Window shopping at Chanel

Great, recent activation and eCRM examples from the esteemed fashion house.

On Friday, Zeitgeist returned (mentally) from lunch to find a message from Chanel in their inbox. The message directs the user to a microsite of sorts, Window World. The name and idea plays on the surreal notion of the models as mere mannequins (usually of course the reverse is the case, a crude verisimilitude that shoppers seem to take in their stride) and a section of the site takes the user through what feels like a labyrinthine party, filled with mannequins as models and models as mannequins. Other than aesthetic discombobulation, there is signposted a pdf download with product information for every item featured including the item code, but naturally not mentioning anything as vulgar as prices. Complementing this is a video shot by the house’s creative director – Karl Lagerfeld, whom Zeitgeist saw speak at the end of last year – emphasising the eeriness of the concept. Clicking on the video will take you to the YouTube page, where there is ample evidence – in the form of myriad comments – of dissatisfaction with the video, and what it says of the fashion industry by proxy. Fortunately for Chanel, most of those on YouTube are not the brand’s target audience.

Indeed, to elaborate, CNN recently reported that 6% of shoppers drive 70% of luxury goods purchases, so its a very targeted niche that brands like Chanel must hit, (and succeed in so doing, time and again). Zeitgeist has reported before on how important it is that brands be seen in the right places; Louis Vuitton luggage in a McDonald’s is a no-no. Chanel have done an excellent job of being seen in the right places; whether it’s hosting surfing parties for Laird Hamilton, or, more recently, opening a pop-up shop in a tony ski resort. The ‘Chalet de Pierre’ is open until April, an ‘ephemeral’ boutique in the heart of beautiful Courchevel. The Chanel website has some select imagery of the store, which is the perfect place to pick up a pair of Chanel skis. Such marketing activity is exciting and well-executed, but curious, given that any time the brand Chanel, and Lagerfeld in particular, speak publicly, they rarely acknowledge any such efforts.

Hermès sets the marketing bar haute

Hermès leads the pack in luxury branding both on and offline.

Having recently pushed back against conglomerate LVMH‘s significant stock purchase of the company, Hermès has been pushing further with a marketing strategy that includes digital, retail environments and experiential.

Though the company may be family-run and known for it’s dedication to tradition, digitally the brand is very modern, with great banner ads appearing in The New York Times and The Economist websites. As well as a great Facebook presence, the official website has for years been an exemplar of how to market luxury wares online. One section of the website takes the user to a simple e-commerce section where a range of accessories for both men and women can be purchased, as well as the obligatory store locator, etc. The other half of the site offers a full immersion into the brand. Some permanent sections allow you to print off your own Kelly bag, to cut and make yourself. Recently, for the launch of a new fragrance inspired by India, the brand had a special film made playing on themes of Indian folklore and mythology, made as a play performed with shadow puppets, which some kind soul has since very kindly uploaded to YouTube, here.

In the offline world, aside from an entirely new brand being created for shoppers in China, in the UK the brand has begun advertising outdoors for the first time. While previously print ads and outdoor ads may have been seen for Hermès’ latest perfume, this is the first time Zeitgeist can ever remember seeing an ad for the brand itself adorning two bus stops in South Kensington. In the last week, the brand has also opened its first store on the famed Left Bank of Paris, built as much to accommodate locals as it is those keen Sino-shoppers. Built on the site of an old swimming pool, the site is by no means a facsimile of the Faubourg store, reflecting instead a more edgy identity. Scores of pictures of the new store can be found here.

Speaking of stores and Kelly bags, Selfridge’s, that bastion of capitalism located on London’s Oxford Street, recently unveiled a gigantic Kelly bag. Called the Kellydoscope, it stands at fifteen times the size of a regular bag. It’s a fun experiential installation by playful brand that could otherwise, given its heritage, risk seeming staid. To add to its hip quotient, Hermès over the summer opened a pop-up store in East London, promoting its scarves. The store, J’aime mon carré, has closed now but reopens Friday until December 23rd in the similarly gentrified-but-cool area of Notting Hill. If that weren’t enough, it has thrown in a skateboarding video too.