According to the Luxury Institute, 48% of luxury consumers (who make $419,000+ per year) are on Facebook, and 14% of them use Twitter as well. Many fashion brands use Twitter to reach the audience, to keep in touch with their consumers. Twitter helps fashion brands establish brand awareness and credibility. And it’s easy to use! Even Robert Duffy who was a complete beginner became one of the most readable Twitter users, helping MJ International to emerge.

Today we picked the most interesting accounts from the fashion word and classified them into 3 lists:

1. Brands & designers @ fashion_com (luxury and mass-market brands and fashion designers)

2. Models @ fashion_com (fashion models and it-girls)

3. Media @ fashion_com (fashion magazines, newspapers, journalists)

We’ll be happy to complete these lists with your help. Leave your links in comments or contact us via Twitter!

Live  streaming is on top of the digital trends in the fashion world and the Big Four is continuing to prove it. This new digital craze has started last autumn while showing S / S 2010 collections. Remember my post about You Tube channels as a marketing tool? Yes, Dolce & Gabbana were supposed to be pioneers in this field with their “Pre Show Diaries”. But the real succes had Alexander McQueen’s Plato’s Atlantis show live stream , that Lady Gaga made a mess of… anyway. According to WWD, Michael Kors brand began live streaming its show two years ago and saw a 111 percent increase in page views from the spring 2009 live stream to the fall 2009 one. There was another 81 percent jump from the fall 2009 show to the spring 2010 event.

There is a choice of different platforms. Some brands use their own sites, as did Dior Homme, Prada or Emporio Armani. Some uses their Facebook pages, for example Lacoste or Louis Vuitton. Others collaborate with media sites like Vogue.com or GQ.com. Alexander Wang and Rodarte shows were broadcasted by ShowStudio. The British Fashion Council for example offered London designers the opportunity to stream their shows live on the organization’s Web site with the help of Streaming Tank.

Who was the best this week? Of course, Burberry with it’s 3D streaming! It was undoubtedly the  most widely distributed fashion show a luxury brand has ever staged, potentially reaching an audience of more than 100 million users, according to Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts (BoF).

More brands than ever are embracing live streaming this season for two reasons, said to WWD James Gardner, founder and chief executive officer of CreateThe Group, a social-media focused agency. “First of all, the cost of streaming and bandwidth has come down significantly. And consumers’ appetite seems unquenchable for fashion.”

Definitely there are a lot of benefits in live-streaming. This is the great communication tool. Consumers now can see clothes in motion, feel the atmosphere of the show, hear the music and even pre-order some pieces from the new collections. Proenza Schouler, for example, introduced e-commerce on the site, so online shoppers could preorder the fall handbags straight from the runway for 24 hours after the show. If you are a fashion-blogger which name isn’t included in fashion shows’ guestlists, anyway you can write a valuable review using your critical talent. In any case you’ll get a better angle from your laptop’s screen than from the seat behind Tavi.

On Fashionblogs from Mary Scherpe on Vimeo.

A Video that was presented at PREMIUM Exhibitions panel on Fashionblogs, asking Suzy Menkes, Yvan Rodic (Facehunter), Jennie Tamm (The Coveted) and Julia Knolle and Jessie Weiss (LesMads) to share their opinion.

I’m happy to announce that now we have a Fan Page on Facebook that is an open platform for sharing and discussing your fashion and communication ideas. Please invite your friends who may be interested in fashion and PR. But, please don’t spam there and don’t post anything that is not related to our theme.

We’ve got also our closed Fashion Communication Group that has, let’s say “strict face control”, dedicated to reveal genuine fashion lovers and professionals.

Welcome and join us!

November 28-2009, Moscow

Jeremie Rozen, founder and creative director of Surface2Air gave a lecture on Multifunctional Solutions For Fashion Industry.

Art Of The Trench is a new Burberry’s online project. Everybody gets excited about this social-networking site where you can click from one look to another, share, comment and even upload your own photos. It’s all about trenches, Burberry famous trenches.

