Rent the Runway executive steps down after delivery failures (BoF)
Marks & Spencer’s director of supply chain & logistics departs (Drapers)
Boohoo interim revenues up by 43% as annual sales break £1bn (The Industry)
Calvin Klein names Nadege Winter SVP brand experience (Fashion Network)
Boohoo appoints Missguided brand boss as MissPap CEO (Drapers)
British manufacturing: back in fashion (The Guardian)
MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA
MAC Cosmetics targets gamers with TwitchCon sponsorship (Glossy)
Walmart challenges TikTok users to share dance moves (Mobile Marketer)
Honda debuts animated comic book on social media (Mobile Marketer)
Oculus introduces social virtual reality world Facebook horizon (Adweek)
Facebook tries hiding like counts to fight envy (TechCrunch)
PRODUCT
Reebok and Adidas collaborate to launch Instapump fury boost (Fashion Network)
Amazon expands Alexa with voice-powered wearable (Mobile Marketer)
Amazon fashion teams with Puma on new athleisure brand (BoF)
Selfridges partners with British CBD body and wellness start-up Grass & Co (Fashion Network)
Nestle launches luxury KitKat bars in direct-to-consumer move (Campaign)
Diesel partners Coca-Cola for eco-savvy clothing range (Campaign)
Amazon pushes further into healthcare with Amazon Care (Adweek)
CULTURE
Indian women are Youtube-ing their way out of gender stereotypes (Quartzy)
Rebecca Minkoff on the business of representation (Glossy)
Mattel release line of gender-neutral world dolls (Adweek)
Avon can’t escape lawsuit accusing it of discriminating against pregnant women (Fashion Law)
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Christmas ads used to be all about selling product. Brands and retailers would dust off the Rat Pack Christmas album, add in some sparkly frocks and set the scene at a dinner party, office party or some other kind of party and there it was. Today though, those Christmas ads are spectaculars that have to build brand awareness, do some social/environmental good and set social media buzzing.
And they have to be emotionally engaging. So I was particularly interested in ICM Unlimited’s webcam survey that tracked consumer reaction to the ads from the UK’s big high street retailers.
They used webcams as part of a survey to capture emotions on faces during a screening of six festive ads. ICM Unlimited found that The Art of Christmas from M&S came top, just beating Sainsbury’s Mog ad as the most emotionally engaging ad. M&S was higher up the emotional engagement scale than any of the other ads tested using ‘facial coding’ and also beat Tesco, John Lewis, Asda and Boots.
ICM Unlimited and CrowdEmotion rated six ads based on a score for happiness, surprise, puzzlement, disgust, fear and sadness. Emotional engagement for the ads was compared against explicit appreciation – did audiences say that they enjoyed the ad? Based on the results, retailers fell into in one of four categories: Love It, Hate It, Needs Work or Guilty Pleasures.
Tom Wormald, director at ICM Unlimited, said: “In surveys, people claim they don’t respond to – or are not influenced by – TV advertising. But using a webcam we can prove we go on an emotional rollercoaster when watching commercials, meaning the ads are influencing our attitudes and behaviours in ways we often don’t even realise.
“The M&S ad sat firmly in our ‘Guilty Pleasures’ category because although people claimed not to like it, the emotional response shows that it brings a lot of ‘happiness’. Sainsbury’s triggered a positive ‘puzzlement’ response driven by curiosity about the storyline. A fast-paced but disjointed narrative from Boots registered a sense of ‘fear’ – it made people feel uncertain. We even detected a sense of ‘disgust’ in responses to some ads, possibly because viewers might feel manipulated by some parts of an advert.”
This is what ICM said about each one:
M&S – The Art of Christmas: Winner in ‘emotional engagement’ – happiness everywhere
This came up top as the most emotionally engaging advert, filled with extravagant visuals and using Mark Ronson’s Uptown Funk as the soundtrack. Upbeat and colourful, peppered with images of gift giving, feasting and excitement, this ad closes nostalgically with fleeting images of Morecambe & Wise. The ad really takes off with shots of children waking then jumping excitedly on beds. Here the facial expressions were all about happiness – 133% higher than the norm of the ads tested.
