Ever since the launch of Facebook in 2004, brands have been relentless in their search to find a solution to the issue of how to connect their online community with the offline world. Global fashion retailer C&A have, as part of a large-scale brand reinvigoration of their Brazilian retail outlets, launched a stunning new social media focused campaign, ‘Fashion Like’, that tallied the votes of its near 300,000 strong Facebook community’s opinion of particular items and then displayed the results directly on the coat hangers of that item in store.
With the numerous and often daunting amount of social media channels to choose from, deciding which channels to include in a social strategy is all too often overwhelming. C&A Brazil however have managed to capture the imagination of the fashion retail industry and brands in their latest campaign. C&A Brazil explain the strategy behind their latest cross channel social strategy:
“When they go clothes shopping, women always feel insecure and want a second option, but one second option is never enough. So how about finding out what everyone on Facebook thinks of a particular item of clothing…. Help thousands of women in their difficult mission of choosing their ideal outfit”,
The rise of social media has empowered consumers by encouraging customer feedback and input, giving consumers a voice and a platform to express themselves and their brand experience to these brands directly. By fostering these relationships brands are able to create long term, loyal and organic brand advocates and they have done exactly this. C&A actively encourage members of their online community to express their opinions on certain items of clothing, then updating in real time the number of Facebook image ‘likes’ directly on to the coat hangers in-store. As a result, consumers are far more likely to organically recommend the brand and it’s products to others. Furthermore In-store traffic is already on the rise and brand awareness and brand sentiment is increasing daily.
The concept of crowd sourcing has long been admired from a distance by brands around the world. C&A Brazil have managed to integrate the concept of gathering consumer sentiment and connecting the online community to the offline, physical world, a practice few brands have managed to effectively achieve. This campaign has also allowed C&A Brazil to convey the brand identity and personality as early adopters of new and digital media.
Business, in particular retail, can learn from the example set by C&A and other social campaigns such as the recent campaigns by Stussy and Burberry and employ social media to increase value to the consumers. By communicating with consumers and offering them a platform to express themselves and their opinions, brands can create mutually beneficial, long-term relationships with both new and existing customers.
Digital media has provided brands the channels to convey brand identity and personality to their audience as well as their ability to offer real value to consumers. It is however down to the brands themselves to determine their own social path. The key point of success to C&A Brazil’s campaign is engaging subject matter and the meshing of the online and offline world. Create strong, engaging and above all unique experiences for your audience and the results will follow.
If you would like to know more about social media, or how you can maximise your digital strategy, why not give Truly Deeply a call?
Sam Enshaw – Guest Digital Marketing writer
Originally Spotted on ‘Springwise’
Tags: and corporate branding, Brand Agency, brand architecture, Brand Communication, Brand Communications, brand communications agencies Melbourne, Brand Design, brand designer, brand developers, brand developers Australia, brand developers Melbourne, Brand DNA, Brand Experience, brand guidelines, Brand Identity, brand identity agencies, brand identity designers, brand identity designers Melbourne, Brand management, Brand Personality, Brand Strategy, brand-designers-Melbourne, brand-development, brand-marketing, branding strategy, Burberry, C&A, corporate identity, corporate identity design, Corporate Image, creative agencies, creative agencies Melbourne, Creative Agency, creative agency Melbourne, Facebook, fashion like, fashion retail, Graphic Design Melbourne, Melbourne brand designers, Melbourne Brand Strategy, online branding, online branding agency, professional services brand, professional services branding, professional services branding agency, retail brand agency, retail brand strategy agency, retail branding, retail branding agency, retail catalog agency, retail catalogue agency, retail strategy, retail strategy consultants, retail-brand, Sam Enshaw, social strategy, specialist retail brand agency, Springwise, Stussy, Truly Deeply, Visual Language, web site branding, web site branding agency
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