DVF Journey of a Dress

Talking of Emma Roberts... Emma has also taken part in the Diane Von Furstenberg's 'Journey of a Dress' series. A series that sees top celebrities and fashion bloggers travel the world in the brands iconic Wrap Dress which is celebrating it's 40th anniversary this year. The Wrap Dress is so famous in fact, that a whole exhibition was held around the dress in LA this year.

Other 'Journey of a Dress' stars include Coco Rocha and fashion bloggers Song of Style, Tuula Vintage and Chiara Ferragini. The range of young girls chosen to be a part of the video series shows how timeless the Wrap Dress is, and just how flattering the shape of the dress is for a woman of any age. The women chosen all have mega status and influence within the industry, and a whole heap of dedicated followers that admire and copy their fashions... a perfect platform to promote the dress.

These films are a nice little PR stunt that help to support the launch of the exhibition. The short films are also great as they can be posted and shared on social media platforms, reaching a large audience.

Emma Roberts' Jimmy Choo Photo Diary

Emma Roberts has collaborated with Jimmy Choo to create an exclusive photo diary that sees the actress personally style a range of shoes from the new AW14 collection with her favourite summer looks. The photo diary was posted on the brands website and social media channels, and accompanied by an in-depth Q+A about her personal style and influences. When you view the images on the brands site, the shoes are of course shoppable there and then- a technique all brands are now adopting when mixing editorial content with product. Before I saw the final images, I imagined the photo diary would consist of more candid, personal photos that saw Emma wearing her new Choo's out and about in different locations, however the final images are actually edited, glossy magazine-style images which I kind of felt slightly disappointed by. With this said, Jimmy Choo is an incredibly sleek, chic and polished brand so I understand that Instagram filtered photos might pose a slightly peculiar image.

I find the idea of celebrity endorsement immensely interesting. Choosing a celebrity that perfectly represents your brand requires a lot of thought and trust. The celebrity is essentially an ambassador for the brand, which means everything they do both in their work life and personal life is associated with the brand.

Mulberry Hits Wilderness Festival

I haven't been able to go on Instagram this week without seeing EVERYONE I follow posting photos from Mullberry at Wilderness festival. I am #welljel. Mulberry hit the festival to celebrate the line of handbags model of the moment Cara Delevingne has designed with Mulberry. The brand hosted a picnic at the arts festival, invited loads of Cara's cool celeb mates, added some press and lots of Champagne filled picnic baskets. With a combination like that, no wonder it was a great success.

This event has Instagram written all over it, which is a great for any brand these days. The picnic's setting was typical Mulberry: a walled garden in the grounds of a beautiful English estate, which was decorated with hay bales set amongst the purposefully over-grown grass, golden heart-shaped balloons imprinted with the iconic Mulberry logo, a 'Cara-Van' and Mulberry-check picnic blankets to top it off.

Not only did they host the chicest festival picnic ever for press and celebs, they also created a 'Mulberry Loves Craft'  tent that allowed festival go-ers (and yes that's the dreamboat Douglas Booth having a go too in the image below..) to make their own customised and monogrammed Mulberry leather bracelets. This is a great idea that allows for interaction with the brand, and gives people the chance to have a slice of Mulberry, even if they can't afford a Bayswater or Cara for that matter.

If like me you weren't lucky enough to go to Wilderness festival, Mulberry fans have the chance to win their own leather bracelet, as well as a Cara Delevingne Collection tote and newspaper by sharing a picture of their best homemade and handmade creations on Instagram with #MulberryLovesCraft and @Mulberry_Editor included in the post. This is a fantastic way to promote consumer engagement and creates free advertising for the brand.

The association with Wilderness festival gives the brand a cool and current image and shows they have a fun and humble personality that's not afraid to get a little bit muddy.

Talk about festival chic.

 

Suzy Menkes and the New Digital World

Tonight I watched this interview between Suzy Menkes, one of today's most respected and legendary fashion journalists, and Imran Ahmed, founder of Business of Fashion, the leading site for up-to-the-minute news from the fashion industry. Suzy has recently been named International Vogue Editor for Conde Nast International, a role that will see her write a global column several times a week, to be published on Vogue websites from all over the globe, including China, Brazil, India, Russia and Germany to name a few. Suzy joins Conde Nast International from a long career at the International Herald Tribune and New York Times newspapers, where her legendary journalism brought a serious and honest tone to fashion writing. Suzy herself says one of the reasons she accepted the new role at Conde Nast International, was that she feels it's incredibly important to keep up with the ever-evolving times. Suzy is not afraid of technology and this role seemed the perfect transition to be able to utilize the internet and it's up to the minute benefits.