Sure, you’ve found out about this project some time ago from Garance Dore‘s or The Sartorialist‘s blogs. Scott Schuman is Art Of The Trench’s first collaborator. He photographed people in trench coats around the world and this is it – his new “secret” project. You can sort pictures by popularity, gender, styling, trench color and even weather.

Visit: http://artofthetrench.com/

Gucci has launched a microsite for its latest eyewear collection. For the first time the Italian brand has made a line of youth-oriented styles. Frida Giannini, Gucci’s creative director, came up with a great idea for promotion – a social networking site. “I designed these sunglasses and the accompanying social networking site with today’s digital generation in mind. I hope that they will both enjoy wearing them and ‘reflecting and connecting’ their own creativity with their friends around the world,” said Frida Giannini.

You can upload your party photo to the site and it will be shown reflecting in the lenses of a pair of sunglasses. You can also choose the city and the background music, time-stamp your images and keep a party timeline, share the results with your friends.

Gucci EyeWeb – is a cool interactive gallery that makes a luxury brand more approachable to a young audience. It is a pity that they didn’t sign Tiga with his Sunglasses At Night hit.

Visit: Gucci EyeWeb

As said before – fashion blogs are very important part of fashion communication today. Recently, Telegraph UK has published the “20 best fashion blogs” review, best, from Telegraph’s point of view. Mostly we agree with it, but some points are disputable.

our favorites are in red

“

ashadedviewonfashion.com
While many bloggers like to remain anonymous, Diane Pernet positively welcomes the attention. A true fashion eccentric, the American-born journalist and editor is frequently spotted on the front row of fashion shows dressed head-to-toe in black with a voluminous veil. Based in Paris for the past 20 years, she blogs all about young talent – it’s a great place to spot a future Alexander McQueen or Raf Simons.

bryanboy.com
Bryan Boy is a star. On his diary-like blog he sounds like a giddy fashion-obsessed teenager, dreaming of Lanvin trainers and next season’s clothes by label-of-the-moment Balmain. In real life, however, the 22-year-old from Manila has become a serious industry player – today Bryan is flown to the international shows, all expenses paid, and hangs out with Christopher Bailey, the Burberry designer. Oh, and Marc Jacobs has even named a bag after him.

catwalkqueen.tv
One of the first fashion blogs on the scene, Catwalk Queen began as a labour of love for the London College of Fashion student Gemma Cartwright. Today it boasts more hits per day than Vogue’s website. Great for celebrity style gossip, secret sample sales and exclusive fashion collaborations. It even has its own YouTube channel.

facehunter.blogspot.com
‘Real people on the street can be just as inspiring and creative as top models in magazines,’ says Yvan Rodic, the man behind the street-photography blog Facehunter. Always travelling the globe on the lookout for new subjects on the streets from Reykjavík to Vienna, Rodic is more interested in personal style than in keeping things on-trend. It’s well worth a visit just to see the sheer variety of retina-popping looks on display. ‘It’s eye candy for the style hungry,’ he says.

feelslikewhitelightning.com
Whether she’s lusting after the new resort collection from Giles Deacon or a vintage Jean-Paul Gaultier bustier, Elizabeth Spiridakis has a love of fashion bordering on the obsessive. The fact that she can’t actually afford most of the items she writes about only adds to the charm of her blog. Currently on a road-trip across Europe and America, Spiridakis seems to spend most of her time moving from one charity shop to the next. Such is her clout that she now gets recognised everywhere she goes.

gofugyourself.com
For a quick fix of celebrity fashion disasters, Go Fug Yourself can’t be beaten. The creation of Jessica Morgan and Heather Cocks, the blog rounds up the latest paparazzi shots from the red carpet and passes judgement on the good, the bad and the ‘fugly’ (a merging of ‘ugly’ and another, less print-worthy word). Comments range from the cruel – in one shot Lindsay Lohan is said to resemble an ‘Easter bunny caught gnawing on his own chocolate-egg stash’ – to the even crueller, but all done with a brilliant sense of humour. Proof that fashion really has no mercy.

