Top 5 brand holiday efforts of 2016

Fendi’s snowman sporting its Hypnoshine sunglasses

Market challenges and global turmoil aside, luxury brands and retailers put “the reason for the season” ahead of overt product pushes for the holidays.

Holiday campaigns this year encouraged consumers to take a step back from their hectic schedules to enjoy loved ones and embrace messages of love, peace and joy. In addition to a number of philanthropic efforts, digital technologies have increasingly been used to enhance campaign interaction to create a memorable experience beyond the item purchased.

Here are the top five luxury brand holiday efforts of the 2014 holiday season, in alphabetical order.

Barneys New York #LovePeaceJoyProject holiday graphic

Department store chain Barneys New York is offering an antidote to the turbulent geopolitical climate around the world with a holiday campaign that aims to unite.

The retailer’s “Love Peace Joy Project” initiative brings together six artists for window displays at both its New York flagship stores, with displays that interpret the theme through the artist’s particular aesthetic. With current affairs, Barneys’ campaign speaks to many consumers’ desires for more tranquility and coming together.

Honoring the recently established Barneys New York Foundation, a social initiative asks consumers to post a photo of themselves making a pose indicative of one of the campaign ideas and tagging it #LovePeaceJoyProject (see story).

Fendi’s snowman sporting its Hypnoshine sunglasses

Italian fashion label Fendi is counting down the days until Christmas through interactive stories on Snapchat and Instagram.

The brand’s #12DaysofFendi gives its followers tasks, such as decorating a Christmas tree or building a snowman, which can be completed by tapping their screen.
Taking advantage of both platforms’ user interfaces, these stories give the illusion of participation to those watching, giving them a reason to stay through the end.

Fendi’s stories use both apps’ navigation pattern of skipping forward to the next frame by tapping the screen. Throughout the experience, a magic wand with a star reading “tap here” appears, instructing viewers.

By swiping up, consumers are brought to an ecommerce page within the Instagram app, allowing them to browse without ending their social media experience (see story).

Mockup of Galeries Lafayette window display for holiday 2016

French department store chain Galeries Lafayette is leveraging its foot traffic and added attention around the holiday season to promote an environmental cause.

The retailer’s “Amazing Arctic Christmas” tells the story of a family of polar bears who must venture away from the North Pole due to melting ice caps, with the bears finally finding respite in Galeries Lafayette’s flagship store on Boulevard Haussmann in Paris. Bringing the story to life in front of shoppers’ eyes, the retailer has launched a mobile experience accessible in-store that uses augmented reality to create an arctic environment indoors.

Those who visit in-store will be able to experience the campaign through an interactive touchpoint developed with overlap reality startup Sky Boy. Through a free mobile app download or by using tablets provided by Galeries Lafayette, consumers can stand on the main store’s second floor at one of the arches to launch the immersive content.

After pointing their device at a piece of paper with a drawing of a polar bear, a 360-degree experience begins. Polar bears bound through the snow in front of them, and virtual snowflakes fall. Eventually, a polar bear climbs the tree and begins to walk on a bridge toward the viewer (see story).

Image from Mulberry’s holiday campaign

British fashion label Mulberry is weaving a story of generosity and family togetherness through a holiday film that explores the inner child.

“It’s What’s Inside That Counts” tells the tale of one family’s quintessentially English reunion at Christmas, with the cast of adult characters portrayed by an ensemble cast of children for lighthearted effect. With a production staff that rivals Hollywood films, Mulberry is putting the focus on entertainment and content this season.

For this effort, Mulberry called in professional filmmakers, including writer Hugo Guinness of “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” director Albert Moya of “American Autumn” and director of photography Yorick Le Saux of “I am Love” (see story).

Selfridges offers click-and-collect purchasing, even for Santa

British department store chain Selfridges is urging consumers to press pause this holiday season to reconnect with themselves and loved ones.
Selfridge’s “Shine On!” holiday 2016 campaign seeks to reaffirm the reason for the season, regardless of how hectic consumers’ lives can be throughout the year.

The retailer’s campaign commands celebration, turning the “dial to the max” by hosting a holiday-themed rainbow-colored glitter disco ball dance party at its Oxford Street flagship in London.

Selfridges summarizes its holiday messaging as “celebrate yourself (you deserve it); celebrate your loved ones (and not just your family) and turn every day during the season into a party.” By visiting Selfridges on Oxford Street, the retailer intends to show consumers how to gather, give and get down.

Shine On! debuted on Oct. 20, making Selfridges the first retailer in the world to launch its holiday 2016 campaign. This year’s offerings are defined by themed products, visual displays and in-store experiences described as “a kaleidoscope of dazzle, glitter and fun” (see story).

Technology was also used to ensure a global audience could experience a number of brands’ window displays in New York.

Louis Vuitton’s store windows on Google’s Window Wonderland

Louis Vuitton and Cartier are among the 18 New York storefronts getting a digital audience this holiday season with help from Google.

Google’s “Window Wonderland” recreates the feeling of strolling outside iconic retailers on a consumers’ desktop computer, mobile phone or tablet. While about 5 million tourists descend on New York this time of year, many located in other cities, states or countries will not be able to get to see these in person, making this Google experience the next best thing.

For Window Wonderland, Google combined hundreds of high-resolution images to create an interactive panoramic display for each store. This allows the user to pan as if they are walking.

As they are virtually strolling, consumers can zoom in on details in the windows. For those with a virtual reality headset, a full 360-degree panoramic experience is accessible, complete with ambient noise from New York’s streets (see story).

from Apparel and accessories – Luxury Daily https://www.luxurydaily.com/top-5-brand-holiday-efforts-of-2016/
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