Suzy began her career back in 1987 , a time when iPads, Instagram and digital cameras didn't exist. It's fascinating to listen to Suzy talk about her career back in these days when fashion wasn't instant. Back then, a fashion show was for press and buyers only, and had a certain mystery allure to the general public that no longer exists now that all shows are live-streamed and images of the shows are up on social media before the model has even left the catwalk. You can now even pre-order items from the catwalk, as they are going down the catwalk as seen at Burberry and I'm sure many other brands next season. In the interview, Suzy mentions the frantic process of getting film from a show sent on a bike to be developed straight after the show, choosing the best photos to be developed, then being biked straight to the newspaper with the hope of not missing the print deadline for the next days paper.

I could talk for hours about this subject. It's amazing to think about the transformation the industry has been through with the introduction of the internet and social media, in particular when it comes to fashion shows. Something that used to be for the eyes of the elite is now accessible to the world. Fascinating.

Victoria Beckham x The Outnet x Mothers2Mothers

This month Victoria Beckham has partnered with The Outnet.com to sell over 600 items from her personal wardrobe. Not only is this amazing in itself, all proceeds from the transactions will go directly to Mothers2Mothers, a charity Victoria holds close to her heart after she embarked on a recent "life changing" trip to South Africa with Anna Wintour and Vogue US. Mothers2Mothers is a fantastic South African based charity that supports, trains and employes mothers who have HIV, and educates them on how to prevent the risk of transmitting the disease to their babies. 

With help from her mum and sister, Victoria carefully selected iconic pieces from her wardrobe – pieces from her days with the Spice Girls, pieces she has worn out with husband David Beckham, and from parties, awards shows and other events that have been heavily documented and photographed by the world’s prying press. In addition to the charity sale, 10 of Victoria's most iconic items from her wardrobe will be placed in a special 'Going, Going, Gone' sale. A reverse auction that sees the starting price reduce by a fixed amount every five minutes. All pieces for this project were valued by Christie's, the world's premier auction house.

I think this is a fantastic way for a celebrity to put their fame to good use. Victoria Beckham is an incredibly powerful brand that has a global audience following her every move. This creates a perfect platform to promote such important causes like Mother2Mothers. The Outnet is also the perfect platform for Victoria to launch this project, as the e-commerce site has established itself globally, becoming the leading discount e-tailer in the world, with thousands of women all over the globe visiting the site every day for the latest discounted designer goods. Victoria also sells her sought after Victoria Beckham Ready-to-Wear collection on The Outnet, so has a great relationship with the site.

The exclusive sale runs from the 20th-25th August 2014 at The Outnet.com.

ASOS #ASSEENONME

Today I read that Kim Kardashian is releasing a book of her seflies (god help us). It seems like the #selfie craze that has taken over the world is getting more and more popular by the day. I have already written about a few brands who have seen this craze as an opportunity to create interactive and incredibly successful social media campaigns, and ASOS are another brand that are using a hashtag social media campaign as a way to keep consumers engaged.

#ASSEENONME is a simple but very effective initiative by ASOS that encourages consumers to upload a selfie of them in their latest ASOS purchases to their Instagram account, add the hashtag #ASSEENONME and waaah-lah, you instantly have a global audience. The best photos then get added to a new #ASSEENONME area on the ASOS site. Pretty cool hey. Not only are the best photos added to the site, the photos are then categorised into menswear and womenswear, then sub-divided into product categories. This is a great feature as it makes it easy for consumers to browse specific product easily to find inspiration.  But what is really the cherry on the top of the cake is the clever feature that links consumers photos that appear in the gallery to live product on the site, meaning you can click and buy something there and then if you want to re-create your own version of the selfie. In fact, just in the space of writing this I've seen so many pieces I want to buy...better get my credit card out.

Love this.

MR PORTER

Since launching in February 2011, MR PORTER has quickly grown to become the number one online retail destination for men's style. A place where style conscious men can go to not only shop over 180 of the worlds leading fashion and lifestyle brands, but also enjoy expert weekly editorial content that rivals that of GQ and Esquire.

What caught my eye back in 2011 was how the site is perfectly designed to target men who typically see shopping as more of a chore than a leisure activity.... A hard market to crack. The clever folk at MR PORTER didn't just model the brand on it's hugely successful sister site Net-A-Porter, unlike many of it's rivals (in my eyes, there is no competition..) MR PORTER really understood how men shop, and realised that a product driven site would not keep its consumers wanting to come back for more. Instead, they took an editorial approach, making it more like an online magazine that happens to sell clothes too. When you first land on the site, you are confronted with this weeks headline article, usually an article focused around a style-setting man (yes, they use the word 'style' over 'fashion'..) who is successful in his industry. This ranges from famous hollywood stars to stylish men at the top of their game in their chosen industry.

