Top 10 digital luxury marketers of Q2

The Section summer guide and e-boutique

To catch affluent consumers where they are the majority of the time, luxury marketers such as Barneys New York, Cartier, Dolce & Gabbana, Harrods, Jimmy Choo and Michael Kors took to digital channels to deliver content, interactivity and ecommerce abilities.

Luxury brands used digital efforts with a variety of goals in mind during the second quarter of this year, but it is certain that email, the Web and social media are imperative to a modern marketing plan. Ultimately, these efforts can strengthen a 360-degree brand message.

Here are the top luxury brand digital marketers of Q2, in alphabetical order:

The new Aston Martin Vanquish

Aston Martin – British automaker Aston Martin chose digital to market its new Vanquish model and saw a more than 100 percent increase in visitors to its Web site from social media channels among users in Germany, the United States and its home country.

The digital campaign that spanned Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and the Aston Martin Web site began June 20 and centered on a digital car configurator, images and a video.

Aston Martin recorded June 20-22 as its three highest traffic days on its global Web site at http://www.astonmartin.com. It saw the average number of daily visitors to the site double in the first seven days of the Vanquish campaign, per the brand.

As compared with the same period seven days earlier, the automaker saw a 216 percent increase in visitors to the site from the German market. There were also 162 percent, 102 percent and 81 percent increases in visits from consumers in Britain, the U.S. and China, respectively.

On Facebook, Aston Martin reposted the link to its site and its Vanquish images multiple times throughout the first day.

Also, the automaker released one new Vanquish image per day for the first few days of the campaign. An image posted June 22 got more than 24,000 ‘likes,’ the most for any of the brand’s Facebook images to date.

Aston Martin received more than 4,000 new ‘likes’ for its Facebook page on the first day of the Vanquish campaign.

Meanwhile, its YouTube video called “Aston Martin Vanquish – A Bold New Breed of Aston Martin” got more than 200,000 views since its June 20 release. This is the fastest-growing video the brand has produced to date (see story).

Vanquish video

Barneys.com homepage

Barneys – Retailer Barneys New York redesigned its ecommerce site during the second quarter to include a personalized shopping experience and engaging social channel that could give the retailer an edge over competitors such as Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus.

The new ecommerce site features an updated design, different product categories and enhanced product images at http://barneys.com.

Consumers can make a purchase with as few as two clicks with a Barneys.com account.

There are five sections that make up the personalized and social components of the site including Favorites, My List, Most Loved, Exclusively Ours and The Window. Users must have an account to have access to most of these functions.

When users are viewing their favorites, they have the option of viewing curated lists by The Influencers, Barneys’ chosen fashion experts. Users can browse and follow these lists.

Barneys raised awareness for the redesign via email and social media and is promoting lists by The Influencers such as fashion designers Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen and actresses Katie Holmes and Julianne Moore via email, Facebook posts, tweets and Pinterest inspiration boards (see story).

Barneys Facebook page 

In addition, Barneys took the lead in the ecommerce sector during the second quarter with the release of its second shoppable video.

The “Transform the Everyday Black Dress” video featured fashion blogger Geri Hirsch shopping in Barneys’ Beverly Hills store. The video contained direct links to the ecommerce site where consumers can purchase the items featured (see story).

Cartier Tank Anglais

Cartier – On the heels of its branding film L’Odyssee de Cartier, the French jeweler is raising awareness for its new Tank Anglaise timepiece with an all-encompassing digital push that includes a video, social media, email and digital ads.

Much of the brand’s second quarter efforts focus on the history of its iconic Tank timepieces that spans from 1917 to present.

For instance, the Never Stop Tank experience on Cartier’s Facebook page shows the history of the Tank model via images and captions. The watch is shown in historic images of celebrities such as artist Andy Warhol, French filmmaker Jean-Pierre Melville, French-Swiss actor Alain Fabien Maurice and musician Duke Ellington.

Also, a 70-second video called “Never Stop Tank” showcases the Tank model alongside the evolution of the arts. The video is featured in the Facebook application (see story).

Never Stop Tank video

Dolce & Gabbana spring/summer 2012

Dolce & Gabbana – Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana’s newly retooled YouTube page not only attracts attention to social videos centered on its latest lines and collections, but includes an ecommerce option that drives traffic right back to its online store.

During the second quarter, the label relaunched its YouTube page to pick up on the look and feel of the brand world using a sleek aesthetic and clear editorial lines, per Dolce & Gabbana.

The page is divided into featured videos, collections, campaigns, beauty, friends and events, insights and accessories.

Users can scroll through each featured video using the arrows on the section.

Alternately, clicking on the other sections brings up thumbnail still shots from each video. Running over the video with a cursor brings up the name and other details.

Below the videos is the ecommerce section. Clicking on this section draws consumers right to the Dolce & Gabbana Web site where they can search through different trends.

Dolce & Gabbana seems to be trailblazing this phenomenon that is likely to increase ecommerce transactions, especially if consumers just watched a video that gets them in the shopping mood (see story).

Dolce & Gabbana YouTube page 

The Section summer guide and e-boutique

Harrods – London-based retailer Harrods marketed products in a breadth of digital shopping guides throughout the second quarter, which it spread via its Web site, social media and email.

In May, the retailer pushed summer fashion and beauty in a digital shopping guide and e-boutique presented by occasions that affluent consumers would likely celebrate.

Harrods offered summer-appropriate items in an e-boutique called The Season that is also a guide to dressing for festivals, balls, races and parties and is sharing the content via email and social media (see story).

The Races guide 

In addition, the retailer’s extensive digital campaign to promote its wedding e-boutique consisted of multiple emails, social media posts and online shopping sections that appealed to different types of people at a wedding including the bride, bridesmaids, mother of the bride and guests (see story).

