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Fendi chooses social imagery for fragrance push

July 6, 2012

Fan di Fendi fragrance

Italian fashion house Fendi is honing in on the creativity of its Facebook fans via an application that lets users create their own Timeline cover image with a focus on a new fragrance, which will likely put the brand on the map with aspirational consumers.

Named for the Fan di Fendi fragrance, the label’s new app shows users a new fragrance icon each day and asks that they return daily to collect the items and use them to manipulate images. Users can create a cover image for their Facebook Timelines and Fendi will choose five winners who make the most original images to receive an engraved perfume bottle.

“First and foremost, Fendi’s brand loyalists will use this Facebook app as it is a fun way to get involved with their favorite brand,” said Nick Drabicky, Fort Worth, TX-based client services manager at iProspect.

“At the same time, it does offer appeal to those aspirational Fendi consumers, and often times beauty and fragrance items can turn an aspirational customer into a brand loyalist,” he said.

Mr. Drabicky is not affiliated with Fendi, but agreed to comment as an industry expert.

Fendi did not respond before press deadline.

Fans di Facebook
Fendi is encouraging the use of its My Fan di Fendi Facebook app via its Timeline. Users must log in with their Facebook accounts.

My Fan di Fendi Facebook app

The first step in creating a personalized My Fan di Fendi cover image is to choose an existing image that will serve as the background. Users can choose one from their Facebook albums or upload one from their computers.

Once selected, the image can be resized and rotated to fit into the allotted spot, which is the exact size and shape of the cover image.

Facebook app

The next screen lets users add My Fan di Fendi icons and text to the image. There is a limited selection of icons, but the label will release one more each day.

Each add-on can be manipulated by size, position, rotation and color when added to the cover image.

In addition, users can send additional icons to their friends.

Facebook app

Fendi asks users for their names and addresses to receive their images and enter the contest. This will benefit the brand by getting additional consumer information.

The ending screen of the app tells users that their image has been entered into the contest and is now published on their Facebook pages. The contest ends July 18.

Users can also invite friends or begin to work on another image from this screen.

Meanwhile, Fendi has devoted the fragrance section of its Web site to the Fan di Fendi fragrance to engage users that get to the site from the link at the bottom of the Facebook app.

The site contains images, product descriptions, a short video, biographies of the fragrance models and an email sign up page.

“Fendi’s Facebook app successfully incorporates a lot of key elements, such as social interaction, artistic gamification, virtual good rewards and word of mouth opportunity,” said Paul Farkas, co-founder of Shoe Week, New York.

“I love that brands are finally loosening their hold on logos being used with user-generated content in the social era,” he said. “More general fashion icons and meme phrases would make the app more fun and less promotional.”

It’s all in the app
Almost all major luxury brands are using Facebook apps in some capacity, but apps that inspire creativity from users will likely get the most action.

Luxury brands such as Bottega Veneta and Swarovski are encouraging these types of interactions via Facebook apps.

For example, Bottega Veneta, Condé Nast’s Vogue and Red Digital Camera are partnering to host a contest for undiscovered photographers to award a prize package that includes the opportunity to work on a special project with the Italian fashion house.

Entrants’ work is displayed on the New Exposure Facebook app. Users can vote for their favorite photographer and are automatically entered for the chance to win a framed print signed by the to-be-determined Facebook Fan Favorite (see story).

In addition, Swarovski asked Facebook fans to make videos of themselves dancing in virtual Swarovski sunglasses via an app for the chance to win eyewear from the brand’s new collection.

Swarovski is likely focusing on sunglasses to seem attainable to younger consumers who have not previously considered the brand for eyewear (see story).

“I think Facebook apps can be hit or miss,” iProspect’s Mr. Drabicky said “For luxury brands, they can certainly be a branding tool for that deeper, richer engagement, that can also give the brand some insight as to what resonates the best with their fan following.

“At the same time, these types of apps can sometimes be a miss, having not been well thought out,” he said. “Typically these are used as a branding tool and when expectations are set to the contrary and metrics for success change, these types of apps are suddenly seen as a miss.”

Since there are so many apps on the social network, one that gives users something in return, in the form of entertainment or an image or video, will likely give the brand a boost above the rest.

“Gamified apps are where it is at,” Shoe Week’s Mr. Farkas said. “Luxury brands needs to have them to look modern and maintain comparative edge.

“They are cheap, quick to build and the return on investment of adequate adoption and viral opportunity outweighs the costs,” he said. “Luxury brands get that beyond high editorial print, primary screen television and metro billboards, static broadcast promotion is dying.”

Final Take
Tricia Carr, editorial assistant on Luxury Daily, New York

Tricia Carr is an editorial assistant on Luxury Daily. Her beats are apparel and accessories, arts and entertainment, education, food and beverage, fragrance and personal care, government, healthcare, home furnishings, jewelry, legal/privacy and nonprofits. Reach her at tricia@napean.com.