What does the fashion industry need to do to survive the dawn of the new fashion-tech revolution? Although the industry has significantly evolved over the last decade (with the global online fashion market expected to be valued at $765 billion by 2022), experiential marketing can be used to rejuvenate fashion as we know it.
In fact, many brands have already revamped the industry with their efforts. Here’s how they accomplished it and why you should reinvent your brand with experiential marketing.
Since fashion is no longer just composed of runway shows and large press events, brands have to begin thinking outside of the box to reach a larger audience.
Fashion brands can’t afford to stand still. They need to constantly innovate and, more importantly, find ways to reach out to their audience.
So yeah, it’s probably time for fashion brands to rethink their approach if they want to be relevant and meaningful. When experiential marketing is done right, you can leave consumers intrigued with memorable impressions and make sure your competition doesn’t even get a second thought.
French brand Kenzo took to the streets with their smart Kenzo Fashion Bus. The London-style double-decker bus was created with their signature navy blue polka dots and Parisian chic as it hit the streets of the UAE.
It also allowed the brand to showcase their products in a much more powerful way than traditional advertising alone. The campaign also encouraged shoppers to follow the bus and its travels through the Emirates with a social campaign hashtagged #FollowTheKenzoBus.
Bringing a whole new meaning to ‘window shopping’, Kate Spade's Special Saturday pop-ups proved how experiential marketing can rejuvenate fashion.
Life-sized touch screens offered passersby the perfect combo of online and in-person shopping - 24 hours of the day. The window shops donned a cheery yellow design and included instructions marked on the pavements in front. Without any staff on-site, the electronic shop was accessible at any time.
With the added bonus of same-day delivery, Kate Spade's pop-up shops blurred the boundaries between retail and eCommerce. Adding something a little special to the typical shopping experience.
What do you think of when you hear the fashion brand Chanel? The iconic little black dress that’s a certified staple in any woman’s wardrobe. Imagine how intrigued consumers would be if you challenged that stereotype and threw a café in the mix.
A key to staying memorable is by doing something nobody expects you to do. Chanel enjoyed an increase in social coverage and sales when opening Coco Café in cosmopolitan cities such as London, Tokyo, Singapore and Shanghai.
Although there probably wasn’t any greasy café favourites, this pop-up store saw visitors lining up to enjoy a selection of drinks, snacks and a sneak peek of the new range of Chanel products.
When you give consumers a new way to experience your brand, it appeals to them and gives them a new opportunity to interact with your brand on a new level.
When Topshop wanted to open up London Fashion Week to a wider audience, they created a telepresence experience, transmitting the show live from a front-row seat to enthralled fashionistas.
Sitting eagerly in the window of Topshop’s flagship store, five lucky competition winners put on specially customised virtual reality headsets and experienced the show live.
Although there was sophisticated technology powering the Topshop project, the main ambition was to create an immersive experience. It received an overwhelming volume of press coverage and the feedback was all about how fascinating it was to be able to step inside this coveted fashion show.
These are just some of the key trends that are changing the way marketers harness experiential marketing. It’s an evolving concept that delivers measurable positive results in terms of ROI and brand engagement. If you want to find out even more about this exciting marketing technique, you'll benefit from our new playbook.
For a more detailed look at experiential marketing and why your business is already falling behind by not doing it, download our playbook now. It won’t cost you a penny but it could be the start of huge growth opportunities for your business.
It features some tactics to try, big examples, impressive statistics and loads more. Click below to get your copy.