Top 10 luxury brand multichannel efforts of Q1

Ben Stiller as Zoolander with Penelope Cruz for Vogue February 2016

As marketing verticals continue to condense, brands have output experiential efforts bridging the physical and digital.

Proving that there is no campaign housed solely on social or in-store any longer, brands worked to tie together the channels available to create immersive experiences that cull consumer attention and sentiment. From furry mascots to celebrity television commercials, luxury brands have become skilled at interacting with target affluents on a barrage of platforms while maintaining a consistent presence of allure and stature.

Here are the top 10 brand multichannel efforts of the first quarter, in alphabetical order:

Burberry beauty, fall/winter 2016

Burberry leverages Sephora’s audience
LVMH-owned beauty retailer Sephora gave added visibility to Burberry’s cosmetics through an Instagram takeover.

The British fashion house’s beauty products were the focus of Sephora’s Instagram posts on Feb. 22, the same day as Burberry’s London Fashion Week presentation. While many retailers and media outlets were buzzing about the fashions seen on the runway, Sephora’s followers were centered on the brand’s cosmetics, giving Burberry a captive audience for this segment of its offerings

Sephora’s posts included the products used such as Burberry’s Face Contour Pen and Eye Colour Silk and Glow. Although Sephora does use Like2Buy to activate its posts for ecommerce, Burberry’s featured products were not listed.

Instead, due to the brand’s new presentation format, consumers could shop beauty looks from the runway on Burberry’s Web site (see story).

Fendirumi

Fendi invites celebrity guests
Italian fashion label Fendi has created new brand faces in the form of mascots with big personalities.

Inspired by the Japanese kigurumi, or costumed characters, the Fendirumi made their first public appearance in Tokyo at the brand’s Ginza pop-up store opening event in November. The Fendirumi duo then went on a new adventure, attending Fendi’s runway show in Milan, a trip being documented by the ambassadors on Snapchat.

The Fendirumi “took over” Fendi’s Snapchat leading up to its runway show. The pair took a selfie, gave interviews and captured the details of the clothes as they were backstage (see story).

Florence Welch at the 58th annual Grammys

Gucci uses the Grammys
Italian fashion house Gucci named singer Florence Welch as the ambassador of its jewelry and watch range.

The British singer has yet to appear in a campaign for Gucci’s jewelry and watch offerings, but Ms. Welch did sport the brand’s designs during a press conference announcing her appointment Feb. 12 and then shortly after during the 58th annual Grammy Awards held on Feb. 15. The looks seen on the red carpet during awards shows are popular social media fodder, giving Gucci an immense platform for its jewelry and new ambassador relationship

According to Engagement Labs, Gucci ranked second in mentions on Twitter and Instagram and was ranked 10th on Facebook. On Twitter, Gucci saw an interest in the image of Ms. Welch wearing the brand’s gown on the red carpet, tallying 11,687 new Instagram followers during the Grammys (see story).

Land Rover Defender

Land Rover’s Defender production line
British automaker Land Rover may have discontinued its Defender, but the vehicle will live on in new forms.

After 68 years, the Defender, formerly known as the Series Land Rover, has ceased production, marked by a celebratory event. However, a “Defender Journeys” online hub and a new Heritage Restoration Program will ensure that the iconic vehicle remains firmly embedded within the brand’s narrative.

To mark the final vehicle, a Defender 90 Heritage Soft Top, rolling off the assembly line, Land Rover invited more than 700 current and former employees involved in the production of the model to examine and drive some of the brand’s most important automobiles.

Enthusiasts interested in touring the Defender production line can do so now at defendertour.landrover.com. The site includes a 360° navigation of the production line, including the body build, front seat box, rear tub assembly, welding robot cell, wings and door, final checks and painting (see story).

Jude Law at “The Life RX” live performance

Lexus brings TV to life
Toyota Corp.’s Lexus highlighted the carefully crafted nature of its 2016 RX with a “bespoke performance” in London.

One hundred guests were invited to the Mondrian hotel on Feb. 10, where they assumed the role of star in their own unique show, creating a live theatrical interpretation of the television spot “Live the RX Life” starring Jude Law. While the surprise performance may have only been witnessed by a select few, Lexus captured the event via 360-degree filming techniques including hidden cameras, and the footage will be shared with viewers at home.

Guests were surprised upon arrival, thrown into the performance.

Participants were guided through 14 rooms, each of which introduced a new scenario to act within. Guests would act out their now-assumed role of an international movie star, while the rest of the cast was trained to respond and improvise accordingly (see story).

Brown Hart Gardens, London

Lighting up London
British arts producer Artichoke, property management corporation Grosvenor Group and automaker Jaguar Land Rover worked together to illuminate London’s Mayfair district.