Sainsbury’s – Mog’s Christmas Calamity: Curiosity and the cat make this a favourite
High explicit appreciation and emotional engagement contributed to the success of this ad. Viewers experienced ‘fear’ at the start because when people see cute animals their protective instincts kick in – and that translates into fear of danger. But the ad’s humour quickly produces high scores for ‘happiness’, some 85% above the ad norm when Mog is spun around on a ceiling fan in the kitchen. The Sainsbury’s story created a strong sense of ‘puzzlement’ and curiosity too – scoring 150% higher for these emotions than the John Lewis ad.
Tesco finest Range – Flirt: Puzzlement and disgust
The sight of an awkward young man trying to impress a confident older woman with his tastes in desserts, cheese and wine also brought mixed emotions. There was ‘puzzlement’ about whether the flirty son would be put in his place. The young man’s insistence on seeking the older woman’s attention created a sense of ‘disgust’. But ‘happiness’ peaks when the young man’s mother arrives to put him down by showing her son some boys-sized pyjamas.
John Lewis – Man on The Moon: Experience the full range of emotions
This is the ad everyone wanted to hate (low explicit appreciation scores), but secretly loved (sound emotional engagement scores). Featuring a young girl making contact with the Man on the Moon, the ad is unusual and resulted in higher ‘surprise’ scores (40% more than Sainsbury’s Mog the Cat). It also registered ‘disgust’, with viewers possibly rejecting the ad for its use of feelings of guilt and pathos towards the elderly. Man on the Moon also scored 22% more ‘sadness’ compared to Mog the Cat.
Asda – Because it’s Christmas: Cute Pug dog with antlers hits the high point
Asda’s ad performed poorly on ‘explicit appreciation’ and ‘emotional engagement’. Despite the upbeat soundtrack and visuals, viewers felt the ad lacked a clear narrative. But there were some high points with ‘happiness’ surging to 60% above the norm when the cute Pug dog with antlers appears.
Boots – Discover More: Peaks of fear and disgust sprinkled with some happiness
Viewers saw the Boots ad as lacking a narrative. There were small peaks of ‘fear’, possibly due to a sense of disorientation as the ad moved quickly from scene to scene. Viewers also registered spikes of ‘disgust’, probably due to the heavy emphasis on product placement and limited human interaction, which can leave audiences feeling manipulated. Near the end there are small peaks of ‘happiness’ as a woman finally makes eye contact and waves to viewers.
This post first appeared on Trendwalk.net, a style-meets-business blog by journalist, trends specialist and business analyst, Sandra Halliday
The holiday season is to the retail world what the Super Bowl is to big-name brands. Stores on both sides of the Atlantic are pushing out high profile campaigns in a bid to capture that all-important share of Q4 wallet.
Looking beyond the traditional divide between digital and brick-and-mortar outlets, a handful of interactive tech integrations are driving engagement online and in the store space. These creations draw on gaming, augmented reality, shoppable videos and personalised experiences. Here’s our pick of 10 of the best.
Bloomingdale’s interactive windows
Bloomingdale’s is all about interactive windows this holiday season, with a series of gaming experiences tied to the theme of bows. Shoppers are encouraged to participate by connecting to Bloomingdalesholiday.com via their smartphones. Challenges include a card-turning memory game called Memo-a-Bow; a kind of Space Invaders activity called Whack-a-Bow; and Peek-a-Bow, where users have to keep track of a bow hidden under one of several moving boxes. Created by retail innovation company The Science Project, the site also affords participants the opportunity to take selfies on an interactive touchscreen and share them over Facebook, and see tweets posted using the #bloomiesgreetings hashtag appear across the New York skyline behind the glass.
Target’s & Google’s immersive 3-D adventure
The game is also afoot at Target, where a partnership with Google’s Art, Copy & Code team and creative agency 72andSunny has produced a mobile experience called Bullseye’s Playground. The six games include sledding with Target’s mascot bull terrier, Bullseye, racing in a Hot Wheels car, and enjoying snowball fights and ice fishing. In-store signage prompts shoppers to discover special codes throughout the store that unlock new characters and game levels. In certain stores, the interactive initiative extends to an immersive 3-D adventure; Google’s Project Tango tablets transform the aisles into a winter wonderland as the setting and characters change onscreen as the user moves.
Gap’s Play your Stripes augmented reality experience
Gap might be pushing four short videos directed by Sofia Coppola as the main portion of its campaign this holiday season, but it is also playing host online to a more innovative interactive experience. An augmented-reality gift guide lets online shoppers create music from the stripes they’re wearing. “Play your Stripes” lets users remix Blood Orange’s soundtrack “It Is What It Is” by transforming their own clothing into musical instruments.
