Let's face it – I'm a fashion geek postin' about a hodge podge of fashion marketing tidbits and personal style. I'm obsessed with over-sized accessories & that's that.
Last week, Burberry pushed boundaries again with its debut of it latest Fall/Winter 2010 campaign that was shot with 3D effects. Amongst the hype online, this video surfaced on Socialites Anonymous and really gave me a positive image of Burberry as a brand.
Christopher Bailey, Burberry’s Chief Creative Officer briefly explains the creation and inspiration behind the latest campaign. He describes the campaign as an extension of the runway show, and therefore the print campaign needed to capture Burberry’s history and heritage, energy and vibe, through still photography. While he describes the reason for the 3D effects, Christopher also starts talking about the Burberry team. This is what connected me. He states that he feels “very strongly that none of us do anything on our own” and “you can have a great idea or strong point of view, but it wont matter if you don’t surround yourself with talented people that you trust and admire and enjoy working with.”
I found his statement so welcoming. He easily could’ve taken credit for the entire creative campaign concept, but he continues to talk about his colleagues and team members being a crucial part of making this campaign a success. (And judging on the amount of tweets about it last week, it definitely generated good press). I loved this video because it felt very personal. Hearing Christopher’s beliefs on how to work successfully together made me feel connected with the brand and want to follow it more often. While, Burberry’s intent may have been to just show the “behind the scenes” of the campaign shoot, I see this video as a HR marketing tool, but also brand connection tactic. With great employee sentiment and positive teamwork attitude, who wouldn’t want to be a part of Burberry after seeing this? Whether its working at a retail store or purchasing product, Burberry seems to value every person throughout the process. And that’s a brand I can stand behind.
Fashion shows are meant to be “private” events. Hard to believe that just a few years ago we had to wait for WWD or the Wall Street Journal to give us a recap on what happened at the shows, but with digital media such as Twitter, Facebook, UStream, and LiveStream, the fashion runway show is no longer just for the elite as we saw with Louis Vuitton and Oscar De La Renta recently. Its now for the fans, the consumers, the admirers, the bloggers, and of course still for the buyers.
But, Burberry did something monumental over the weekend. Its Prorsum Menswear Spring Summer 2011 Fashion Show actually sold clothes. No, it didnt sell clothes during market week that will be in stores next March 2011, but it actually let people who watched the live streaming show create a look book of their favorite runway looks and allow them to purchase the looks directly from the Burberry site. And… it gets better. Facebook and Twitter widgets allowed viewers to chat during the show with other fans or share with their networks. After the show, the items in the look book would be available for immediate purchase and will be delivered in 6-8 weeks, rather than wait 6-8 months for them to be in retail stores.
Burberry has done a first for the fashion industry. It actually bridged the gap from runway to consumer and it if this proves viable it could pave the way for many more brands to follow in its foot steps. Here are 4 trends to look forward to from Burberry breaking the barrier.
Integrated social shopping – social media tools like Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare will be incorporated in all shows, and fashion ecommerce sites allowing consumers to do their own brand promotion and get feedback from peers
Fashion Buyers might not have the final say as to what belongs in stores – Currently buyers go to market and choose what pieces from a designer’s line belongs in the stores. Buyers “predict” what consumers will want to purchase in the upcoming season. However, with Burberry’s look book capabilities fans & consumers can drive what they want to buy and don’t necessarily have to rely on a buyer. Consumer’s voices will be more valued if 1,000 people like or put the harem pants in their look book, even though a buyer claims the pants won’t “sell”.
Could eliminate fashion seasons as we know them – With the ability to purchase clothes straight from the runway, this could pave the way for fashion seasons and runway shows to be in real-time and instead of having the Fall/Winter collection in February but not in stores until the following September, it could be in that same year’s fall and winter months.
Provide almost instant gratification – For consumers this means no more gawking over runway shows and waiting months and months to see if your favorite item makes the cut. You could enjoy your favorite creations in less than two months.
Fashion shows are meant to be “private” events. Hard to believe that just a few years ago we had to wait for WWD or the Wall Street Journal to give us a recap on what happened at the shows, but with digital media such as Twitter, Facebook, UStream, and LiveStream, the fashion runway show is no longer just for the elite as we saw with 
buy and don’t necessarily have to rely on a buyer. Consumer’s voices will be more valued if 1,000 people like or put the harem pants in their look book, even though a buyer claims the pants won’t “sell”.