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Welcome to Fashion's Collective!
A resource focusing on the unique opportunities and challenges faced by the fashion and luxury industries online.
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09.03.2010
The Name is Ford, Tom Ford
Anyone who has taken it upon him or herself to put a word on paper about fashion has had to mention the force that is Tom Ford.
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09.02.2010
Snapshot: Gucci Gets a Digital Makeover
The big news this week in the luxury digital space is Gucci’s redesign of their e-commerce website at www.gucci.com. The new site keeps some of the unique elements of the last version (namely, the horizontal product scrolling which has become more prevalent as a site navigation) and premieres a slew of great new features:
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09.01.2010
Best Top Fashion Blogs, as Told by Top Blogger Disneyrollergirl, Vol.1
We at Fashion ‘s Collective are strong advocates for finding the right opportunities to enhance brands in the online space. (See the recent article, mentioned a few weeks ago, regarding brands and blogger outreach initiatives: Managing the Exclusive Distribution of Content as a Luxury Brand).
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08.31.2010
Detecting the Marketing Opportunities Behind the Business Strategy
As luxury consumers, in our buying behaviors we convey that we are interested in so much more than simply the product. It’s not about the utility of an item, it’s about the story behind it. This story is what initially attracts aspirational consumers and what continues to influence even the most premier customer. Whether that story is about quality of material, integrity of design, innovation, exclusivity, value or trend setting, the story is what prompts interest, and eventually facilitates the purchase. But so often, the story is something to be uncovered, something that brands are crafting without even being aware. For established brands in particular, how can the heritage of the brand and the existing business strategies provide an engaging and valuable tale for consumers?
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08.30.2010
6 Facebook Platform Updates You Should Know About
1. Facebook Places: The big buzz in the social media world these past two weeks has been Facebook’s recent launch of Places – a geo-location platform that allows users to share not just what they’re up to, but where they are. The launch has caused a quite a stir, particularly because it directly competes with the current geo-location favorite, Foursquare.
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08.27.2010
The New Sartorial Movement
It’s official! After a few years, the most difficult demographic has finally gotten on board of the tailored clothing bandwagon, and it’s finally safe to say that wearing a suit is no longer uncool. For what seems like a moment, youth led by pop and hip-hop culture, have been reassured that it is OK to dress. Hip-hop moguls turned style icons are now recognized for their ability to put an outfit together as well as their music. Athletes are now known for buying bespoke on top of their ability to beat buzzers. Rock stars still shred, only now it’s in three-piece Italian suiting, paving the way for all men to get to know their tailors a little better.
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08.25.2010
5 Easy Ways to Create Social Media Content
One of the challenges that many companies face as they begin the descent into the realm of social media is figuring out a way to keep the content fresh on Facebook, Twitter, and the like. For a brand that’s used to doing things the “traditional” way, there are only so many new campaign visuals one can create.
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08.24.2010
Bottega Veneta Adds Value for the Higher-End Consumer
Imagine you had the good fortune to be able to own a piece of merchandise from one of the most esteemed fashion houses around. Now imagine that, as an everyday consumer, the piece was specifically and intentionally curated for you by the acclaimed Creative Director behind the brand. And what if you had the insider knowledge that the piece you purchased was made from higher quality materials compared to other leading brands of the same price point?
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08.23.2010
Speaking To High Net Worth Individuals Online
In the recent post, “Why Luxury Brands Can’t Borrow Communication Strategies From Premium Brands”; we proposed the idea of communication differences between masstige and prestige brands. It was an introduction to begin discussing the differences of consumer segments within luxury, and how this translates to brand communications online.
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08.20.2010
“Is that Chanel? Oh it is, but it’s a couple seasons old!”
“Is that Chanel? Oh it is, but it’s a couple seasons old!”
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08.19.2010
Announcing Fashion Fridays!
Because style is the fun part of fashion, and because we all need a break come Friday…Fashion’s Collective is thrilled to be announcing Fashion Fridays!
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08.18.2010
Snapshot: Hermès launches J’Aime Mon Carré
Last week’s “J’Aime Mon Carré” (I Love My Scarf) launch from Hermès marked one of the first major digital initiatives from this storied French brand. Known for its beautiful silk scarves, it makes sense that Hermès chose to focus on everything “carré.”
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08.17.2010
Fashion 2.0, The New Frontier
Fashion is a field where innovation is rewarded with notoriety. The greats of the industry became known, and in some cases reached icon status, due to their unique propensity for excellence.
