Which brand have created Online Communication that excited you?

[Kiti]

Hey Guys,

I am curious which brands have created online content that excited you?

For me personally the Art of Trench from Burberry was very interesting.

Another examples is the new FCUK 'campaign' in which you can create your own ad video online, choosing from different sequences and songs they provide you with. ( it is a competition)

Any other interesting examples?

X,
Kiti

 

[BetteT]

Interesting that you mention that video contest because I have a friend who owns a company that does this exact thing. She and her partner create contests/sweepstakes on line for major retailers. She's hired by their marketing people to propose ideas and, once approved, to the manage the contests ... and they are all wanting to hook into social media now, to generate buzz. Unfortunately, she's not working specifically in fashion (although she could if they approached her, it's not industry specific) or I could cite a few of her concepts for you, because they are really fun.

But it would be interesting to see if anyone has noticed other types of content regarding fashion brands that is especially interesting.

 

[Psylocke]

Oh yes, interesting topic. I want to get into content marketing, preferably in fashion, too.

I think contests definitely always work but they shouldn't be too complex because that will only motivate very few people to enter. I can never be bothered with any of those street style contest where you know you will be competing with people/bloggers who have a wardrobe full of trendy designer clothes and you just don't stand a chance against them The 'invite-as-many-friends-as-you-can' kind of contests where your chance to win is proportional to the amount of invites you have sent have also gotten tiresome because everyone does it and you know that a) your friends are all annoyed by you spamming them with fashion stuff and b) you know the company benefits greatly from it but your chance to win anything is still small anyway and c) they really don't offer anything new.

I'm not a fan of videos and have learned in online marketing class that videos typically aren't popular on social media platforms because people scrolling through their feeds usually don't stop to look at 3 minute video clips. And it's true for me. I sometimes watch fashion video clips when they appear as intro or pop-up on the company's homepage, but I scroll right past them when they get posted on Facebok or Twitter.

I'm a fan of beauty company Illamasqua's online communication. They always have great promotions, a big variety of different contents (contests, tutorials, campaign news, company news, charities they support, sales, etc.), the website and newsletter design is very nice and they do a great job at engaging and interacting with users. The most interesting thing they did was when their founder sent personal letters to all subscribers. Of course it is difficult not to see these things as just another clever marketing idea, but I really loved the way they did it. The e-mail appeared as a normal e-mail with no logo or design interface, and if I remember correctly it was sent from his personal e-mail, not via the company e-mail. I thought it was a scam first, haha. Here's a link to the second letter he sent, which also appeared on their blog: An Update from Illamasqua Founder: Julian Kynaston. I assume that was a very effective way to reach out to customers because it makes you feel important and appreciated as customer, which is always a nice feeling, of course.

I absolutely loved the Rag & Bone DIY project when it started. But they've dragged it on for too long and it has gotten very unexciting. They should come up with something new or somehow enhance the existing idea.

It has been mentioned very often on tFS that the big fashion companies are not very forward-thinking when it comes to online communication and I agree. The least I ask for when it comes to luxury brands is that they at least have a decent archive on their website that presents the house's history and that they livestream their fashion shows. Most companies based in Paris don't have any of that, which is a shame.

 

[Kiti]

I could cite a few of her concepts for you, because they are really fun.

Hey,
That sounds like an interesting job your friend has
You made me curious what kind of concepts they create - maybe you can still share her website?

 

[Kiti]

Oh yes, interesting topic. I want to get into content marketing, preferably in fashion, too.

So do I lateron

But it is such a difficult topic as it is so subjective and often based on speculations.. But I have also read that the time people are willing to spend on video content has decreased. I think there might be a difference thought between the things you post on your social media platforms, which I agree should be immediate quick content, therefore preferably good imagery, but if you decide to start a content project, i think that is something different.

Maybe as an example:

http://www.stinkdigital.com/work/asos-urban-tour

Unfortunately the website is not in use anymore, at least I cant find it.
But i think for this sort of engaging experiences videos are perfect.
It is a microsite created for the content especially and they promote it on the social media channels. I personally think that works.
What do you think?

And for the Rag& Bone - they do not take those pictures themselves those, do they? because then the name DIY is a bit irritating?

 

[Jinadaze]

As an alternative advertising you can also include Altewaisaome S/S 2013, photographed with iPhone.
I don't like it myself, but they've done it first and it's without doubt different and in the minority of not so perfectly polished ones too.

 

[Psylocke]

But it is such a difficult topic as it is so subjective and often based on speculations.. But I have also read that the time people are willing to spend on video content has decreased. I think there might be a difference thought between the things you post on your social media platforms, which I agree should be immediate quick content, therefore preferably good imagery, but if you decide to start a content project, i think that is something different.

Yes, if you want to build up a brand image and want to start actual projects then I agree that it probably makes sense to use various media channels and do something more extravagant. But social media is getting increasingly important and I think it shapes the way we think and how we use and perceive media content a lot. Immediate quick content is definitely on the rise. Attention spans are getting shorter, and keeping users on your homepage for a longer amount of time and making them invest time in watching videos or reading instructions to more complex contests and such will become more difficult, in my opinion.

Maybe as an example:

http://www.stinkdigital.com/work/asos-urban-tour

Unfortunately the website is not in use anymore, at least I cant find it.
But i think for this sort of engaging experiences videos are perfect.
It is a microsite created for the content especially and they promote it on the social media channels. I personally think that works.
What do you think?

I had never heard of this before. But to me it seems like you would have to heavily promote a site like this via other tools to make people become aware of what they do. I do like the idea behind it. But nothing on the website itself made me want to click on any of the videos in particular. It just looks like a collection of random video clips at first glance.

And for the Rag& Bone - they do not take those pictures themselves those, do they? because then the name DIY is a bit irritating?

The models who are in the campaigns and/or their friends take the pictures. I thought the idea was good because Rag & Bone is known as a brand that is often worn my models in street style pictures. For them to make the models take pictures of themselves wearing their clothes made total sense and it went well with the brand image.

 

[BetteT]

Hey,
That sounds like an interesting job your friend has
You made me curious what kind of concepts they create - maybe you can still share her website?

There is nothing on her site that illustrates her concepts. It's all very hush, hush .... she can't let the competition know what she'd doing.

Each concept is customized to the individual clients wants, needs, goals and image ... so they vary a lot.

I do remember one contest that she ran a few years ago (when she worked for someone else) and it was for a TV show ... either Survivor or Lost (I forget which one). The top 10 contestants got to go to Hawaii and a party to meet the cast and where the winner was announced. I think the contest was something like sending a video showing why they were the show's #1 fan or something like that. She said the got thousands and some of the wre very, very creative.

 

[Mariann]

I think Victoria's secret, they always use images that inspire women and seem to have a personality coming through. They post quotes that inspire you and come across fun, flirty, confident. Basically, they show you who the VS shopper is and I think that's one of the reasons they are successful.

This is what I have seen from the victoriassecret Instagram.

One question I have is why do you think that certain brands use inspirational posts to attract people, isn't it for the same reasons to develop brand identity, be consistent, have a voice and basically inspire people which in turn results in you buying their products?