Kate Spade’s shoppable video
Kate Spade arguably wins the crown for most amusing holiday film this season, with a short spot called “The Waiting Game” that features Anna Kendrick locked out of her apartment. With time to kill, the actress entertains herself by talking on the phone, singing familiar holiday tunes, and sipping champagne through a straw straight from the bottle. She also tries on various pieces she’s just bought from Kate Spade while posing for her small dog. Users see plenty of pieces from the collection, then can click to buy them thanks to a shoppable tie-in from touchscreen video platform Cinematique. Viewers can tap any product in the film to save it in a gallery on the righthand side of the screen. From there, they can click on any saved item to complete a purchase.
John Lewis’ Monty the Penguin tech integration
Department store John Lewis has melted hearts across the UK with its tale of a young boy called Sam and his pet penguin Monty, created by Adam & Eve/DDB. Accompanying the ad is a fully integrated initiative spanning relevant products for sale including books, plush penguin stuffed animals, penguin-patterned pyjamas and more, as well as an interactive experience in the store. John Lewis and Samsung created these spaces, dubbed “Monty’s Den.” Children can take their photos with the penguin, find out more about his Antarctic friends, check out virtual-reality goggles to see a 360-degree version of Monty’s world, and explore more of the campaign’s story. In the retailer’s London flagship store, a tech-enabled experience centres on bringing toys to life through Microsoft’s 3-D photogrammetry software. Children can scan their own toy, then see it appear onscreen dancing alongside Monty.
Ted Baker’s #SantasElfie Instagram game
Ted Baker has introduced an Instagram-based treasure hunt conceived by Poke London that invites customers to find missing elves. An account called @TedsElfie delivers a series of clues to followers via images curated to mimic a puzzle board. Combined, the squares depict a winter wonderland; divided, each square comprises its own picture with a caption that specifies whether or not the elves are nearby. Some lead to additional accounts in a sort of “choose your own adventure” experience. Visitors who locate the elves may win other prizes, from hip flasks and bracelets to a trip to see the Northern Lights.
Charlotte Olympia’s #spintowin slot machine
British footwear designer Charlotte Olympia has rolled out a festive slot machine on its website for the first 12 days of December. Fans are invited to spin to win iconic pieces from its seasonal collection – all they have to do it get three matching styles over the course of three tries. Charlotte Olympia has also pushed the game via social media; it shares a countdown bauble each day alongside the #spintowin hashtag.
Harvey Nichols’ “Could I Be Any Clearer” personalised gift cards app
Adam & Eve/DDB is also behind Harvey Nichols’ ‘Could I Be Any Clearer’ campaign, which comprises a line of gift cards designed to help shoppers ensure they get what they really want this season. The cards feature six traditional Christmas designs (robins, doves, wise men and more); each one features copy wishing the reader “Season’s Greetings” or “Good Tidings” before requesting specific presents. Consumers can create their own versions of the tongue-in-cheek cards online and use a dedicated Christmas-card app to customise digital cards for every product featured on the retailer’s website. Each can then be printed, emailed or shared via social media.
Tesco’s Secret Scan-ta
UK supermarket giant Tesco has introduced a service that browses Twitter to suggest what to buy for specific users. The Secret Scan-ta app created by We Are Social scrapes information from accounts in a bid to highlight users’ precise interests based on who they follow and what they post. The apps showcases suggestions ranging from technology to fashion alongside animated Santa GIFs; links to the website for Tesco’s loyalty card let members get double loyalty points as well as the chance to win bigger prizes.
Metail’s #tryonxmas
Virtual fitting room startup Metail is running a campaign that invites shoppers to see what they’d look like in a series of different Christmas-themed outfits. #Tryonxmas provides access to some of the best looks from high-street stores, as well as the likes of a Miss Santa, Christmas pudding and Minnie Mouse costume. Users enter their measurements to see how each look will work for them; when they’re satisfied, they can share the results with friends.
US Glamour magazine has set up a virtual beauty shopping wall in New York that lets users scan 2-D barcodes on their phones and have products sent directly to their homes.
The wall features products from brands such as John Frieda, Elizabeth Arden, Clearasil and Versace, many of whom are longstanding advertising partners with Glamour.
It is based opposite the Standard Hotel in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District, and will be on display until Tuesday, February 21.
