Aperture
Much the way a photographer controls light using the aperture on a camera, this blog will serve as a filter which, through a combination of images, opinions and shared content, will reveal our focal point.
Nordstrom revamps mobile strategy to promote new content
Nordstrom N Style app
Seattle-based retailer Nordstrom recently updated its iPhone app to offer content, most likely in an attempt to promote mobile engagement and position itself as a go-to source for fashion.
The N Style section on the app lets consumers check out “what’s new and now” from Nordstrom style bloggers. This section includes 24/7 beauty, men’s shopping, trends and general fashion interest stores. Some current stories include getting ready for summer weddings, graduation dresses and the patterned tie trend.
Blog post
N Style also includes Nordstrom’s Instagram feed. Users can swipe through the newest images from the retailer’s feed, which include outfits and lifestyle images.
Lastly, the N Style section includes Nordstrom’s newest videos including how to tie a scarf, an interview with Iris Apfel and Nordstrom’s Ultimate Wedding Party video starring hip hop duo Macklemore and Ryan Lewis.
Video how-to
The Nordstrom app also features the retailer’s shops and a wishlist, which are the retailer’s app standbys.
The added content could help Nordstrom secure mobile transactions. For example, in Nordstrom’s blog article about patterned ties, the post links to different items of clothing that it references, which could entice buys.
The link does lead out of the app to a mobile site, but at least the landing page is optimized.
Furthermore, Instagram and videos on the Nordstrom app will likely increase the time that consumers spend on the app. Therefore, increased time spend with the brand could lead to spending growth, especially for the products mentioned on each respective media.
Saks solidifies trend authority via multichannel LOOK campaign
Credit: Eliot Raffit
Saks Fifth Avenue is aiming to position itself as a fashion authority through its new LOOK campaign, a multichannel effort designed to boost the retailer’s reputation as a place of discovery.
The LOOK campaign, which launches today, will encompass advertising, catalogs, shopping bags, direct mail, media efforts, in-store efforts, designer insights, digital marketing and social media. LOOK is solidifying Saks’ positioning as not only a purveyor of luxury goods, but a place where consumers can find trends and learn about style, which will likely create loyalty.
“LOOK is incredibly versatile. It’s both a noun and a verb, and it will be a platform for all of our fall initiatives—in-store, online and through social media,” said Terron Schaefer, executive vice president and COO at Saks. “There will be a pervasive sense of discovery, giving customers the opportunity to fall in love with something they didn’t even know they wanted.”
LOOK in-store efforts will include store outposts featuring “look what’s new” from emerging designers, “look closer” signs focused on outstanding craftsmanship and a forward-looking array of trends to “look forward to,” per Saks.
In addition, a catalog bowed today titled the Making of a Look. The book features designer advice on how to put together an ensemble based on today’s trends.
Furthermore, there are interviews and contributions from designers including Michael Kors, Donna Karan, Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, Stella McCartney and Bruno Cucinelli. These pieces of advice will be featured in Saks stores and windows, and online. In addition, updated packaging will be revealed in August. Saks expects LOOK to go throughout the year into 2014.
This campaign is interesting because Saks is truly attempting to take control of its style authority. Some brands are doing this, but many of them rely on blogs or social media, where consumers have to go out and seek style advice.
However, Saks is literally putting its advice in consumers’ faces without being overpowering. Also, the fact that the efforts are across a variety of platforms ensures that consumers will see the LOOK campaign no matter on which channel they engage with Saks.
Mr. Schaefer claims was inspired by Carmel Snow, the former editor of Vogue, who in 1947 dubbed Christian Dior’s new post-war silhouette “The New Look.”
“Just like Ms. Snow, we aim to endorse and define what’s important—from new ways to combine separates to innovative styles from up-and-coming designers,” he said. “The LOOK campaign makes it clear that Saks isn’t just a place to shop — it’s quite possibly the best place on earth to look for what’s new and notable in the world of fashion.”
