When the Covid-19 pandemic hit this spring, many fashion companies had
\nto put their advertising campaigns on hold. It was no longer possible to
\ngather creative teams—directors, photographers, models and crew–together
\nin person, in studio or on site. And so, companies had to get creative
\nquickly. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Some brands chose to send new styles from their collection to models and
\ninfluencers, asking them to be creative and to use what they had at their
\ndisposal, hoping for the best. For many brands, this was the first time
\nthey had ceded creative control to the model or influencer. <\/p>\n
In the end, some of these campaigns, although home-spun, went viral and
\nwere very successful. Others didn’t quite hit the mark. Which begs the
\nquestion, have brands hit on an all-together new marketing strategy? And is
\nthis model worth including in future marketing strategies?<\/p>\n
Laura Lanteri, creative director and consultant at LLNYC Worldwide, a
\nGlobal Advertising and Marketing firm based in New York City, says no. She
\nbelieves this strategy is short-lived and only produces results in terms of
\nmetrics, data and social media engagement. She asserts, “In my opinion, a
\ncampaign is really successful when it becomes part of the day-to-day
\nconversation, when it becomes part of our cultural landscape. Influencer
\nmarketing doesn’t have the power to do that. It all depends on what we
\ndecide to focus on: cultural relevance or Instagram likes.” <\/p>\n
And yet, with the growth of social media such as Instagram, and the
\nability and access for just about anyone to create content, a real shift in
\nconsumer demand has occurred over the past decade. A shift that places more
\nvalue on realistic imagery and narrative as opposed to perfection, or at
\nleast the illusion of perfection, that the fashion industry has peddled
\nover the past century. It’s an illusion that is very one-sided, stresses
\nLaura. “Fashion has been, for decades now, the gatekeeper and promoter of
\nheavily biased narratives centered around a Euro-centric, white-centric
\nstandard of beauty that was never achievable. It was built and designed to
\nbe unachievable. That was not perfection, it was racism and discrimination.
\nPeople are getting tired of being talked down, being critiqued into
\nsubmission. When they look at fashion, I think they want to see themselves,
\nin a real way. And we are a long way from that.”<\/p>\n
The need to balance reality and perfection in a pluralistic society
\ncreates a real tension then for brands that want to retain as much control
\nover their positive image as possible, but also want to connect
\nauthentically and engage in two-way conversations with their customers.
\nThere are certainly examples of brands at both extremes, from Chanel’s
\nunwillingness to even allow customers to use their name on social media, to
\nMarc Jacobs and Burberry who solicit and distribute user-generated content.
\nSo,how will fashion brands approach this new strategy, especially when they
\nwork so hard to control the brand narrative, and ensure their brand DNA is
\nnot denigrated? Laura suggests the question is reframed. “I think customers
\nwill ask: What does Chanel have to add to my life now? Why am I investing
\nin this company? What are they doing for me and do they align with my
\nvalues?” <\/p>\n
Laura recalls the famous Meryl Streep monologue about “cerulean blue” in The
\nDevil Wears Prada that describes how fashion insiders dictate fashion
\ntrends for the masses. “I love that scene so much, because it encapsulates
\neverything that needs to change in luxury today. The time to talk down to
\nour audience is up. I think it’s time to listen.”<\/p>\n
In an era driven primarily by cold data, the focus on listening is key
\nfor today’s creative director. And it’s then their role to edit and curate
\nthat message in a way that makes sense for their brand. “I think creativity
\nand true originality in thinking will be more important than ever. I think
\nit will be crucial to go back to creative roles that are not purely driven
\nby sales forecasts and profit margins, even that is really hard to imagine.
\nThe role of the creative director will entail decolonizing the fashion
\nnarrative as much as creating a new language.” <\/p>\n
She recommends that creative directors look inward, much more than they
\nhave in the past, and ask these important questions: “How can we make
\npeople feel good about themselves? How can we lift people up? And can we
\nmake everybody feel seen and heard?” <\/p>\n
And she realizes this will be a difficult and ongoing
\nprocess–rethinking the foundation of fashion advertising and marketing. “I
\nthink we have very interesting times ahead!” <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When the Covid-19 pandemic hit this spring, many fashion companies had to put their advertising campaigns on hold. It was no longer possible to gather creative teams—directors, photographers, models and crew–together in person, in studio or on site. And so, companies had to get creative quickly. Some brands chose to send new styles from their … <\/p>\n