jakandjil.com
The photographer Tommy Ton gives good shoe. Like the Sartorialist, Ton shoots fashionistas on the street, but for the 25-year-old Canadian the focus is on footwear. If you want to know which styles the high street will be copying in six months, then this is the place to look. Jak & Jil has become a big success, with 30,000 hits per day. In his hometown of Toronto, one department store has even created a Tommy Ton mannequin.

libertylondongirl.blogspot.com
When Sir Philip Green announced plans to launch Topshop in America every newspaper and magazine was beaten to the scoop by Liberty London Girl, an anonymous British fashion editor living in New York. Her blog doesn’t just trade in great fashion gossip, however; this girl blogs on everything from the fashion world’s prejudice against big busts to last night’s bad date, all with a big dollop of very British humour. If you’ve ever wondered what it must be like to live a real-life version of The Devil Wears Prada, this is probably it.

madamesays.com
Pippa Brooks is the coolest mum on the net. A co-owner of the boutique M Goldstein, DJ and former pop star, she’s also the mother to seven-year-old twins Joe and Duke. Her blog covers their impeccably dressed adventures around London. ‘They dress themselves, can peel carrots, write stuff and have all sorts of opinions of their own,’ she writes. For anyone trying to balance the creative with the domestic – and still have fun – her blog is a must.

nymag.com/daily/fashion
Are you wondering what Michelle Obama is wearing today? Then check out MObama Watch, a day-by-day rundown of First Lady fashion. Alongside this brilliant guilty pleasure, New York Magazine’s blog offers a host of stylish attractions – from video look-books with Daphne Guinness to catwalk reviews. Its guide to the best buys of the season – right now they’re loving Diane von Furstenberg’s Sweetheart Pant – is also bang on the money.

redcarpet-fashionawards.com
Working from her rented studio-flat in north London, Catherine Kallon, a 34-year-old entrepreneur and ex-PA, is taking on Hollywood with her blog. The site itself is a mix of style news and ‘who wore it best’ vote-offs. But it’s Kallon’s photographic memory that has made the blog such a hit – when Angelina Jolie wore a Max Azria dress back-to-front at an awards ceremony this year, Kallon was the only writer to identify it. This has made her a favourite with the glossies, and attracted fans including Stella McCartney and Miuccia Prada.

stylebubble.typepad.com
One of the blogosphere’s biggest fashion icons, Susanna Lau (aka Susie Bubble) started her online diary in March 2006. Style Bubble sees Lau, a Londoner, playing dress-up with new purchases and offering her thoughts on everything from fellow bloggers to the rebirth of Miss Selfridge. Thanks to its infectious tone, Style Bubble has become one of the most widely read fashion blogs, receiving 20,000 hits a day. No surprises, then, that Lau was recently recruited to the online arm of Dazed & Confused magazine. Fans needn’t worry, however – the blog is still going strong despite the day job.

tavi-thenewgirlintown.blogspot.com
Like many of her fellow style-bloggers, Tavi Gevinson posts pictures of herself in cool charity-shop finds and loves dissecting catwalk trends. Unlike most of them, however, Tavi is 13. A self-confessed ‘tiny dork’ who loves the high-fashion labels Luella, Charles Anastase and Comme des Garçons, the Chicago schoolgirl has already been profiled by the New York Times and launched her own T-shirt line. Her biggest problem right now? Finding designer togs that fit.

thelovemagazineblog.wordpress.com
When Katie Grand left Pop magazine to start up a new venture with the publishing house Condé Nast, the fashion world was buzzing with excitement. The resulting magazine, Love, has certainly lived up to expectations and its blog is a neat window on to life on the precipice of cool. Alongside catwalk news and Twitter updates from Pixie Geldof, the site also features pictures of the Love staffers with pals including Justin Timberlake, Beth Ditto, and their pet rabbit, Clara.

themoment.blogs.nytimes.com
There are very few blogs that could persuade Donatella Versace to be guest editor for the day or ask Frida Giannini, the Gucci designer, to send in her holiday snaps. Such is the persuasive power of the Moment, the blog by the New York Times T magazine. Covering fashion, beauty, design and travel, the blog’s recent highlights have included an exclusive preview of Madonna’s Givenchy tour costumes, a celebration of vintage Pucci and the return of recycled jewellery.