Johnny Walker, IWC miss the mark on Father’s Day mobile ads
Johnny Walker banner ad
Brands including IWC and Johnny Walker are aiming for Father’s Day buys through ads on the New York Times mobile app, but their efforts may be thwarted by their lack of optimization.
Both brands have clever ads; IWC specifically calls out its engineering for men and gifting options, while Johnny Walker offers the chance to etch a message onto a bottle and an opportunity to buy through the ad. However, neither ads are optimized for mobile and consumers have to play the pinch-and-zoom game to even read what the brand is saying. This lack of preparation for the mobile platform is exactly what most brands are doing wrong, and could possibly hinder the growth of mobile when it comes to affluent consumers.
IWC banner ad
Take the IWC ad, for example. On the New York Times iPhone app, IWC claims banner ad space on more than five editorial sections. The ad reads “IWC. Engineered for Men.” in larger letters, and then adds store locations and contact information in miniscule type below. In fact, since there is no way to zoom in on this information, most consumers may not be able to read what it says.
When consumers click on the ad, a full-page description of the Ingenieur Family comes up, which is supposedly for Father’s Day. However, the images are miniscule, the type is even smaller and the contact information is in a font and color that almost blends into the rest of the screen.
Landing page
If IWC had turned this into a print ad? Beautiful. Web ad on a desktop platform? Even better. But this is definitely not the kind of content that users consume on mobile, since the tiny script and lack of engagement offer literally nothing for the consumer to do next.
Meanwhile, Johnny Walker offers the chance to gift Blue Label with the opportunity to sketch a message right into the bottle. Great idea, right?
Johnny Walker ad
Johnny Walker starts off well: the banner ad has a clear call to action, with an example of a message sketched onto a bottle and “click to engrave” text next to the image. When consumers click on this banner ad, it’s the same story. The landing page features text scrunched all the way over to one side of the page with illegible script, save from the pinch-and-zoom option.
Landing page
If users do read the fine print, they find out that they can engrave a bottle to send to their fathers, husbands, brothers, etc., for Father’s Day. They can also choose for the bottle to come in a super-luxe suede bag or a gift chest. How cool! However, the deadline for this gift is June 11 – three days past when this ad continued to show. Womp womp.
The theory behind these ads are credible – many people wait until the last minute for gift ideas, and many people are constantly on their phones. Furthermore, consumers who can buy Johnnie Walker Blue or IWC watches are more likely than non-affluents to have smartphones and read the New York Times on those smartphones.
The fact remains, though, that these ads need more polish.
As mobile usage grows, the way that consumers expect brands to engage with them becomes more demanding. Furthermore, users consume information on mobile much differently than they do on other channels, that is, they want the experience to be quick and easy.
Brands need to be where consumers on, which is on mobile. But Step One is done. Consumers are at the point where they not only expect ads to be where they are, but they expect to be able to use them in a way that is convenient and easy for them, which is something that every brand needs to work on.
In case you missed it…
Foursquare Time Machine
Here is what happened this week in the tech, luxury and marketing worlds:
H&M Links With Isabel Marant
Isabel Marant has a new fit model: her 10-year-old son, Tal. The Paris-based designer — who is creating her first looks for men and youngsters as H&M’s next guest designer — said he even gave her feedback on the scale of prints on the prototypes.
Mobile Advertising is the New Trend
Researchers at eMarketer predict that advertising through desktops will reach its peak in 2014, whereas mobile advertising is the new boom; it is expected to grow by over $4 billion dollars by the end of this year. Twitter, for example, has made more profit “from mobile advertising than from desktop advertising last year…”
How Much Do Celebs Get Paid to Tweet?
Believe it or not, start-up companies now exist with the sole mission of matching advertisers with celebrities to tweet about their products. Just how much do top celebs get paid? Notable mentions include Khloe Kardashian, earning $13,000 per tweet, and Snooki, who earns about $7,800 per tweet. Take a look at the full roundup, which features 16 additional celebs.
