‘Tis the season, for ugly sweater and office parties, high expectations to hit those holiday numbers, jingles and carols everywhere you go, and of course, obsessing over beautiful holiday campaigns. So, order up the first peppermint-mocha of the season, and take a deep breath. Then, check out these fashion brand holiday campaigns already making the rounds, perhaps they will inspire you with a powerful PR idea to close out the year.
A highly enjoyable romp of a TV commercial, I’m loving the way Rosie Huntington-Whiteley (best known for her work Victoria’s Secret and Burberry), flaunts the British multinational retailer’ sleepwear in a holiday-rendition of Alice in [Winter] Wonderland and the Wizard of Oz. Although neither story is traditionally associated with the holiday season, the fantastical reference aligns well with enough with the whimsical, otherworldly nature of holiday. To accompany the campaign, a hashtag that is both appropriate to the letter, #MagicandSparkle.
The creative decision to reference a well known tale through the lens of holiday is something to keep in mind when developing unexpected and eye-catching visual pitches for last-minute holiday gift guides, social media content and beyond.
Fashion brands continue to love Pinterest contests and campaigns around seasonal and event-driven content. This season, Topshop has integrated the visual bookmarking and social platform across online and offline channels. In stores shoppers can pin, share and shop for items on giant touchscreens.
While Pinterest contests are fine, what’s most promising about the campaign are the homepage updates, aimed at helping shoppers create a customized, fun and efficient shopping experience that includes product suggestions based on Pinterest activity. The products pinned the most often are featured on the Topshop homepage each day, a great way to drive recurring traffic over the holiday season (the chances to win a variety of prizes don’t hurt either).
And even though Pinterest no longer allows for searchable hashtags, this campaign still has one. Try #DearTopshop in Twitter to see some early buzz.
While actually based in LA (which still thinks it’s mid-August), Forever 21’s holiday video lookbook is your standard holiday-party dress, fast-fashion fare. But it’s the choice of Brit-girl model Suki Waterhouse (also known for work with M&S and Burberry, not to mention snogging one Bradley Cooper) that demonstrates how far Forever 21 has come from its traditional mall-girl fanbase. This cool factor from across the pond appears to have been the perfect choice to kick off holiday shopping; the digital short has already been picked up by edgier indie mainstays like Refinery 29 and Nylon. Hashtag for all things holiday at F21? #ForeverHoliday, of course.
I’m looking forward to more holiday inspiration leading up to the new year. Share with us your favorite Q4 campaigns @prcouture and @tribedynamics (the hastag is entirely up to you!).
