2017 may have been a tough year for the fashion industry, but there were a few luxury brands who certainly knew how to invest their marketing dollars despite the challenges. With the rise of the experience economy, it’s no wonder luxury brands are pulling out all the stops, convincing consumers to spend their precious pennies on products as opposed to unforgettable, instagram-worthy experiences.
So, what’s the secret to a successful digital campaign? Not only turning it into an experience in itself, but to tap into the desire consumers have to associate with brands who have a “purpose”. As Tory Burch said “obviously the product has to be A-plus but it’s also really what you stand for and what you believe in”.
We hope you’ll find these as exciting and unforgettable as we did…
The Best Digital Campaigns by Luxury Brands in 2017
Bulgari’s #WishUponAStar
“When you wish upon a star, you wish upon Bulgari, Bulgari creations are pure magic.”
Italian luxury brand Bulgari launched a dedicated, interactive page for their holiday campaign. As you scroll down, you are taken through seven different magical “stages” or sections of the factory, each featuring iconic Bulgari items: handbags, watches, jewelry and fragrances. But as you come to the end of the scroll, a hexagonal button appears with the words “Save the Children” and a call to action “Join #SeeMyWish”.
Bulgari has partnered with the Save the Children Charity since 2009 raising over $70 million for children in need. To further boost this initiative, Bulgari launched a social media campaign, posting around 20 different pictures of the wish factory, asking users to share a headshot of themselves with their eyes closed “making a wish”. For every post shared with the hashtag #seemywish, the luxury brand would donate $1 to the foundation. The result? A massively engaging campaign and Bulgari doubling the donation to $500,000.
Mikimoto’s Pearls of Wisdom
Mikimoto, the over 100-year-old Japanese jewelry company, launched the “Explore the Original” video campaign, featuring seven self-made women, each offering their “pearls of wisdom” on their accomplishments, achievements and life experiences. The stars of this digital campaign included Gelila Bekele, Hannelore Knuts, Linda Rodin, Rose-Marie Swift, Yoshiko Kris-Webb, and Yoyo Cao who all wore Mikimoto pearls in ways that expressed their individual style.
From models and designers to entrepreneurs and activists, each share their thoughts on what being original means and the women they’re inspired by, striking a chord with the feminist times.
Stella McCartney’s Clevercare Series
Stella McCartney has been long recognized in the industry for her commitment to sustainability and eco-friendly practices, and her luxury brand’s Clevercare campaign for Earth Day 2017 was no exception. The focus for this fashion campaign was to educate the consumer on the fact that “25% of the carbon footprint of clothes comes from the way we care for them”. The brand put out a series of short videos with two models light-heartedly sharing tips on how to clean the Stella McCartney Falabella bag or encouraging viewers to sew buttons back onto garments instead of tossing them away. The video series was also shared in snippets on Instagram, of course.
Lacoste’s Timeless Film
This year Lacoste outdid itself with flawless content, proving that this luxury brand knows how to keep up with the times while maintaining high standards for quality. Staying current yet defending their classic aesthetic is what led to the creation of “Timeless”. A film in which a young enamoured man chases a woman throughout a train. As the train moves, and the two individuals run from carriage to carriage, their outfits and hair change, as they travel through time, jumping from decade to decade, representing the timelessness of the Lacoste style.
Gucci’s Gift Shop
When it comes to creating an experience and transporting the consumer to another world – a branded world – Gucci has certainly proven to be a master. Constantly seeking to innovate in content marketing and engaging mass audiences globally, this luxury label nailed it once again with the Gucci Gift Shop for the 2017 holiday season. By teaming up with artist Ignasi Monreal, Gucci curated a series of outwardly images presenting its clothes and fashion accessories in a completely different way, all through an interactive website where users can lose track of time, scrolling and clicking away.
Looking for more inspo on how fashion brands are rocking it with their campaigns? Check out our post on the top 10 fashion brands that did digital best in 2017.
We’d love to hear what other campaigns you were a fan of last year! Leave your comments below.
Ursula
Great article!!!
Rosanna Ryan
Thank you Ursula! Glad you enjoyed it.
Verunka
This is great, thank you!
ritesh Mohan
nice article Rosanna. In fact, I strongly believe that in Luxury marketing “Less is more”
I have written a couple of articles on luxury marketing on my blog, check them out in case you get time.
Link:https://retailritesh.com/2018/07/14/4-must-dos-for-luxury-brands-retailing/
Julia Cohen
Thank you Ritesh! We will be sure to check out your articles.