From Burberry to Net-a-Porter, brands lure buyers with behind-the-scenes stories.
Luxury retail brands are going beyond traditional ad-driven story lines this holiday season with editorial films aimed at conveying craftsmanship, value and tradition. Here are just a few of our favorite holiday campaigns:
Net-a-Porter and Mr. Porter: All For You
This one-minute film, the first collaboration between Net-a-Porter and Mr. Porter, gives a behind-the-scenes peek at a magical world shown to be its muse. See our article on JustLuxe.
Burberry: Festive Film
For its 2015 Festive Film, iconic British brand Burberry turned to Billy Elliot, replicating the film’s opening bed-jumping sequence with Sir Elton John, Julie Walters, Romeo Beckham, James Bay, George Ezra, Michelle Dockery, James Corden, Naomi Campbell and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley — all, of course, in 2016 Burberry looks. To further draw in buyers, Burberry created a separate piece of holiday content with the famous participants discussing their jumping techniques.
Chanel: Once and Forever
In perhaps the most ambitious project of the year, Karl Lagerfeld’s new short film, officially premiering December 1 at Cinecittà and Chanel.com to coincide with the presentation of the Paris-Rome 2015/16 Métiers d’Art collection, goes behind the scenes during the making of a biopic on Gabrielle Chanel, starring Kristen Stewart, Géraldine Chaplin, Jérémie Elkaïm, François Marthouret, Amanda Harlech, Jamie Bochert, Jake Davies, Baptiste Giabiconi and Laura Brown.
Tiffany & Co.: Old Bond Street Store Unveiling
Although Tiffany’s official holiday film has received more views, the Old Bond Street store window unveiling better reflects true holiday content marketing — going beyond a story line focusing purely on showcasing the brand to bring viewers into a real moment with the brand.
Macy’s: The Wish Writer
A pioneer in experiential marketing, Macy’s embraces an editorial approach with this year’s “The Wish Writer,” a three-minute film with all the magic of Disney and heart-string-tugging power of a Super Bowl Budweiser commercial. The film has received nearly 7 million views since first published on Nov. 2. Macy’s approach shows how successful a campaign can be when the story trumps brand display. Tying the brand to the hashtag #MacysBelieve and donating to Make-A-Wish when viewers write in, Macy’s uses content to drive genuine interaction.
What are your favorite holiday content marketing campaigns? Let us know and we may feature your ideas.
by Tracie Heffernan, Content Strategist for 818 Agency.
818 Agency provides creative B2B content marketing and social advertising campaigns to Fortune 500 companies and growth-oriented startups. Purveyors of real-time event content marketing. Based in NYC and LA. Get in touch.