With so many people online nowadays, I believe that the future for marketing and advertising is going to be on the internet. We’re already seeing this with bloggers already claiming some share of the advertising budgets of companies such as Levi’s who advertised here at The Runway Scoop not too long ago. Then Chanel caused a stir when it invited some of the top beauty bloggers to Paris.
However, companies could take it a step further and create online communities where loyal fans could offer feedback on designs and perhaps take part in designing upcoming collections. It could be similar to the community that Starbucks created with the launch of My Starbucks Idea. I still have yet to see something like this in the fashion industry.
Yes, we already have fashion communities where fashionistas gather to talk about the brands that they love, but what if a fashion brand like Gucci created a dedicated site where Gucci enthusiasts could hang out? I don’t know how much Gucci spends on ads in major fashion glossies, but I bet it would be much cheaper to build and maintain an online community. People often forget those ads in magazines, but they won’t forget to visit a website - especially if its interactive and engaging. For example, users could upload photos or videos of themselves wearing Gucci clothes, they could share thoughts about the latest collection in a forum, or enter design contests. That kind of advertising would attract more customers, don’t you think?
Have any other ideas on how fashion brands could make better use of their advertising money?
Photo Credit: Geishaboy500
Hi Maria - I think you are hitting a really crucial point here for the fashion industry. I'm not an insider/expert nor have I ever worked in the fashion industry, but just as an avid consumer, I would love for fashion brands to start taking notice of some of the social media initiatives other industries have been experimenting with. One does not have to dig deeper to notice that the fashion industry has such a rich gold mine of loyal brand ambassadors all over the world, which many other industry leaders only dream of. Tapping into this group of existing fans and allowing them access to what was once considered an exclusive, high end industry would be a great way to increase the organic positive word of mouth. Creating a photo meme, as you mentioned, would be definitely one way.
One of my former colleagues, Virginia Miracle (http://www.virginiamiracle.com), talks about "brands worthy of a weekend," which is a concept based on a campaign she spearheaded on behalf of a client to invite a selected number of existing loyal fans and involving them in a product creation process. The idea is that some brands are worthy of giving up a weekend with friends and family to do something like that sponsored by a company. I can already name, for myself, a number of fashion brands I would gladly give up my weekends for, and hope folks in the fashion marketing world would take notice, too.
Thanks for a thought-provoking post, as always!
Posted by: MKO | May 10, 2008 5:36 PM | Permalink to Comment