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08.16.2010
Why Luxury Brands Can’t Borrow Communication Strategies from Premium Brands
Because luxury brands have been so cautious about entering into the digital media space, there is a shortage of successful campaign examples that marketers can use as bench marks.
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08.11.2010
The Digital Exploration of Luxury Consumers
As a complement to the earlier article, The Digital Exploration of Luxury Brands, we thought it also noteworthy to discuss the alternate side of the topic, the exploration of the consumer by the brand.
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08.10.2010
The Facebook Dilemma, Part III: Thinking Long-Term
Apart from the decision to participate, and the strategy behind how to position the brand voice, there is also the question of resources. Resources are what governs the opportunities presented to brands, both in terms of personnel and budgets.
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08.09.2010
Social Gaming
Do you remember that old Facebook game ‘Texas Holdem Poker’, where your friends would challenge you to a game that took place between each other’s profiles? Since then we have advanced to other social Facebook games such as the most famous one, Farmville. And, thanks to Foursquare, we have now been introduced to the ultimate social game that is played on mobile devices between users in the offline and online worlds. As traction has been gaining in participation on these platforms, gaming is starting to integrate itself into marketing as a means to enhance the customer experience. This has been coined as the basis of game based marketing in social media.
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08.05.2010
Digital Exposure, A Balancing Act
For every fashion, luxury, and beauty brand executive we come across who is interested in investing efforts in the digital space, here are a few commonalities behind their thoughts and motivators:
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08.04.2010
The Facebook Dilemma, Part II: Finding Your Brand Voice
Once a brand has made the decision to put out a shingle on Facebook by establishing a dedicated and official page, the question becomes, how should the brand interact?
On a basic level, social media, and Facebook in particular, allows the average person to become a purveyor of content, giving them the means to seek out information by combing through digital content that validates not only the brand image, but the individual’s status as an arbiter of cool. If your brand is on Facebook, you have decided to participate in an interactive two-way dialogue where users expect to be rewarded and recognized for being a fan. -
08.03.2010
Brave New World: Marketing Effectively in a Post-Recession Era
Despite the title of the article, we are not quite yet “post” recession. Still in the midst of an economic downturn, the only difference today, our third year in a depressed economy, is that we no longer feel the pressure and urgency of being in crisis mode. We have all adapted to certain fiscal occurrences and accepted them as our new reality.
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08.02.2010
The (Declining?) Role of Email Marketing
E-mail marketing has long been a key business driver for both e-commerce and brick-and-mortar brands alike. Beyond sales, e-mail database growth has been one of the most studied metrics in all of digital marketing. Yet according to a survey by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, e-mail is continuing to lose ground amongst Generation Y’s youngest members (loosely defined as those born 1980 – 2000). Whereas 89% of teens claimed to use e-mail in 2004, only 73% of teens today say they do. Where e-mail is losing, social media, instant messaging, and texting are quickly gaining. So what place should e-mail marketing have in a brand’s marketing portfolio?
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07.28.2010
The Facebook Dilemma, Part I: To Participate or Not to Participate
Many times over, luxury brands question the need to have a dedicated presence on Facebook. The main issue is that the audience interacting with the brand does not always align with the brand’s target demographic. High-end brands, low-end Facebook fans; to many luxury marketers, it just doesn’t add up. Fashion’s Collective previously covered the notion of brand control within social media. As an open, transparent and conversational platform, Facebook presents a significant challenge to luxury brands. In a three-part series of posts, Fashion’s Collective will approach the dilemma luxury brands must tackle on Facebook.
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07.27.2010
Snapshot: 4 Luxury Brands on Foursquare
There’s no doubt that Foursquare is taking the web by storm. With over 100 million check-ins to date and new media and brand partnerships announced by the minute, it’s clear this location-based marketing site has a strong future.
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07.26.2010
Does Digital Mean the End of Control?
Possibly one of the most significant obstacles for luxury brands when faced with digital marketing is the fear of losing control…and rightfully so. Historically, luxury has translated to exclusive. The idea that access was not widely attainable made luxury brands, and goods, covetable. As the internet launched and gained momentum and warp speed, it brought with it full and total inclusion. Anyone with an internet connection, anywhere around the globe, can access a brand, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
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07.23.2010
Love Thy Customer, The Importance of Client Relationship Management
The 2010 American Express Survey of Affluence and Wealth, which surveyed 2,500 respondents with discretionary spending between $100k-$500k, unveiled that 86% of participants prefer to shop in stores with a reputation for great pricing. The recession has affected consumer mentality even at the affluent levels of the spectrum where value is now paramount.