Hashtags Considered #Harmful
The noble hashtag is cursed by a problem Yogi Berra could appreciate: Too many people use it, so no one goes there. Presumably, most Twitter users use hashtags intending to add their tweet to a river of similar information and to expose their own thoughts to a wider, interested audience. Twitter itself markets the hashtag to those ends. But does that actually happen? It’s unlikely, especially for the most popular hashtags. There are many useful exceptions, but hashtags for big news stories are particularly vulnerable to mathematical futility.
Nearly Half of Online Ads Aren’t Viewed
New Data from ComScore shows that almost 50% of ads are “never seen by website visitors”, up 15 percent from last year. Some say it is because of “lower tier” sites, where well below 50 percent of people look at their ads. Others say it is due to the fact “the service has branched out beyond premium publishers and blue-chip advertisers in the past year…”
Say Hello to the Foursquare Time Machine
With 4 billion check-ins on Foursquare, we love exploring new ways to visualize all the places people go around the world, and the connections they’re making between them. Now, you can re-live each and every one of your check-ins, and have your own beautiful visualization to share with the new Foursquare Time Machine.
Introducing the New iOS 7
Earlier this week, Apple’s developer conference announced the new design for the iOS 7, out this fall. Take a look at the new modern, “flat” design. Do you like what you see?
John Galliano Talks to Charlie Rose
John Galliano’s highly anticipated appearance on “Charlie Rose,” his first televised interview since an anti-Semitic rant two years ago derailed his career, aired Wednesday night on public television.
Three Questions: MMS lets brands target, transact and engage
SMS/MMS is one of the most personal, engaging ways that brands can get in touch with affluent consumers in real time, but there seems to be a disconnect between consumers and marketers, especially in the luxury industry. Mobile is a channel used to further engagement in a personal way, and brands cannot get much more personal than directly texting a message to a device consumers constantly have in their hands.
Furthermore, the power of MMS specifically holds value for luxury marketers because they can provide additional content such as a video, audio or something to download. The idea that this is invasive is also out, since SMS is an opt-in channel and, therefore, the consumers who use this medium are much more likely to want to engage with a brand.
James Citron, chief marketing officer of payvia and former co-founder and CEO of Mogreet, discusses where luxury brands are with MMS now, what they can be doing better and the future of mobile marketing.
What movement are you seeing in MMS engagement with luxury brands?
We are thrilled to see a big increase in MMS engagement across the entire brand marketing landscape. CTIA noted in its 2012 industry report that MMS sharing across the board is skyrocketing, an increase of 64 percent year over year with even more growth ahead. As more and more consumers turn into content creators, content sharing programs that allow them to engage with luxury products through video, audio or imagery are deepening customer and brand loyalty, becoming easier to implement, and driving higher awareness and sales.
Marketing and selling luxury goods is often about telling a story and engaging your audience in a conversation highlighting the uniqueness of a product, its history and the inspiration behind it. From cars to fashion to beauty accessories and real estate, storytelling is critical to this segment. What’s driven the growth in MMS usage within luxury is the fact that MMS enables luxury marketers to tell a story with their audience through beautiful imagery, look books, videos and detailed copy, which is not possible in so many other communication channels with length and time constraints.
How can luxury brands best utilize MMS? Do you think brands market their MMS efforts well?
Luxury brands can always market their MMS programs better! Consumers who opt into text marketing programs are super fans. They are the ones who are actively seeking out deeper engagement between themselves and the brand; they are actively searching to insert themselves into the brand’s overall story. The more a brand can market their messaging program, the better the overall results.
Brands should promote their programs across social channels, within online and offline ads, on web portals, in-store, in-aisle, at the register and at events.
There are many ways luxury brands can better use MMS. MMS is perfect for building compelling story arcs, interactive programming, user generated content sharing programs, sneak peeks, special event invitations, product video distribution, driving traffic and social sharing.
What do you believe is the future of mobile marketing?
We strongly believe the future of mobile marketing is a closed loop – mobile marketing programs that allow for targeting and engaging the customer as well as driving instantaneous sales through m-commerce. Right now there continues to be a disconnection between a brand’s ability to target, transact and engage.
