Louis Vuitton AW14 Campaign

All eyes were on Nicolas Ghesquière for his first ad campaign as creative Director for Louis Vuitton. Not happy with just one photographer to help his creative ideas come to life, Ghesquière called upon fashions top 3 most in demand photographers Annie Leibovitz, Juergen Teller and Bruce Weber. A series of images were created dubbed ‘Series 1’, (implying there’s more to come..) and starred top models/actresses Charlotte Gainsbourg, Liya Kebede, Kirstin Kragh Liljegren, Jean Campbell and Freja Beha Erichsen.

This season Annie Leibovitz, Juergen Teller and Bruce Weber were each given free reign to interpret the brief of “classic beauty meeting creative innovation” in their own way. The results were unique and completely different from each other, yet seemed to carry the same eerie theme obvious in Ghesquière’s debut collection.

When I first laid eyes on the campaign, I was a little confused to see the distinct lack of uniform through the shots, whilst also thinking how refreshing they were from the usual Louis Vuitton campaigns. On second thought however, if I were the new Creative Director of the powerhouse that is Louis Vuitton, why not pull together the best of the best to create that initial impact that all eyes in the industry have been anticipating. Looking forward to following his next steps…

#Cara4DKNY

In June DKNY announced that they are to be collaborating with model of the moment Cara Delevingne, allowing her to design a 15 piece capsule collection for the global New York based brand.

To build that much needed buzz around the project, the brand developed two catchy hashtags with the idea that followers can upload selfies of themselves pulling their best model pose, add the #CaraWantsYou and #Cara4DKNY hashtags and be in with the chance of joining Miss Delevingne to model the one-off collection, which will be hitting stores in November. A new logo was even created, making it appear like Cara had scribbled all over the iconic DKNY logo.

A massive 54,735 entries were made, showing the sheer power of social media, and the reach a brand can achieve with a celebrity that perfectly reflects the brand and a well thought out social media strategy… all without the million dollar advertising campaign.
Cara then chose her 6 favourite selfies, choosing people with personality and people that would best reflect her collection, A photocall then followed with her new best friends, which was of course splashed all over social media for millions to see, building the perfect hype for the much awaited collection. 

Most of the advertising for the collection was done through Cara’s and the brands social media platforms, making it quick and easy for users to understand and take part. This is a great way for a brand to tap into a wider audience, spreading brand awareness and showing off the brands fun, young personality.

#CaraWantsYou #Cara4DK

CHANEL AW14

 

Chanel goes boxing this season for the AW14 campaign, featuring IT girl Cara Delevingne and US newcomer Binx Walton. The campaign was shot by Mr Lagerfeld himself, and sees the models standing in a boxing ring lifting weights and wearing Chanel leather jogging pants, jackets and knee high boots, and tweed and pearls in others. In one shot, Binx is even seen to have the infamous CC logo painted onto her head, whilst Cara has tweed plaited through her perfect coiffed hair. Work out gear has never been so chic.

I find Chanel campaigns can be hit or miss sometimes. They are always incredibly conceptual, and perhaps out of the box, with larger-than-life themes- mostly seen on the catwalk. The boxing concept is refreshing and unexpected (especially as the AW14 catwalk show was based around a supermarket theme), but I can’t help think that the typical Chanel consumer is slightly confused as to what’s going on with the brand that’s known for it’s classic, timeless pieces, that attracts chic, upper class ladies with cash to blow.

On the other hand I like where they are taking the brand. The introduction of the sportswear, including the Chanel sneakers that are oh so popular with the IT girls and their Instagram accounts, shows the brand isn’t stagnating, and is successfully able to keep up with the times. The new Boy Bag that is also EVERYWHERE (and is absolutely the most amazing dream of a bag) also caters for this new crowd of young, successful IT girls.

Chanel still haven’t caught up with the social media craze however. They have official accounts, but have tactfully chosen not use these as a tool to market their brand. Social media is an incredibly key aspect to any brand these days, as it’s the perfect way to engage consumers on a personable level, giving brands a voice and personality beyond the confines of the store, website or an ad campaign. Chanel are the elite when it comes to fashion brands, so everyone wants to be in their exclusive club. Having a social media presence opens the brand up to the masses, giving everyday people a chance to have a slice of the brand when in reality there’s no way they would be able to afford a £3,000 tweed jacket or handbag. This is why Chanel have chosen not to be present in the world of social media, and I think it works perfectly for them. Chanel don’t need this extra injection of followers or brand awareness. Imagine Karl instagramming pictures of his breakfast, or perfectly made coffee… It just goes against the brands image! I think Coco would agree.