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07.20.2010
The Digital Exploration of Luxury Brands
There’s something innately special about the act of discovery. In our lives, we are on an unconscious mission to uncover things through experience: knowledge, insight, connections, relationships. This constant state of exploration is what enables us to unlock meaning through our experiences by creating something memorable. Luxury taps into this directly, as the value of a luxury item is based on emotion. When a consumer has an amazing experience with a brand, this facilitates the emotional connection that leads to loyal customers, high customer retention and high referral rates.
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07.14.2010
The Social Media Learning Curve: Insights for Luxury Brands
It’s no secret that fashion and luxury brands have been a bit late to join the social media party. The exclusive nature of luxury presents a significant challenge when faced with establishing a presence within the transparent, immediate and viral platform of social media.
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07.13.2010
The Actual Cost of Digital Marketing
Working as a brand marketer in today’s oversaturated landscape of media is a more difficult job than ever. Determining where and how budget should be allocated is becoming more fragmented with the constantly growing number of platforms. Digital has clearly made its case as a platform to be taken seriously for many reasons, including a lower barrier to entry in terms of price and a greater potential impact in terms of sharing. We know that there are 1.73 billion internet users worldwide, 400 million of which are Facebook users (Royal Pingdom). The numbers don’t lie and they tell us, as marketers, that we need to consider a mix that includes digital and social media. The question becomes, how much?
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07.09.2010
Cultivating a Personal Touch
Unlike other consumer segments, luxury goods are sold based solely on evoking a certain emotion within consumers. Take for instance luxury watch brand IWC, which retails the Portugieser Grande Complication for €171,000.00 (approximately $215,000.00). Certainly, selling such a timepiece demands a very firsthand and personal approach with clients that no Twitter or Facebook feed is able to replace.
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07.08.2010
10 Mobile Marketing Insights for Luxury Brands
Last week’s 2010 Luxury Interactive Conference in NYC featured a ton of great topics and speakers. One of the more popular topics was how mobile marketing should be playing into the overall communication strategies of luxury brands. There to offer a ton of great insight was Maryssa Miller of Lacoste, easily one of the most useful and educational presentations at the conference. The highlights:
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07.07.2010
Role of the Curator in Driving Brand Awareness & Conversions
With the rise of the internet as a solid platform for browsing, comparison shopping and purchasing, the wealth and breadth of content that exists is easily and widely accessible to shoppers. Perusing a search engine provides a thorough and comprehensive overview of what you can get for your money and where you can get it, along with, of course, the ability to purchase with the click of a mouse. Now, more than ever, brands need to finely curate their digital content in order to stand out, build a qualified online audience, and reinforce the brand image.
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07.06.2010
Six Impactful Social Media Opportunities for Luxury Brands Now
Last week, I had the opportunity to lead a pre-conference workshop at the Luxury Interactive conference covering social media opportunities for luxury brands. While the list of possibilities is endless, I outlined six areas where luxury companies could quickly and efficiently take their social media strategies to the next level:
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06.28.2010
Representing a Brand In Today’s Marketplace: Interview with Industry Insider Katie Gray
Due in part to transparency of the web and multiple platforms for outreach, digital communications have drastically altered the way brand’s operate. Fashion’s Collective took the opportunity to sit down with Publicist and beauty insider Katie Gray who, over the years, has been instrumental in molding the images of brands such as Playboy and M·A·C Cosmetics. As one who understands the importance on how a brand presents itself, and the resulting impressions it makes on an audience, Katie shares how the web has changed her industry.
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06.28.2010
An Updated Snapshot: Luxury Department Stores on Twitter
As a Twitter fanatic, it’s been interesting to watch as more and more luxury brands and retailers get on the “Twitter train.” In particular, I like checking out how the department stores (amidst their complex organizations) are innovating in this space. Unfortunately, not all have gotten on board, but there are a few clear standouts.
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06.25.2010
Using the Web To Showcase the Many Faces of Beauty, Interview with Purple Lab Cosmetics
When you are a fairly young brand in the ever-crowded cosmetics marketplace, differentiating oneself needs to be strategic and well targeted. Purple Lab Cosmetics a New York based glamour company could have taken the traditional method of advertising their brand through traditional media outlets. However instead Purple Lab decided to tap into a fan base of already existing cosmetics fans online and co-created a brand campaign with a selection of die-hard beauty bloggers.
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06.25.2010
Managing the Exclusive Distribution of Content as a Luxury Brand
As marketers, we love creating campaigns that take on a life of their own, that become distributed and deposited by our top brand advocates throughout their seemingly infinite social networks. Whether it’s online or not, word of mouth is something all marketers seek, it’s our holy grail. Having a loyal customer take hold of a brand piece and share it with their circle via word of mouth is pure. solid. gold.