All editorial is beautifully presented in a clean, sleek style, using a monochrome colour pallet to keep it simple and fuss-free. Other features to note are the 'Style Help' section, where men can head if they want to swat up on wardrobe essentials, latest trends, and my favourite.. the Stylepedia in case they need to know the difference between Alexander McQueen and Acne, or find out what a Raglan is. Everything within the editorial sections subtly link back to product, so consumers can 'shop the look' easily. This is a great feature as it eliminates the browsing phase, something men find frustrating and a timewaste. This way, product is organised into categories or trends meaning consumers can pick and choose what's most suited to them and shop whole looks without having to flick between different tabs.

What I really want to talk about is MR PORTER offline, something that I find fascinating for any online brand. Translating an online brand to offline can be tricky, and needs a very strategic approach as you are essentially bringing the brand to life and giving it a real personality, and often the first time consumers have seen the brand beyond their computer screen. Offline activity is essential for a brand, as it increases brand awareness, often encourages consumer engagement and also heightens brand perception. The locations the brand choose to execute their offline activity is also essential, as this is what the consumer will relate the brand to. For MR PORTER, locations like Canary Wharf and London Collections: Men are popular, you would never see them strolling the streets of Brixton for example. All activity is executed by hot, hot male models, dressed impeccably in MR PORTER gear- exactly how you'd imagine a MR PORTER man to be. 

MR PORTER have nailed this transition from online to offline. Their offline marketing activity has included things such as a luxury branded gelato cart giving away free gelato at London Collections: Men, and events such as House Festival. A MR PORTER Cafe was constructed in Canary Wharf, giving away free cafe delights to busy bankers and brokers and you can always find them at the hottest events at The Hamptons to LA to St Tropez. And then there is the MR PORTER Post...

 For a site that is driven by top-class editorial content, it seemed natural to create the MR PORTER Post, a paper featuring a condensed version of The Journal (found on the site) which is distributed free of charge to regular customers and registered users, as well as being placed in on-brand stores such as Murdock, the high-end barbers. You can also find the MR PORTER POST being delivered to stylish recipients in on-brand areas like Canary Wharf and Bank by a posse of hot models on sleek branded MR PORTER bikes. This week MR PORTER Post headed to St Tropez, dressed a bunch of model-esque men in Orlebar Brown swim shorts and nothing else, and handed out the paper to the stylish men vacationing at the chic destination. At London Collections: Men last season, they took over a window at The Hospital Club, branded it with MR PORTER Post and made it interactive and shopable, truly merging offline with online. All offline activity is then brought back online and posted on the brand mrporterlive Instagram account, making it visible for not only the passers by that engaged in the activity, but fans across the world can keep up to date and see what the brand are up to. 

Ohhh MR PORTER, J'Adore.

Mark Sebba, Net-A-Porter, He's the man...

Last week, 7:30am, I was on my way to work and found myself in tears amongst all the other depressed people I was surrounded with on the bus. However, I was far from depressed, in fact my tears were caused by a video posted by Net-A-Porter, my number one brand. 

Mark Sebba, CEO of the Net-A-Porter Group, is retiring after 11 years in service. He first joined Net-A-Porter back in 2003, 3 years after Natalie Massenet founded the site, where he focused his efforts on developing and enhancing the sites global infrastructure. During his time at Net-A-Porter, he saw the launch of The Outnet, Mr Porter and Porter Magazine amongst many other fashionable successes. According to the Business of Fashion, Sebba joined when the company was worth £6 million, and with his help, grew to £120 million in 2009 before luxury conglomerate Richemont acquired the group in 2010.

To celebrate Sebba's retirement, Natalie Massenet didn't organise things by halves... Mark walked into the office on his last day to be greeted by a carnival-like scene, with choir singers singing Aloe Blacc's number one hit single 'The Man', staff members dancing atop tables holding banners with Sebba's face on (dressed to coordinate in black and white of course). As Sebba was lead through the office, samba dancers, acrobats, an entire live choir and a mariachi band appeared, and even included live links to Net offices all over the globe so they could join in on the fun.

Back in 2011, when I was interning for The Outnet, I had the pleasure of attending the groups Summer party, and hearing a speech by Mark himself, describing the enormous success the group had had over the past year. I remember him being truly inspiring and spoke so passionately about the brand and it's incredible on-going success. It's amazing to think what influence the man has had on the world of luxury online retail. 

No wonder they call him the man. 

 

#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.