#CHANEL

I AM PORTER

To promote the launch of the newly released PORTER Magazine, the luxury global magazine powered by the dream that is NET-A-PORTER.COM, the magazine gave readers the opportunity to become their own PORTER cover star by creating an app that allows readers to upload a ‘selfie’ of themselves with the ‘PORTER’ logo emblazoned over the photo. The photo’s are then made easy to share via your own personal social media platforms, and of course carry the all important hashtag, making it easy to search other users creations.

 The app launched back in February, and was designed to create a buzz around the launch of the magazine. It started with the re-creations of the amazing Gisele debut cover, with the headline ‘She’s an Incredible Woman’, where users could win a £5,000 shopping spree on NET-A-PORTER if they took part. To celebrate the launch of the second edition of PORTER and Lady Gaga as the cover star, the ‘I AM PORTER’ app gave users the opportunity to style themselves in one of the superstar’s eight iconic Philip Treacy hats. The photo’s were judged by PORTER Editor-in-Chief @lucy_yeomans and Milliner @philiptreacy1 with the chosen photo winning a one of a kind #ARTPOP hat, created by Philip and worn for one night by Lady Gaga during her 2014 tour season.

Instagram went crazy for this app, and saw my news feed explode with celebrities and friends all giving this a go. The app has a simple user face and in-app camera, making it a quick, easy and fun to do, and being able to share at the click of a button means it exploded.

In true NET-A-PORTER style, this app is incredibly sleek and holds all the same design qualities you’d find on the NET-A-PORTER site. Also in true NET-A-PORTER style this is an excellently executed marketing strategy that built a huge amount of brand awareness and created that much needed buzz around the launch of the magazine. So simple, yet incredibly effective, with the incentives of the shopping sprees and designer hats being the main driver. 

Burberry Kisses

I have followed Burberry’s digital activity for a while now. In fact, I pretty much based my university dissertation on the brands digital marketing strategies back in 2011. In my eyes, Burberry are the leading fashion brand for digital innovation and social presence, constantly reinventing their approach to luxury digital marketing.

Late last year, I was sitting at my desk at work and received an email from one of my best friends, a Burberry employee. I opened it to find it was a Burberry Kiss. A nice little gesture that sees the brand partner with Google, and allows users to send interactive postcards, sealed with a digital kiss. Once sealed, users can see the card being delivered across the world to its destination through Google Maps.

Amazingly, the brand uses clever facial recognition technology to detect the users real lip shape using a webcam. Users are then able to choose the colour of the lipstick for the kiss from the Burberry make up range, a subtle way to promote their relatively new make up line. Once chosen, users are asked if you would like to sign up for regular Burberry updates, (data capture is key for any brand after all), and can then share on their multiple social media platforms. Being able to share content on users social media platforms is one of the strongest and most effective outcomes of a campaign like this one, as it generates free word of mouth, and can potentially reach and engage hundreds of people. Once the kiss is delivered, the recipient is faced with a beautifully produced short video which sees the personalised postcard flying across the globe. A track by Misty Miller, a Burberry Acoustic artist accompanies the song, combining yet another element of the ever-expanding Burberry brand.

Projects like this are an incredibly important part of a brands overall marketing strategy, especially for a global brand like Burberry. It keeps the brand in the forefront of the consumers mind, and is a subtle yet effective form of advertising that doesn’t scare consumers away or make them feel like they are having products forced upon them. This initiative humanises what can be seen as cold technology, giving it a warm, personal touch that users can share with their loved ones. I like.  

#burberrykisses

Google+ City Experts

Anyone who knows me knows I love Google. Not as much as I love Apple, but there’s still a lot of love there. In fact I’ve just finished reading ‘The Google Story’. So when I came across a Google branded igloo at Sydney’s ‘Winter Wonderland’ recently (or their best attempt at a Winter Wonderland when it’s 25 degrees..) I got excited. 

After queuing up with a bunch of kids to get our photo taken with the logo, we discovered they were there promoting the new Google+ City Experts service. A recently launched programme that allows users to create their own reviews of places they visit, encouraging higher quality Google+ local reviews. 

In order to make this task more desirable, let’s face it- who has time these days to post a load of reviews in their precious free time.. Google reward users with heaps of cool perks such as exclusive access to local events, free Google branded gear (I want!), and ‘special online recognition’. After speaking to the Google Community Manager in the igloo, she said past events in Sydney included a free boat party during Sydney’s Vivid Festival, ice cream master classes with my favourite ice cream brand Gelatissimo, and free ice skating. City Experts are also invited to join an exclusive Google community, where they can meet up with other City Experts near by to discuss top tips and tricks. Pretty cool hey. 