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06.24.2010
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06.23.2010
Case Study: Lexus Celebrates in Life’s Luxuries
In order to introduce the Lexus brand to first-time buyers, Lexus created a portal titled Luxury Awaits. Essentially a celebration of the milestone of purchasing your first Lexus, the microsite acts as an introduction to a lifestyle of luxury.
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06.22.2010
A Glimpse Into the Thoroughbread Lifestyle of Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren is a premium fashion and accessories brand that, according to Forbes, is estimated to be valued close to five billion dollars. The brand consists of about nine different umbrella labels within fashion alone, such as Ralph Lauren Collection, Ralph Lauren Black Label and Lauren by Ralph Lauren. The sheer size of the Ralph Lauren empire has been built on the image of the ‘thoroughbred-country-club-preppy-chic’, or otherwise known as All American Classics.
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06.20.2010
Burberry Once Again Proves Its Dominance
The ever innovative, Burberry, showed its Spring/Summer 2011 Prorsum Menswear collection to the world via livestream at live.burberry.com this past Saturday. While livestreaming is becoming more and more popular among fashion brands, Burberry has once again taken things to the next level. This season’s livestream allows viewers to click through to review product details and most importantly, pre-order.
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06.02.2010
Communicating to Gen Y
According to the U.S. Bureau Census by 2018 Generation Y will be consisted of half the working population. As their economic independence and disposable incomes advance this will be the dominating segment to which brands will be catering to. Branding and marketing to this segment is calling for companies to reshape their operations and approaches.
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05.31.2010
Louis Vuitton Opens It’s Doors Exclusively Online
Louis Vuitton recently celebrated the re-opening of its London store, and in order to create buzz and excitement around the event they looked to social media. Specifically, the brand leveraged Twitter, FourSquare, Facebook, Live Streaming and a website to support the offline Red Carpet event. They say pictures tell a 1,000 words, so here are some snapshots of LV’s seemingly successful campaign:
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05.04.2010
The Aspirational Consumer
Evoking desirability is key to keeping luxury alive. Luxury goods companies need to create aspirational customers in order to maintain the status of the brand.
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05.03.2010
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05.02.2010
Redefining Exclusivity
One of the main challenges luxury brands face online is maintaining exclusivity while participating in a platform that is the polar opposite of exclusive, open to all with an internet connection, 24/7.
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04.20.2010
Snapshot: Gotta Catch Them to Keep Them, Jimmy Choo’s Online Race
The new Jimmy Choo, “Catch a Choo” campaign is a prime example of a luxury brand leveraging social media to spread its message across the world wide web in a way that makes sense for both the brand and its consumers. The new contest, as promoted on the brand’s blog, Facebook, FourSquaure and Twitter platforms, encourages users to follow the Jimmy Choo trainers (as in Jimmy Choo’s new $500 trainer sneakers) around London via Twitter/Facebook/FourSquare…and if you can catch them, you can keep the shoes!
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02.15.2010
Case Study: Wrangler
It was with surprise and excitement, that I navigated through the European Wrangler Blue Bell website. The site features the pieces in a way that allows users to see the full range of movement. Instead of simply having a front, side back and zoom view, you can playfully put on and remove clothing. The website model goes through the actions of dressing, undressing and moving around in a way that provides not only a cool user-experience, but a much more comprehensive view of the clothing than we normally get online. It immediately conveys that the clothing is both wearable for real life and very, very cool.
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02.07.2010
Instant Gratification
A big topic in the fashion industry over the past few years has been the delay from runway to store rack, and a huge challenge is how to shorten that timeline in order to provide consumers with earlier access. Right now, there’s a disconnect between what fashion brands are marketing (on the pages of glossies, on the runways…) and what is available in-store.
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01.30.2010
The Art of Reinvention
I absolutely love what Gentucca Bini is doing for fashion. At the Pitti show in Florence, she set up a designated area not just to showcase her pieces, but to actually create them on the spot. She is breathing new life into garments that are otherwise expired and outdated by using her own inspirations to redesign them.
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01.30.2010
The Gilt Phenomenon
There has been so much talk around the Gilt Groupe business model, mainly about how wildly successful it’s become. A recent article expresses concern abut how businesses like Gilt will keep their brand exclusivity. Since exclusivity is achieved through an invite-only membership program, the article worries that as membership grows exclusivity will fall and the result will be an online basement warehouse sale, likened to Walmart and directed to mass market consumers looking only for a bargain. Here I counter the point with the following:
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