thesartorialist.com
Since launching in 2005, Scott Schuman’s blog has become a phenomenon. The formula itself is straightforward: the diminutive New Yorker travels the globe shooting simple portraits of well-dressed individuals including fashion insiders such as Carine Roitfeld, the editor of French Vogue, as well as stylish passers-by on the street. It’s Schuman’s eye for detail that sets his images apart. He has recently made the transition from ‘street photography’ to advertising campaigns for DKNY Jeans, and has even modelled for Gap.

theselby.com
Almost like a 2009 version of Through the Keyhole, the Selby features pictures, videos and paintings of hip homes around the world – from Manhattan apartments to cute basement flats in east London, all belonging to the likes of Peaches Geldof, Julia Restoin-Roitfeld and the model Erin Wasson. The blog started out as a side project for Todd Selby, a photographer, who began his career shooting fashion and portraits, but has since grown into something a whole lot bigger. ‘I wanted to look at people’s houses and surroundings and try to tell more of a story,’ he explains.

thethoughtfuldresser.blogspot.com
Created by the novelist and Stella contributor Linda Grant, the Thoughtful Dresser has witty musings on all things clothes related. Whether she’s answering tricky questions such as ‘How many shoes does a girl need?’ (Crocs don’t count, obviously) or discussing female dress codes in Iran, Grant is one of the sharpest fashion writers around. She’s also launching the Great Mutton Debate on her site, a lively discussion of ‘age-appropriate’ dressing for the over-fifties.

whatisjameswearing.com
James Andrew is the ultimate dandy. Every day the New York-based interior designer posts pictures of himself in the latest designer threads. The results often verge on the fantastical – James never travels without pocket squares – but his Gatsby-meets-Gucci style has attracted a legion of fans. ‘It’s our favourite blog of the moment and possibly of all time,’ declared Elle Decoration.

whatkatiewore.com
Started in January by an east London couple, Joe and Katie, this blog will warm the hearts of even the most stony fashion scenesters. Documenting what the eccentric Katie wears every day of 2009, Joe comments on each outfit, with praise ranging from ‘truly beautiful’ to ‘very pretty indeed’. When that refers to sequin tunics, curtain ties from B&Q and a host of coloured tights, you have to applaud this sartorially enlightened male. A blog to forward to partners everywhere.

“

Sadly, they forgot charmante Garance Doré.

Photo: Jak & Jil

Wanting the YSL message to reach a wider audience, Pilati created the Manifesto, a booklet featuring Gisele Bundchen in the house’s autumn/winter 2007-2008 campaign, Kate Moss for spring/summer 2008, Naomi for autumn/winter 2008-2009, Claudia Shiffer for spring/summer 2009 and Christy Turlington for this season, fall/winter 2009-10. Pilati sees the booklet as the continuation of Yves Saint Laurent’s legacy of using a democratic approach to deliver luxury branding to the consumer branding.

Вам когда-нибудь приходилось выгребать из почтового ящика каталоги fast-fashion марок, а потом их выбрасывать вместе со вчерашними газетами? Или, приходя домой с обновкой, вам доводилось находить в пакете увесистый, но бесполезный буклетик с картинками? Все мы так или иначе попадаем под прицелы директ-маркетинговых кампаний различных марок. Беда в том, что большинство компаний не умеют правильно использовать огромный потенциал этого направления в маркетинге. Yves Saint Laurent – единственный люксовый бренд, осмелившийся прибегнуть к инструментам партизанского и прямого маркетинга с целью распространения осведомленности о бренде и привлечения новых клиентов. Речь идет о проекте Manifesto.

The fifth Yves Saint Laurent Manifesto was released on September 12, 2009 where over half a million copies of the eco-consciously printed Manifesto were distributed in the streets of Paris, New York, Milan, London, Tokyo, Hong Kong and, for the first time, Seoul. Like past seasons of Manifesto distribution, the first 2,000 passerby in each city received the Manifesto in a custom cotton tote bag designed by Stefano Pilati. The Manifesto was created in order to focus the public on Yves Saint Laurent clothing, instead of just the high-priced accessories that push the most business, and therefore are always receiving the most magazine space and attention. The overall message of the mag seems to have been corrupted by its very purpose. The bag was supposed to be a complimentary gift to those who picked up the magazine, but it was all Yves Saint Laurent followers were raving about.

