Lancel traverses France in friendly cat-and-mouse game

Image from Lancel’s Escapade campaign

Richemont-owned leather goods maker Lancel is highlighting the fashion and functionality of its fall/winter 2016 collection with an interactive film centered on a playful pursuit.

“Escapade” tells a story of French excursions as two friends chase each other across the country, leaving clues via text messages and social media posts. While pointing to the connected nature of the digital world, this film also showcases the travel-ready features of Lancel’s accessories.

“Lancel Escapade is big idea well-executed,” said Marko Muellner, senior vice president digital at Edelman, Portland. “The film, while difficult to keep-up with at times, is engaging, provocative and an effective use of interactive digital technology – on desktop.

“I applaud Lancel for finding the right balance between aspiration luxury experimental film and modern technology,” he said. “That said, the experience degrades to a standard YouTube video on mobile – which is still compelling, but just loses the richness and playfulness of the interactivity.”

Mr. Muellner is not affiliated with Lancel, but agreed to comment as an industry expert. Lancel was reached for comment.

On the towns
Lancel has created two versions of the film. An interactive video lives on a campaign microsite, while a YouTube video presents the content without clickable features.

In the interactive film, consumers can click at any point to view pieces of the collection in closer detail as they appear. This also provides links to buy anything that catches the viewer’s eye.

Consumers can also choose whether they would like to follow both characters or only one of them, giving the split-screen film a single lead.

Image from Lancel Escapade campaign

The six-minute film directed by Rosalie Miller opens on illustrator-model Langley Fox Hemmingway, who is standing on a balcony overlooking the Palais Garnier opera house. She walks into her hotel room and sees an image posted by her friend Noah Mills, who is also in Paris. Going back and forth, they talk of finally being in the same city, but Ms. Hemmingway needs to leave for Los Angeles, halting any plans of a reunion.

Mr. Mills suggests a game instead, messengering a notebook over to her room with a riddle. They both set out, snapping pictures of their locations and posting them to social media with the hashtag #InstaCharade. After trading similar images back and forth, the pair ends up in Deauville by the beach.

Here, Ms. Hemmingway sits down to sketch, and the viewer is prompted to move their cursor over a drawing of a flower to complete it. This can then be shared via Twitter or Facebook.

After packing their bags, the pair arrives in Lyon, where they barely miss each other while passing through the same courtyard on different floors. Mr. Mills also comes close to catching up to Ms. Hemmingway in Marseille as they stand on the same rocky coast.

Their game continues to Cannes and Antibes.

L’Escapade Lancel – Youtube version – avec Langley Fox Hemingway et Noah Mills

On the microsite, consumers can also explore the characters in the film or take a deeper look at the locales visited. An interactive map lets the user drop a pin to see a slideshow of images from a specific city.

Consumers can also view and shop the collection for him and her.

“The collection doesn’t feature in the film, giving way to the romance of French cities and coastal towns – which is fine by me,” Mr. Muellner said. “As a celebration of France, it’s a gem.

“The extra content – character vignettes and beautiful slides shows of each location, are a nice addition,” he said. “Well done, Lancel.”

Mobile messaging
With texting and social media connecting consumers regardless of location, brands are leveraging these digital communications to drive the plot of content campaigns.

U.S. fashion label Michael Kors showcased the utility and aesthetics of its new smartwatch with help from two active influencers.

The Michael Kors Access smartwatch, available starting Sept. 6, runs on Google’s Android Wear platform, allowing wearers to sync their iPhone or Android device to the timepiece. Demonstrating the functionality of the tech accessory, Michael Kors tapped actress-singer-dancer Zendaya and model Martha Hunt for a playful video (see story).

Interactive content can help to engage consumers more than a static film. Giving viewers the option of how to view allows them to dictate their own experience.

Italian fashion label Giorgio Armani asked consumers to share their unique perspectives by placing themselves within its Frames of Life eyewear campaign.

On a dedicated microsite, consumers could connect and view a series of films featuring diverse, global individuals, with an optional Web cam eye-controlled navigation for added immersion. Allowing consumers to place themselves within the campaign may have led to higher engagement with Armani’s content (see story).

“I commend Lancel for taking a chance and pushing the digital experience a bit, which is more than most luxury marketers try,” Mr. Muellner said. “And good job featuring the effort clearly on their social channels and on the homepage of their Web site.

“But, modern marketers know that all campaigns must now start social/mobile, and evolve from there,” he said. “This campaign took the opposite approach.

“I’m sure loyal fans coming to the website will find and engage with the experience, but today, most people find your brand in social—and social is mobile—so we miss the vast majority of people, and therefore reduce the impact and effectiveness of our marketing, when we start on desktop.

“To that point, the location slideshows would be great content for social, and new rich media formats like Facebook Canvas and Instagram Stories would have been perfect for this campaign. Missed opportunities for sure, but strong marks to Lancel anyway for taking the standard luxury film idea to the next level.”

from Apparel and accessories – Luxury Daily https://www.luxurydaily.com/lancel-traverses-france-in-friendly-cat-and-mouse-game/
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