This post is by Krissie Ford from Bauer Media.
Today, all eyes in the fashion world turn to London, as the second of the bi-annual London Fashion Weeks begins. But while the great and the good of the fashion industry enjoy the free-flowing champagne, how can media owners help advertisers ensure these significant calendar events are taken advantage of commercially? Here are five examples, which I believe are trends of note this year.
1) Innovative use of social media
The rules of social media continue to evolve, but doing something innovative to lead the change is a great way to own an event. Digital lifestyle brand The Debrief (www.thedebrief.co.uk) has announced a digital media and fashion brand partnership on Snapchat, with English fashion designer Henry Holland. This is hugely exciting – we know The Debrief's audience is passionate about fashion, as well as new digital developments, so it's the perfect way for Henry Holland to reach their target consumers.
2) The integration of wearable tech
As technology becomes ever more integrated in our lives, wearable tech takes things one step further. Technology such as Google Glass not only puts your brand at the forefront of developments, it also adds huge value to an event. In the case of London Fashion Week, Grazia is using Google Glass to give their audience exclusive access to the event across all touch points. This is a tech-based first – the first UK magazine brand to use it at London Fashion Week.
3) Create an enhanced experience for a shared audience
If you can identify an event with which you share a target audience, it can be a more experiential way of engaging consumers. Just this week, Absolute Radio and Shelter teamed up to host an exclusive Kasabian gig, bringing the audience a unique experience with the Glastonbury headliners. Creating something special for the audience aligns them to your brand, encouraging consumer loyalty.
4) Enabling brands to access the best of our content
Sky Movies want to be synonymous with the most cutting edge movie content and at this year's Empire Awards our partnership with Sky was more integrated than ever before. The Sky 'talent room' hosted A-list talent interviews exclusively for Sky, enabling them to create a bespoke 30 minute programme for Sky Movies around the Awards with a raft of exclusive content not available anywhere else. This activity was further complemented by editorial features in the magazine, with all insight and content taken from Empire's exclusive access.
5) Collaborate with partners to make the biggest impact
Working together with partners on activity around an event always makes the campaign stronger, so don't be afraid to collaborate. Global Radio and Bauer Media teamed up for the Coca-Cola Olympic Torch Relay Support initiative around London 2012, for ad-funded programming and promotional activity around Olympic Games Tickets and Hospitality.
Although it's been nearly two years since London 2012 there will be no bigger event in our lifetime, and it's a great example of how collaboration can enhance a campaign to make it a runaway success.
In summary, as we look forward to 2015, make sure you're targeting events whose audiences match your target consumers, as they can go hand in hand and provide a focus for a truly engaging campaign.
Krissie Ford is Head of Client Development at Bauer Media.