Creating one integrated system allows a brand to deliver highly-relevant and contextual content to your mobile audience, to provide simple ways to communicate and to buy from the brand, we will see more engaged mobile audiences, more successful mobile campaigns and the mobile communication and purchasing experience that we as consumers have long desired.
What brands can learn from Lexus’ US Open sponsorship efforts
Lexus IS
Lexus is continuing its role as the exclusive automotive partner of the United States Golf Association through sponsorships and out-of-home activities for the U.S. Open Championship that are complemented by digital efforts. The 360-degree approach by Lexus could teach like-brands a lesson on sponsorships, especially since not all consumers are able to visit the actual site of the tournament.
The U.S. Open is taking place at the Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, PA, but Lexus is taking its efforts beyond the gates into Philadelphia. There will be a variety of on-site activities, with new Lexus products and golf simulation contests, as well as activities and engagement in the city.
“Purchasing a vehicle isn’t just a practical decision anymore. Consumers seek a vehicle that will fit their lifestyle. The U.S. Open offers great visibility for luxury brands, and by partnering with an organization such as USGA, Lexus is able to connect with consumers where their passions lie,” said Nancy Hubbell, prestige communications manager at Lexus.
“We have always sought opportunities to reach our consumers in unique ways and expect to continue to do so in the future. U.S. Open attendees and Lexus’ audience are both confident and sophisticated groups. We feel that there is significant crossover between the two audiences and realize the importance of reaching U.S. Open attendees when they are open to experiences that fit in with their lifestyle,” she said.
The Lexus 2014 IS performance sedan will be the flagship vehicle at the event, parked right at the Lexus Performance Drive Pavillion on-site. Fans can also use the golf simulator to practice their swing on a digital version of the actual Merion Golf Club course, with a chance to win a new 2014 IS 250 AWD.
Also, due to the popularity of last year’s efforts, Lexus will be re-introducing an RFID card. Guests can swipe their cards at kiosks at the venue to build up points, and the guest with the highest score will win two tickets to the 2014 US Open.
Throughout the day, the Pavillion will provide opportunities to take a picture with a superimposed Championship Trophy and chances to meet Lexus golf ambassadors Nick Watney, Charles Howell III, Jason Day, Peter Jacobsen, Mark O’Meara or Natalie Gulbis.
“This golf sponsorship adds value to Lexus because it gives the brand a close association with a sport that attracts a high percentage of affluent consumers as both players and spectators,” said Ron Kurtz, president of American Affluence Research Center.
“Other marketers can see the various forms of promotion in which sports and other sponsorships can be leveraged to create positive exposure to existing and potential customers,” he said.
In addition to activities on-site, Lexus is offering Philadelphians unable to attend the championship an opportunity to check out the 2014 IS and watch the game on a large stadium-style screen. This space will also include a golf cart simulator game that allows guests to drive through virtual courses.
This is the first time that Lexus and the USGA are reaching out into a nearby city to further engagement. This is important because it’s giving consumers who are not at the event a chance to feel as if they are there. The fact that Lexus is providing entertainment and a chance to see the game is significant because it ensures consumers will come and stay at the space for some time.
To round out the USGA partnership, Lexus has been complementing the out of home efforts with a digital campaign on the U.S. Open website. Consumers can play a virtual golf round on the Merion Golf Club, which is decked out as it would be on the actual course, with Lexus ads sprinkled throughout the experience.
“Lexus has been successful with sponsorships by adding creative wrinkles to surprise and delight their clients,” said Chris Ramey, president of Affluent Insights and The Home Trust. “The local nature of a PGA golf tournament provides unique opportunities to engage best prospects on a one-to-one basis.”
Since not every consumer can attend the U.S. Open – or even Philadelphia, for that matter – it was smart for Lexus to offer various opportunities for consumers to “attend” the event. This could build affinity for the brand, and even entice consumers to attend the event in the future, where they can see actual Lexus products.
The nail in the head, though, is the sponsorship itself. Lexus consumers and golf fans have a lot in common, and the automaker’s ability to see this opportunity and react effectively is what makes this effort important.