Using street marketing as a communication tool when being a top luxury couture symbol like YSL seems risky for the brand image but the daring parisian house did not hesitate to change the rules, even when somebody like Ruth Mortimer finds it “meaninless”. She writes in her blog: “I can’t help being disappointed by what was probably a very expensive piece of direct mail to produce but fails to say anything at all. Fashion has a reputation for being shallow but there is far more to the industry than just pretty looks, so this sells it short in my opinion. I would love the next YSL Manifesto I receive to be something that really calls for action.”

To promote Manifesto this year Yves Saint Laurent jumped into social media. The French fashion house launched a Facebook page, “Yves Saint Laurent — the official page,” as well as a Twitter account. For the first time, the Internet also plays a role in the launch of YSL’s Manifesto. On Sept. 1, the fashion house launched a special microsite, which featured an archive of previous editions, as well as a Manifesto blog monitor, and links to YSL’s Facebook and Twitter activities. On Sept. 8, the company uploaded a behind-the-scenes video of Manifesto, which was shot by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin and features Christy Turlington. The entire publication has also been downloadable from the microsite on the day of the launch.

Download Manifesto F/W 09

Photos: YSL Manifesto

See also: Vogue, Dazed Digital, Runway to Retail, The Flair, WWD, Telegraph

Люди встают рано утром, занимают очередь, часами стоят под дождем для того, чтобы заполучить свой экземпляр Manifesto (отбросив весь пафос, фактически – рекламный каталог). Те, кому не хватило, охотятся за промо-персоналом по всему городу и добиваются своего. А те, кому не повезло - перекупают через Ebay у тех, кому повезло, за немаленькие деньги. Немного смахивает на безумие, не так ли?

Что из себя представляет Manifesto?

Это 20-30-ти страничный буклет, содержащий в себе фотографии актуальной коллекции, представленной известной моделью. Осень-зиму 2007-2008 показывала Жизель Бундхен, весенне-летний сезон 2008 – Кейт Мосс, следующий сезон – Наоми Кемпбелл, далее – Клаудиа Шиффер и, наконец, Кристи Тарлингтон представляет осень-зиму 2009-2010. Обычо Manifesto печатается на переработанной бумаге, но при этом он не теряем своего лоска.

Ценности буклету добавляет его упаковка. Как правило, это хлопковая сумка с эксклюзивным дизайном Стефано Пилати. Иногда помимо буклета в ней можно обнаружить приятные мелочи, вроде USB-флешки в форме сердца, как это было в феврале этого года по случаю Дня Святого Валентина. На самом деле, именно за этой сумкой все и охотятся потому, что ее, в отличие от Manifesto, можно носить, бесплатно показывая свою “как-бы” причастность к бренду. Интересно то, что Manifesto изначально задумывался для того, чтобы отвлечь внимание потребителей от аксессуаров (которые многие могут себе позволить) и сфокусировать его на самой одежде. Однако, облачив Manifesto в сумку, YSL стал заложником все тех же аксессуаров, за счет которых, кстати, и держится марка. Этот спасительный дисбаланс спроса касается не только YSL.

Поддерживающая кампания

В этом году Стефано Пилати особенно ответственно подошел к выпуску Manifesto осень-зима 09. Датой распространения было назначено 12-е сентября. Уже 1-го в сети появился микро-сайт, посвященный проекту. На нем можно было посмотреть историю предыдущих буклетов, а также почитать блог и проследовать по ссылкам на Facebook и Twitter (также новинка сезона). 8-го сентября на сайт было загружено видео о съемках буклета, а 12-го, в день Х, можно было уже скачать Manifesto в pdf-формате.

Распространение

Буклет тиражем в полмиллиона экземпляров распространяется совершенно бесплатно на улицах Парижа, Нью Йорка, Лондона, Токио и Гонконга, в этом году к ним присоединился Сеул. Однако специальные сумки достаются обычно только двум тысячам счастливчиков.