Other digital shopping guides created during the second quarter include a site section of Diamond Jubilee-themed products and a Father’s Day gift guide.

Inspired Giving

Inspirato – In the second quarter, high-end destination club Inspirato devoted a microsite to its Inspired Giving platform that allows non-members access to its property portfolio in exchange for donations to organizations.

When consumers donate $2,000 to an array of educational, environmental and health charities, they are given access to Inspirato destinations in California, Colorado, the Caribbean, Mexico, France, Hawaii, London, Italy and New York.

Inspirato relies on its Web site and organization partnerships to market this effort.

The Inspired Giving platform works through the Inspired Giving Web site at http://www.inspiredgiving.com.

For every $2,000 donated to an organization, the donor gains one-time access to an Inspirato luxury vacation without having to pay the initiation fee.

In return, Inspirato contributes one Inspired Giving vacation experience that the organization can auction to raise funds. All of the funds raised go back to the charity.

Also, for every new Inspirato membership generated from the donation, Inspiried Giving gives $2,000 back to the charity (see story).

Inspired Giving site 

Choo 24:7 Stylemaker user photo

Jimmy Choo – Footwear label Jimmy Choo is calling on consumers to shape a user-curated fashion Web site named after its Choo 24:7 collection that may position the brand as a go-to style resource.

The Choo 24:7 microsite presents a collection of user-submitted photos that can be viewed by time of day and location. Looks are labeled morning, afternoon or evening and places include New York, Los Angeles, London, Amsterdam, Singapore, Beijing and Shanghai.

Signed-in users can “like” images by clicking on the heart on the photo and comment on looks using a Facebook account.

Consumers can sign up to post photos by linking their Facebook account or creating a site-specific account. Traditional signup requires full name, email, country and creating a password and offers the option to sign up for the Jimmy Choo newsletter.

To launch the site during the second quarter, Jimmy Choo posted looks on women around the world that the brand gathered.

After its launch, the label pushed image uploads on the site with a contest that was promoted via Facebook and Twitter. Users had until June 6 to submit their style photos for the chance to win a Choo 24:7 wardrobe worth up to $6,240 (see story).

Choo 24:7 Web site 

Lexus' virtual sponsorship of the US Open

Lexus – As the exclusive automotive partner of the U.S. Open, Lexus’ online campaign for the tournament that included digital advertisements and a virtual golf game was expected to see more than 100 million impressions and 100 million social media ad impressions, according to the game organizers.

The U.S. Open’s Web site featured interactive ads from the brand and a free golf game called Virtual U.S. Open that looks like the course where the tournament takes place.

Throughout the game, players saw branded in-game tee marketers, flagsticks and wind indicators. In addition, every avatar wore a golf shirt and hat with the Lexus logo.

Lexus took this opportunity to push the RX F Sport via video ads (see story).

Lexus ad before the game starts

Meanwhile, the automaker is raising awareness for the “What’s Next?” motto surrounding the campaign for its RX and RX F Sport models in a series of online video and audio sponsorships with NPR, MSN, ESPN and Food Network, which it is rounding out with digital ads.

For example, the automaker is a founding partner of ESPN’s new ESPNW network dedicated to women’s sports and lifestyle content.

The RX is sponsoring an eight-part video series called “In The Game with Robin Roberts” in which the former SportsCenter host and current “Good Morning America” anchor interviews female athletes about “What’s Next?” (see story).

Michael Kors What She Wants campaign

Michael Kors – Fashion label Michael Kors enacted a few significant digital campaigns during the second quarter of this year.

First, the label tapped its fans during one of the biggest marketing occasions of the second quarter – Mother’s Day.

Michael Kors held a contest that let consumers enter to win one item per day until Mother’s Day via a Facebook app that, for the first time for the brand, was mobile-compatible.

The What She Wants campaign was spread via email, social media, the Michael Kors Web site, mobile and in-store efforts.

For example, the brand used mobile call-outs on windows in select stores to further promote the contest (see story).

Next, Michael Kors invited consumers to its new location on Manhattan’s Madison Avenue via email and a social video starring blogger Man Repeller (see story).

Another digital campaign from Michael Kor began in June and pushes the wearability of its collections.

The Living the Kors Life campaign is hosted on the label’s lifestyle Web site at http://destinationkors.com as well as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Each season, Michael Kors will follow three different Insiders, or employees, and cover their fashion, culinary and entertainment choices while showing the women in the brand’s apparel and accessories (see story).

Living the Kors Life video 

Oscar de la Renta Facebook commerce

Oscar de la Renta – Oscar de la Renta revamped its Facebook commerce strategy in the second quarter through the introduction of a new platform that allows consumers to share products with their friends, but the U.S. label controls exactly what they say.

The former social commerce strategy included a monthly product that was available exclusively on Facebook.

Using the new Graphite platform, consumers can share products from the Oscar de la Renta Web site by choosing words such as “need,” “want” and “wore.”

Clicking on one of the options puts the brand product on the users’ Facebook page for their friends to see.

Another aspect of the new platform is that consumers do not have to leave the Facebook page to see a product.

Instead, the link opens up a small shopping section on the users’ wall that allows consumers to look at the product and then takes them back to the Oscar de la Renta Web site to buy (see story).

Facebook commerce platform

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

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Tags: Aston Martin, Barneys, Cartier, digital advertising, digital marketing, Dolce Gabbana, Email, Facebook, Harrods, Inspirato, Jimmy Choo, Lexus, luxury, luxury marketing, Michael Kors, Oscar de la Renta, social media