Besides the fact that golf and cars historically skew towards males, golfers tend to make a higher income than other consumers, per Mr. Ramey. In addition, Lexus is tying together performance and drive – attributes it gives to its own cars – to the experiences it is offering.
“Golf tournaments provide effective and replicable programs,” Mr. Ramey said. “Golfers skew higher in education and income, so it’s a perfect match for a luxury car priced under $75,000.”
Burberry marries emotion, technology through Burberry Kisses
- Wish you were here…
British fashion empire Burberry coupled up with Google to allow consumers to send virtual imprints of their lips, colored by Burberry Beauty lipstick shades, to friends and family around the world using the search giant’s Maps technology.
The new Burberry Kisses campaign, hosted on the microsite http://www.kisses.burberry.com, prompts users to kiss their webcams or smartphone/tablet screens to establish a lip print. They can then watch their kisses fly through the air from their home city to the recipient’s city.
- Burberry Kisses delivery
Though sending virtual, branded “products” from apps or mobile sites is not new, this effort by Burberry is notable because it is sending consumers’ actual lip imprints to loved ones. It is also bringing together a few Burberry products, including the introduction of five different shades of Burberry lipstick and the fact that the message is sent to the tune of Misty Miller’s “Evergreen Love” (Ms. Miller is a Burberry Acoustic artist).
Most virtual mailings are corny, and while this is definitely true of Burberry’s effort, it’s kind of sweet. After all, emotion and engagement, rather than products, are the centerpiece of this effort. However, since Burberry is incorporating a few of its products and other brand elements, there is more of a chance of one of them sticking; consumers could become brand advocates through Ms. Miller’s song or want to try out one of Burberry’s lipstick products for themselves.
- Real-time kisses
The fact that Burberry partnered with Google Maps is also notable, since it provides brand engagement and depicts different cities around the world as the kisses fly through the air. Consumers can also see a map at the end that shows kisses being sent around the world in real time.
Send a kiss here: http://www.kisses.burberry.com
Video Pick: Hermès 2013 spring/summer swimwear collection
- Hermès 2013 swimwear
Hermès released a video on its Facebook page focused on its 2013 women’s swimwear collection. What is interesting about this video is that it is actually shows swimwear as its intended to be used – in the water (cue the gasps)!
For some reason, swimsuits aren’t typically shown for what they are technically supposed to do: be in water. Luxury marketers usually portray them modeling (dry) on a beach, covered up by some other garment or resting casually poolside. In addition, some swimsuits are so bedazzled and decked out that it’s likely they just fall apart the minute they hit the water – which is probably why they are never shown in-use.
Meanwhile, Hermès’ video shows all of its swimsuits being used in the water by various women. Through the video, users can see the breadth of the collection, along with the fact that the products are indeed water-friendly. Furthermore, the dreamy video is relaxing and serene, a feeling Hermès very likely wants its products to portray.
4 ways to create cross- and upsell opportunities through email
Since email is an opt-in medium for consumers to receive news and information from their favorite brands, it is a very useful platform for brands to maximize transactional opportunities through cross- and upselling products.
Consumers actually elect to receive brand emails, which likely means that these are marketers’ core customers and therefore the most likely to buy products. And, around times when consumers are already buying products – such as the change of seasons or holidays – brands can increase their changes of multiple products buys through emails.
1. Trends or seasonal buys: Brands that promote new summer trends could potentially increase online transactions through promoting new trends or styles for a particular season. The trick for multiple buys is that, of course, there is more than just one “trend” per season.
For example, Diane von Furstenberg sent an email promoting work clothes for the summer. Consumers could check out skirts, tops and dresses from the new DVF collection on the website. According to the email, these are versatile outfits that could be worn both to work and out after, maximizing their value. Therefore, savvy consumers should really buy more than one, right? DVF hopes so.
2. Outfit pairing: Hugo Boss’ strategy is a little more obvious, but still likely to work. In a recent email, the brand pushes sneakers in the headline and gives them a large portion of the email. Then, under them, it suggests pairing them with a pair of men’s shorts, also pictured underneath.