Сложно оценить проект с точки зрения коммерческой рентабельности. Manifesto – не самый дешевый промо-материал, однако самый обсуждаемый. Он – предмет желания миллионов модников и модниц, которые пишут об этом в своих блогах. Несмотря на то, что буклет абсолютно бесплатный – тем не менее, он остается в какой-то степени эксклюзивом. Возможно, он не был бы таким, если бы не сопровождался четко спланированной поддерживающей кампанией, инициирующей ажиотаж, и доставлялся бы Мариванне прямо в почтовый ящик в Бирюлево.

Фото: YSL Manifesto

Статьи по теме: Vogue, Dazed Digital, Runway to Retail, The Flair, WWD, Telegraph

Talking about social media, YouTube channels is another effective but rarely used marketing tool. Ask Dolce & Gabbana about it. D&G brand was a pioneer in this field. Having registered their YouTube channel in 2006 they became the most viewed branded channel in the world in 2009. The broadcasting of “Pre Show Diaries” and fashion show live generated 16 million hits, according to a company memo.

Dolce & Gabbana заново открыли для себя маркетинговые возможности канала в YouTube. Публикуя за несколько дней до Миланской недели моды тизеры новых коллекций, они добились аудитории в 16 миллионов пользователей, став самым просматриваемым брендовым каналом мира.

Nielson Net Ratings reported in 2008 that YouTube has over 68 million unique visitors per month and has the 6th largest visitor audience in the U.S. (ahead of eBay, Amazon and Wikipedia). More than 2/3 of the U.S. population over the age of 25 has watched a YouTube video and 91 percent of users have purchased something online. YouTube represents a very powerful marketing channel and opportunity for exposure on the net. The majority of fashion brands have registered their YouTube channels in 2008 but only few of them really use it.

Luxury brands are feebly presented. Today their own YouTube channels have only D&G, Ralph Lauren, YSL, Stella McCartney, Gucci, Hugo Boss, Burberry, Elie Saab and Louis Vuitton. Democratic brands presented by Victoria’s Secret, H&M, Topshop, Mango, Baby Phat, American Apparel, Quiksilver, Lacoste and Bershka. And if D&G has brought thier account to life right before Milan Fashion Week, Victoria’s Secret does it regularly. This is no surprise that VS surpasses D&G in quantity of subscribers. And I don’t think it’s because of the quantity of semibare models.

Topshop and H&M are also pretty industrious with rich and interesting content. The worst channel-holder is Lacoste with only one uploaded video about a year ago.

Fashion Communication Top 5 YouTube Channels:

#1 Victoria’s Secret

#2 H&M

#3 Dolce & Gabbana

#4 Topshop

#5 Hugo Boss

See also:

Baby Phat
Mango
American Apparel
Quiksilver Woman
Bershka
Ralph Lauren
YSL
Stella McCartney
Gucci
Burberry
Elie Saab
Louis Vuitton
Lacoste

Согласно сетевому рейтингу Nielson, в 2008-м году YouTube имел более 68 000 000 уникальных посетителей в месяц. Именно в 2008-м году большинство фэшн-брендов осознали мощь ресурса и зарегистрировали свои потоки. Однако, заниматься ими регулярно стали далеко не все. Самыми активными и стойкими оказались Victoria’s Secret и H&M, а среди люксовых брендов – вышеупомянутые Dolce & Gabbana, в спину которым дышат Ralph Lauren, YSL, Stella McCartney, Gucci, Hugo Boss, Burberry, Elie Saab и Louis Vuitton. Ниже приведен рейтинг лучших потоков по мнению Fashion Communication.

#1 Victoria’s Secret

#2 H&M

#3 Dolce & Gabbana

#4 Topshop

#5 Hugo Boss

See also:

Baby Phat
Mango
American Apparel
Quiksilver Woman
Bershka
Ralph Lauren
YSL
Stella McCartney
Gucci
Burberry
Elie Saab
Louis Vuitton
Lacoste