There’s only one catch. To start reaping these awards, users need to post a minimum of 50 reviews, then 5 reviews every month from there on. Each review must be of ‘quality’ meaning it is made up of a minimum of 4 sentences, include photos and be a balanced review. With these strict guidelines in place, it means it should eliminate business owners posting ravishing reviews of their own business, or destroying competitors reviews.
The programme was quietly launched on New Yorks Google+ Local page, and has since expanded to select cities in US, UK, Australia and Japan. 

I think this is such a great initiative from The Google powerhouse, especially for google fanatics like me. Who wouldn’t want to get invited to cool and exclusive local events, and all for free. What I find fascinating is the combination of the online world with the offline world. Something that brands need to keep at their forefront if they want to keep the savvy 21st century consumer engaged and excited about the brand. An excellent example of brands nailing this integrated strategy is Mr Porter. Another favourite brand of mine. 

Google are taking over the world, (if they haven’t done already). And this is just one more well thought about, cool service that’s going to help them get there.

#cityexperts

#mycalvins Campaign

You can’t have an Instagram session at the moment without coming across your favourite celebs doing their thing for the new #mycalvins campaign. An Instagram campaign, lead by top celebrities and social influencers, that requires you to take your most arty and sometimes daring shot of you in your logo waistband CKs, and post on Instagram with the hashtag #mycalvins.

Lara Stone is the face of the campaign, naturally, which has been shot by the renowned photographers Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott. The campaign features Stone draped over the gorgeous  Matt Terry with her white CK logo waistband on show, with the hashtag emblazoned over the shot. Shot in the classic Calvin Klein black and white style, it’s reminiscent of those iconic 1981 campaign shots with Brooke Shields, giving the campaign a sense of nostalgia. An interesting juxtaposition of old with the new technology.

Lara kicked off the campaign, and since, thousands have followed in her footsteps. From girl of the moment Kendal Jenner, to Miranda Kerr, Daisy Lowe and even fashion bloggers such as Man Repeller and The Blonde Salad have jumped on the band wagon. It’s an incredibly clever use of celebrity endorsement in this overcrowded celebrity/brand environment we live in. It’s clear to see that the PR team have chosen their celebs carefully, as the wrong celebrity could instantly tarnish brand perception. Interestingly, Lottie Moss, sister of supermodel Kate Moss, and long-time face of Calvin Klein and THOSE 90s ad campaigns, is the newest in line to get her CKs out for the Calvin Klein x Mytheresa.com Reissue Project. The results, shot by Michael Avedon, are fresh-faced, laid back and show off mini-Moss’ natural, innocent beauty all with that 90s vibe, a small reflection of Kate’s originals. The Mytheresa.com Reissue Project collection launched with the retailer on the15th July, and features nine archive, but modernised pieces from the 90s, designed by Global Creative Director Kevin Carrigan.

CalvinKlein.com have also dedicated a whole space on their site to this new digital campaign, creating an area where you can easily upload your best #mycalvins Instagram shots to the site for millions of others to see. Something not too dissimilar from Burberry’s long-running Art of the Trench site. Using e-commerce technology Olapic, means consumers are able to click on peoples uploaded photos, and buy what they see in the photo there and then. 

I find this digital campaign fascinating, and is actually what inspired me to get back into blogging. The hashtag worked like a dream. It is simple and easy enough for anyone to join in, and being such a credible and high-end brand like Calvin Klein, it’s a way into the Calvin Klein club without having to spends thousands on the latest catwalk look or hottest handbag. All you need is your CK underwear.
Not only is this campaign doing wonders for brand image and perception, features like the instantly shoppable part means it is also driving sales. The core of every business. 

CK did good.

It’s safe to say I’ve been on quite a journey in the last 7 months. After traveling round Australia, New Zealand and soon Indonesia, by myself and with friends, time is coming to an end which means time to get back to real life. The life of a traveler is amazing. A carefree, adventurous and whimsical existence. A life that is exactly the opposite of my life prior to this trip. With home time looming soon, and the task of finding a new job on my return, I’m getting that itch to dive back into industry. This is my way of collating all my ideas, interests and inspirations. I want it to cover a range of different topics, and hopefully it will inspire me to get back into researching and learning, things I love, and things I haven’t done whilst being on the road. I’ve decided to leave my old fashion—starts—here blogspot blog and start fresh. Can’t wait to get stuck in..!