The strategy is simple: if you want more buys through email, then put more items at the center of the email. It’s the email version of a website’s “You’d also like…” products on the checkout page. And, since affluent consumers rarely have to worry about money, it’s likely that a shorts-sneakers combo could be a perfect opportunity for a dude wanting a new summer outfit.
3. Loyalty deals: Affluent consumers want to be coddled by luxury brands; they figure, if they are going to be spending an inordinate amount of money, they should be getting perks in return. And thus was born: the loyalty club.
Bloomingdale’s, which has one of the best examples of a loyalty program out there, used emails to help drive sales with its “friends and family” discount. The idea behind this is that if consumers see that they are getting some money off, they’re likely to buy more items. Also, since birds of a feather flock together, recipients can send the email to their friends and family, who may very well take advantage of the discount as well.
However, the trick behind this for luxury brands is that they cannot discount too often, or else it dilutes the brand and consumers will not be willing to buy full-price goods.
4. Experiential planning: Experience is the cornerstone of the luxury industry, and many mediums can be used to persuade consumers to buy products through this mindset. For example, Oscar de la Renta used an email to promote items from its new home collection with the suggestion that consumers throw a summer party.
The email showed a variety of products that one would use to throw a summer bash and included them in the email. By tying products to an experience rather than just pushing them out without context, Oscar de la Renta likely increased the number of products customers bought.
What luxury brands have been missing in augmented reality
Georg Jensen augmented reality
The luxury industry heard a lot about augmented reality a few years back, but the buzz seems to have stopped. Why the radio silence?
No matter what the reason — too many kinks, too-new technology, thoughts of brand dilution — brands are using the platform in innovative ways across all marketing channels, including mobile, in-store and out of home. After all, augmented reality is not just a cool mobile app feature; it can become an interactive element to any part of a campaign, making the brand more experiential in turn.
Jonathan Chippindale, CEO of Holition, the brand behind ground-breaking campaigns from De Beers, Tissot, Georg Jensen and Alfred Dunhill, participated in a Q&A with Aperture. Mr. Chippindale gives some best practice usage for augmented reality, what brands have been missing and why they should get back in the game.
What is new with augmented reality?
The main change we are seeing is that augmented reality is maturing. At first, brands wanted to appear cool and saw it as great way to attract attention and public relations. But, as brands start to invest in digital and technology, we are now having serious conversations with luxury brands who want to bring augmented reality into the heart of their business. We are seeing a shift towards brands making augmented reality and other emerging technologies, a permanent part of the overall marketing and, more importantly, merchandising strategy. Brands are seeing that by building augmented reality into a brand’s DNA it can be used to increase ecommerce.
Do you think that brands are picking augmented reality up?
The question brands need to ask themselves is “Do we need it?” and, if so, how can they add value to the bottom line and generate more of a return by implementing AR into their strategy? If they want to drive traffic to their sites then it is about creating long term solutions. Using augmented reality as a merchandising tool to engage their customer becomes much more powerful to the brand in getting those crucial instore and online sales.
The consumer is more interested in technology than ever. In 2011 the UK saw 6.8 million new tablet / smartphone activations. Per these states, 20 percent of web visits were to the top 150 retail sites and 50 percent of spend came from mobile phones. Meanwhile, in 2011, 11 percent of people in the US had iPads; in 2012 it is expected that iPad users will rise by over 90 percent to 53.2 million. In 2013 the expected number of people using an iPad in 2013 will increase to 24 percent, and smartphones now outsell standard mobile phones.
The continuing growth in this area means that people are looking for new and rewarding content. Yet as Chippindale commented “With a strong background in the luxury retail market Holition is not just about creating apps for mobile and providing e-commerce solutions – we are very passionate about the retail and instore experience. For us it is also about engaging people instore and creating retail theatre. For example we are working on a number of projects where the consumer can visit a store and ‘try on’ different products some of which may not be available instore.