In an effort to turn the district into a world-leading culture and arts destination, landmarks in the area hosted Lumiere London, a light festival that took place Jan. 14-17. The festival drew tourists and locals alike, providing an experience that could generate sustained interest and returning visitors.

Grosvenor Square, Brown Hart Gardens and Grosvenor Hill were the primary sites of the light installations, with attractions extending to Piccadilly, Regent Street and St. James’s, Trafalgar Square and Westminster and King’s Cross. There were 30 installations in total for the festival.

Visitors could also download maps to their mobile phones, which marked both installations as well as permanent attractions in the area. While the festival itself positions Mayfair as an arts and culture district, noting attractions will give people cause to return to the area in the future and help Mayfair maintain the burst of interest (see story).

Marc Jacobs #StreetMarc example

Marc makes street art
U.S. fashion label Marc Jacobs encouraged consumers to graffiti the wild postings of its spring ads throughout New York with their own art, speaking to the co-creation trend.

A social contest for New York Fashion Week told consumers to treat the brand’s creative as their canvas, using it as the backdrop for their own art. Once they have tagged the art, they were told to post and hashtag a photo for the chance to attend the brand’s show on Feb. 18.

Demonstrating the intention of the competition, Marc Jacobs shared a photo of drag queen Milk leaving his tag on a poster, writing his stage name in pink. The personality also appeared as one of the faces of Marc Jacobs’ spring/summer 2016 campaign, bringing it full circle.

To enter, consumers had to spot the ads, tag them and share them on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook with the hashtag #StreetMarc (see story).

Cover of Robb Report March 2016 issue

Robb Report shops at Saks
Lifestyle publication Robb Report brought la dolce vita to its readers by dedicating its entire March issue to Italy.

From automobiles and fashion to travel and food, the issue explores the people responsible for the country’s cultural significance. To kick off the issue, Robb Report and Saks hosted a shopping event at the retailer’s Fifth Avenue flagship, bringing together elements of the good life on the men’s floor.

The issue is a first for Robb Report, which has never dedicated an issue cover-to-cover to a single country. Features include a look at the makers of some of the past century’s most iconic cars and a look at idyllic Italian villas.

Robb Report’s celebration continues online with a magazine article exploring the Neapolitan tailors behind the family-owned brands Kiton, Isaia, Cesare Attolini, and Rubinacci in a short film. Online, consumers could also get a step closer to taking home a piece of Italy with a curated list of stores selling fashion, wine, cars and other goods from the country.

At the event, consumers could shop menswear labels as well as check out a number of installations scattered throughout the floor, allowing them to in effect tour Italy (see story).

Ruinart bottle in its cellar in Reims, France

Ruinart deep within its cellar
LVMH-owned Champagne brand Ruinart explored the landscape of its cellars in Reims, France with the help of a photographic eye.

Every year, the self-proclaimed oldest Champagne house collaborates with an artist, giving the creative free reign to produce a work that tells the brand’s story in a new way. This year, Ruinart tapped Danish multidisciplinary artist Erwin Olaf, who documented the influence of nature and man on the cellars.

When Mr. Olaf first visited Reims, he was taken by the depth and size of the house’s crayères. He then decided to document them using the Hasselblad camera he has owned for 35 years.

The original black-and-white photography he created for Ruinart finds the complexity in the cavernous space, from a carving of a human face to a the grooves in the walls.

The timing of this campaign enabled Ruinart to commemorate the cellar’s recent distinction as a historic site.

A number of Moët Hennessy’s properties, including Champagne hillsides, houses and cellars, have been added to the UNESCO World Heritage List (see story).

Ben Stiller as Zoolander with Penelope Cruz for Vogue February 2016

Zoolander lands on Vogue
Italian fashion house Valentino and Vogue magazine agree: male model Derek Zoolander is so hot right now.

While fictional, Derek Zoolander, played by actor and comedian Ben Stiller, is taking the high fashion industry by storm through catwalk appearances, in-store happenings and by landing the coveted cover of Vogue’s February issue. In an industry sometimes known for its stodgy reputation, luxury fashion is joining the fun and embracing the comical nature of “Zoolander 2,” the follow-up film to 2001’s “Zoolander.”

Given the popularity of the characters and the bevvy of one-liners generated from the first film, anticipation for the sequel has resulted in a marketing effort blurring the lines of fiction and reality.

In character, Mr. Stiller and Owen Wilson, who play Derek Zoolander and Hansel, respectively, walked in Valentino’s runway show, participated in a fashion shoot and modeled their best model moves in the Italian atelier’s windows in Milan (see story).

from
http://www.luxurydaily.com/top-10-luxury-brand-multichannel-efforts-of-q1/