store Fortnum & Mason is one of the first registrants of a .london domain name.
This followed the announcement that a number of luxury brands had scooped up .luxury addresses, part of a new program to try to register more descriptive domain names. As Fortnum & Mason expands its retail footprint globally, having the location of its flagship will allow it to hold onto its heritage with its online presence.
Fortnum & Mason was part of a select group, including the London Symphony Orchestra and the London Evening Standard, whose .london sites went live early to promote the new addresses.
Fortnumandmason.london features a short history of the store, telling consumers of its founding in 1707 by a footman to Queen Anne. It has since been expanded to include more store information for its London locations (see story).
Screenshot of Galeries Lafayette’s Haussmann app
Geolocation apps
Both Galeries Lafayette and Printemps came out with geolocation apps to help consumers navigate their expansive flagship stores.
Printemps’ app uses geolocation to let users pinpoint brands, services and their friends inside the chain’s Paris Haussmann flagship.
The flagship is about 468,000 square feet, with nine floors. This app helps consumers navigate the large retail space (see story).
Through Galeries Lafayette’s app, consumers can map out an itinerary before traveling to the chain’s 10-story flagship Paris store on Boulevard Haussmann. As a main tourist destination in Paris, this app will help visitors to Galeries Lafayette find what they are looking for within the large department store, acting as an extension of the customer service team (see story).
Since consumers are very likely to be on their mobile device while in-store, it makes sense for a retailer to aid their shopping experience with an app.
Blogger Miroslava Duma on the Harrods Live catwalk
Harrods’ Vogue Fashion Festival sponsorship
Condé Nast-owned British Vogue and London department store Harrods struck a partnership for the third annual Vogue Festival March 29-30 to create a high-end, stylish experience for fashion-minded attendees.
This year, with Harrods at the helm for the first time, the Vogue Festival likely attracted a larger amount of fashion-forward guests due to the retailer’s status.
During the two-day event, ticket holders were invited to attend interviews, panels, trend talks and workshops that explore hot topics and trends in the fashion industry.
During The Vogue Festival, Harrods will hold its first HarrodsLive Street Style Competition, where the retailer will celebrate trendsetting fashion talents that “filter from the street up.” Entries come at a price, as the competition is only open for those with a ticket for The Vogue Festival.
Held on the ground floor of Queen Elizabeth Hall, participants will walk down the HarrodsLive catwalk to show off their personal street-inspired style. The participant’s final looks will be captured and projected onto large screens throughout the event space as well as a digital snapshot to be uploaded to the participant’s Instagram using the hashtag #HarrodsLive (see story).
Mr Porter and Uber team up in Paris
Mr Porter’s branded cab service for men’s fashion week
Men’s online retailer Mr Porter, with mobile car service application Uber, created an easy way for Paris Fashion Week guests to travel around the city.
The five day alliance offered Paris Fashion Week attendees free personal chauffeur service in central Paris. The union of Mr Porter and Uber offered guests the ability to experience both brands in one occasion, likely leading to a positive combination of each brand’s consumers.
By typing in the promotion code MRUBER on the Uber app, Parisian guests could easily and quickly request a chauffeur.
This free personal chauffeur service was in a luxury car equipped with a gift certificate to mrporter.com and a bag of gifts. Also, there was an in-car iPad with a Mr Porter Spotify playlist and a copy of the latest edition of The Mr Porter Post (see story).
Promotional image for Neiman Marcus’ Be You Be Beautiful
Neiman Marcus’ fan submission beauty campaign
Department store chain Neiman Marcus accepted submissions for its fall 2014 beauty campaign Feb. 10 through March 31 to find women who represent the retailer’s everyday consumer.
Neiman Marcus’ “Be You, Be Beautiful” beauty campaign submissions were uploaded through the retailer’s Facebook page to ensure a wider reach via shares. By accepting submissions from across the United States, Neiman Marcus gained exposure in markets that the retailer has yet to established a bricks-and-mortar presence.
For the Be You, Be Beautiful campaign, Neiman Marcus asked its Facebook followers to submit a photograph of a friend, family member or themselves to be selected to model for the retailer’s fall 2014 beauty campaign. Asking real women to upload photographs to be included in the campaign showed that Neiman Marcus cares about its consumers.
By going through the submissions, Neiman Marcus was also be able to better gauge the ages and backgrounds of its core consumers. The submission form does not mention age as a signifier, allowing the consumer to base entries on inner beauty as well as physical characteristics (see story).
User generated Porter cover
Net-A-Porter’s print magazine launch
Online retailer Net-A-Porter ventured into the physical realm with its first print magazine “Porter” that leverages curated editorial content to increase engagement with consumers.
The first issue of Porter was sent to subscribers’ mailboxes and newsstands in February. The branded magazine allows Net-A-Porter to connect with consumers beyond the initial point of sale to give more context to products and services.
Net-A-Porter.com promoted the debut issue of its print magazine Porter with an application that allowed consumers to place their photos onto a digital image of the publication’s cover.
The “I am Porter” app was tied into a social media contest, where consumers could enter to win a shopping spree on the online retailer by posting their magazine cover for their followers. Due to the incentive of the contest, these user-generated images spread across social media and created buzz for Porter (see story).
Saks Fifth Avenue ad in W:Art showing Givenchy shoe
Saks Fifth Avenue’s W magazine sponsorship
Department store chain Saks Fifth Avenue sponsored Condé Nast-owned W magazine’s upcoming stand-alone special issue W:Art.
The 88-page W:Art focuses on the direction of contemporary art, from galleries to music producer and recording artist Pharrell Williams. By acting as primary sponsor and exclusive retail partner of this issue, Saks was able to more fully immerse itself in the art community and other creative channels, a mission of new president Marigay McKee.
Within W:Art, Saks had a 16-page advertising spread conceived by Mr. Briggs. Accessories become the subject for a large-scale photography exhibit, titled “Magnified:Magnifique,” held in a warehouse-esue gallery space. Close-up shots of handbags, shoes and jewelry are printed to stand stories high over the models’ heads.
“Magnified:Magnifique” was also been interpreted for Saks’ store windows, in a display that opened May 5 and ran until May 14 (see story).
Final Take
Sarah Jones, editorial assistant on Luxury Daily, New York