Is augmented reality better employed by itself or as part of other marketing efforts (i.e. a campaign revolving around augmented reality, or combined with other efforts)?
Holition can create the personal experience for a client by starting with a business strategy and then working on a compelling creative idea. We are technology-agnostic, only selecting the right technology once we have come up with a workable on-brief idea. It is important as much for us as the client to select the right technology to deliver the creative idea, and as a result we have deployed projects using a very wide range of technologies, from online applications for Tissot, Tag Heuer and Boucheron, to iPad apps for Georg Jensen, 3D films for De Beers and a holographic fashion show for Dunhill. Response to the various campaigns delivered positive results:
- Tissot was the first watch brand to really understand how augmented reality technology could be integrated into its marketing campaigns. Holition collaborated with Tissot to allow consumers to try on a virtual watch from the window of Selfridges on Oxford Street without having to go inside the store. It has been Tissot’s most successful public relations campaign to date with sales in the Tissot boutique at Selfridges soaring by 83 percent.
- French luxury jeweller, Boucheron, used Holition’s technology to allow their customers to ‘try on’ magnificent watches and fine jewelery through their website. At the launch of its app site traffic rose 50 percent and still runs a healthy 10 percent up year on year. Also, 8 percent of visitors to the site downloaded the app and tried on the rings. Most important to Boucheron was that it was able to remain true to its heritage of provenance, craftsmanship and tradition whilst using innovative technology to talk to its customers.
- The launch of ‘My Forevermark™ Fitting, the diamond brand from the De Beers family of companies gave consumers the opportunity to ‘try on’ multiple products, such as ring, earrings and a pendant, all at the same time. Approximately 14 percent of visitors to the Forevermark site “tried on” the jewellery.
What is a good first step for marketers to get involved with augmented reality?
The first step for any brand is to look at its business strategy and see how digital technology can work for them. It is then about developing a strong creative idea and, perhaps most crucially, identifying the right media channel to communicate the message.
What is the most inventive augmented reality campaign that Holition has developed?
Technology and beauty are words not usually found together but this was most appropriate for the project Holition worked on for Dunhill. Alfred Dunhill wanted to create a vision to transport London’s Trafalgar Square to Shanghai in an event hosting more than 1,000 global fashion observers and media guests. The concept of creating the London landmark was a simple expression which was beautifully executed through a combination of cutting-edge technology, architecture, lighting, film and music.
The Dunhill Trafalgar Square was the world’s largest holographic installation for fashion, enveloping the 50 male models. It was an imperceptible CGI membrane, onto which an animated seasonal imagery was broadcast, incorporating everything from cherry blossoms at dawn to summer starlings at noon and autumn leaves at dusk. As the magical holographic projection took us from Spring to Winter, models subtly responded to the changing seasons with an addition of sunglasses or the turning up of a collar, until the finale brought in a sudden midnight ‘snow storm’ that circled them, as if they were captured in a giant snow globe shaken into a flurry.
It was hugely successful campaign and opened the gates for other major brands to consider using emerging technology in their campaigns.
Why is augmented reality useful for luxury marketers?
Many luxury brands are still waking up to the power of digital and realizing that digital is a way to communicate with its customer. However, there is still a long way to go and many companies are just touching upon it. Major brands embracing technology are recognizing that it is still possible to communicate old-fashioned values in with the new. Heritage, craftsmanship and service can be digitally incorporated into the retail environment but via a different communication channel such as interactive touch tables or “magic mirrors” to try clothes or shoes. Tomorrow’s consumers are purchasing today; pre-internet and traditional marketing management are working with a younger generation who “just get” technology and are living and breathing the digital world. A balance which can works as each understands the importance of content, delivery and conveying the message.
What is the best way that augmented reality can work for luxury brands?
Omnichannel is here to stay – multiple communication channels such as instore, digital and mobile are key. Some consumers use all channels simultaneously to choose to purchase. By joining all the channels together allows the consumer to purchase through all those channels at the same time. Holition is currently working with a number of clients to generate multiple opportunities to purchase delivery through those channels.