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Burberry continues digital domination to deepen connection with Gen Y

September 19, 2011

Burberry's young models

British fashion house Burberry is live-streaming its women’s Prorsum runway show today and letting consumers buy looks immediately following – a move that experts feel will strengthen the brand’s relationship with young, affluent consumers seeking instant gratification.

The innovative brand has dominated the digital fashion front for quite some time in what seems to be a commitment to bond Generation Y fashionistas to the Burberry name. In addition to multiple social media campaigns, Burberry has live-streamed its last seven runway shows and let consumers shop the looks immediately following.

“Some may have questioned the strategy, worrying that a luxury brand like Burberry may risk losing some of its mystery allure by live-streaming its runway show,” said Emmaclare Huntriss, marketing director at Seigel+Gale, London.

“To me there is a lovely honesty in the strategy, which shows a real reflection of who Burberry is,” she said. “Christopher Bailey is known to be very media-savvy and up on technological innovation. It’s clear his personality is really helping to drive the brand.

“But what really stands out is that the brand really understands its audience and how telling your story in the most compelling manner is key to success.”

Ms. Huntriss is not affiliated with Burberry, but agreed to comment as third-party expert.

Burberry did not respond by press deadline.

Let the show begin
The Burberry Prorsum Spring/Summer runway show is being held in Hyde Park, London today at 4 p.m. in London, 11 a.m. Eastern time.

Burberry has invited Luxury Daily to live-stream the show on its Facebook page.

The brand has built up the hype surrounding the show with a down-to-the-second countdown clock on its various social media outlets, as well as on the branded Burberry Web site at http://www.burberry.com.

Burberry has been aiming younger as of late, with its Fall advertising campaign noted for its younger models and youthful vibe (see story).

“Burberry may be a high-end luxury British brand, but it has broad range of global aspirational fans,” Ms. Huntriss said.

“Rather than kill the exclusivity, its strategy has and I believe will, continue to draw in Burberry’s wide audience, encouraging customers and fans alike to be part of an aspirational community,” she said.

The looks from the runway will be available for purchase on Burberry’s Web site immediately after the show, and will be available until Sept. 26.

This may be an attempt to satisfy younger consumers, who tend to be looking for instant gratification.

Digital duds
Burberry used a similar strategy for its Men’s show this past summer.

Some experts believe that by allowing consumers to buy the looks right after the show, Burberry stayed a step-ahead of copy-cat brands that reproduce looks directly after runway shows (see story).

Burberry has always been an innovator in the digital space.

Creative director Christopher Bailey has had an active presence on Twitter for the past two years, and continuously makes appearances in videos on the branded Facebook page.

The brand has a developed a strong consumer following on Facebook and Twitter.

For example, Burberry posted the live-streaming news on its Facebook page on Sept. 15 and it received more than 6,000 likes within 24 hours.

Burberry's Facebook announcement

Through their active social media presence, Burberry has created a strong relationship with its customers and aspirational consumers alike, which is likely to drive sales.

“Burberry is one of the luxury industry’s best-practices examples of an innovative and inspirational company — two qualities that are key to building a business in the new luxury environment,” said Pam Danziger, president of Unity Marketing, Stephens, PA.

“The Burberry management is not afraid, like so many others, to lead the industry and try out new ideas, thus their being named as one of the most innovative companies in 2011 by Fast Company,” she said.

“They then use their innovation as a means to connect and inspire their staff for even more innovation and their customers, which builds buzz for the brand and ultimately creates customer loyalty and sales.”

Please click here to view the Burberry Prorsum runway show on the Luxury Daily Facebook page

Final Take
Kayla Hutzler, editorial assistant on Luxury Daily, New York

#BURBERRY

Kayla Hutzler is an editorial assistant on Luxury Daily. Her beats are automotive, consumer electronics, consumer packaged goods, financial services, media/publishing, software and technology, telecommunications, travel and hospitality, real estate, retail and sports. Reach her at kayla@napean.com.