Oversized Barbies and Arts and Crafts

So, it has been two weeks since I started my new job as part of the visual team for Macy's, and I have come to the conclusion that it is SO MUCH FUN. As the title of the post can attest, I basically get to dress oversized Barbies and play arts and crafts five days a week, but with smart business decisions behind both activities. Love! LOVE!

We're prepping for Mother's Day (don't worry, it's a month away... you still have time to go shopping), and just finished setting the ledge over the fine jewelry counter (next to the escalator, a highly-visible display area). Here are some photos of the project!:

The floral star in progress!

 

 

It's done!

A view from the escalator

"Soccer Mom"

"Working Mom"

"Preppy Mom"

"Crunchy Hippie Mom"

(She was replaced by "Preppy Mom" because she looked really boring up there on the ledge)

FB #9 - New formats for creating hype

One of the things I love about the Internet is how it's accessible in so many ways. Computers, tablets, mobile phones, and even gaming systems (I can attest to having web access through my Wii) are the most popular ways by which web surfers do their browsing, research, shopping, work and socializing. Because there are so many ways to access the Internet, there are so many different ways fashion companies can connect with consumers to create hype for their products.

Today, having a presence on the web is about more than just having a webpage. Social media used to be about connecting people with people. Now it's connecting people with brands, organizations, educational institutions, causes, and any other thing you can think of. Utilizing social media has practically become a requirement for brands looking to get all of the visibility they can muster, with the added benefit of not paying a cent. That's not to say that advertising budgets can go out the window in favor of free publicity on social media, though.

For a rapidly-growing lifestyle brand like Michael Kors, connecting with their target market via social media is the way to go. Web-savvy Millennials with money to burn and a love for affordable luxury fashion are already dialed in and ready to pay attention.

Michael Kors has a presence on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and Pinterest. One of my favorite ways to get my daily MK fix is through Instagram. Here are a few of my favorite recent posts from Instagram:

One of the things I love about Michael Kors product is the abundant use of color. To get my MK color fix, I take a quick browse through the Michael Kors profile on Pinterest. I can't help but love how The Color Edit board is so deliciously colorblocked with inspiration and MK product. I love color, but I also love tidiness and having everything in order, so this page appeals to my senses and sensibilities. Click through to check out how blue transitions into green... gorgeous! I happen to be in the market for a spring/summer handbag, and anything in green or blue would do!
 
If you're ever looking for a new hashtag to follow on Twitter, I would recommend #JetSetGo. Sometimes you get a random person tweeting about how they're on their 13th flight of 2013... But at least half of the time you're led to tweets from Michael Kors, and tweets about Michael Kors. I love the tweets with photos!

Then of course, there's Facebook which features many of the same photos from the prior three social media sites, and YouTube which has some great behind-the-scenes videos, as well as footage from runway shows.

All of this stuff is on top of the budgeted advertising plan... it's a ton of work keeping multiple social media pages fresh and interesting (as many bloggers know, and new bloggers will find out!). As someone who follows MK on Instagram, I admit that every time I see a new picture I get really excited. It keeps the brand at the front of my mind and makes me want to go shopping! This is precisely what retailers want, because when consumers have a little extra cash to spend, retailers want to capture share of wallet before their competitors do. Putting effort into social media as a way to promote fashion is arguably the most important way to get consumers' attention today. Welcome to the new norm!

FB #8 - Look books and press kits

When tasked with finding and sharing a digital look book, I instantly thought of one of my favorite bloggers, Kendi Everyday. She started a personal style blog for fun and ended up with enough followers to leave her job in marketing to pursue blogging full time, and has since opened a small boutique in her hometown in Texas. This girl is practically a celebrity in the blogging world. This year she hosted the Gap Styld.by event at their Lincoln Square store in NYC during Fashion Week, and has been participating in their Styld.by campaign where she takes a Gap item or two, styles them up and photographs them to share with the world.

Kendi has a knack for working with what she already has in her closet. In the past, she has put herself on a strict diet of just 30 articles of clothing - tops, bottoms, dresses and shoes - and found creative ways to re-wear these 30 items over a period of 30 days (called "remixing"). Fossil apparently loved the idea, because they brought her in for a their 2011 holiday lookbook and asked her to do something similar with their product. Here are a few photos from the lookbook:

I'm sure you can see some of the items made multiple appearances in these first 12 photos - the leather shorts, the metallic brogues, and the cable knit sweater, to name a few. The look book is no longer available on Fossil's website, but they do have all 30 of the photos up on their Pinterest board! Kendi even blogged a little bit about the experience.

One of the things I love about this partnership is that Fossil brought in a normal person - not a fashion stylist, but a personal style blogger (who happens to be popular) - and used her creative thirty-for-thirty idea for their holiday look book. Their product is a natural fit with Kendi's own style, and she is an easy catalyst for reaching their target market. Realistically, most consumers in Fossil's target market can't afford to buy an entirely fresh closet based on a look book. By using Kendi's remixing trick, consumers can easily pick and choose items which mix well together as well as with items they already have at home. At the same time, Kendi benefits from the partnership with increased visibility to Fossil customers who might not have heard of her prior to the 2011 holiday look book.