Last week, London Fashion Week sparked runway shows with new collections by top designers. While the week is centered on in-person experiences at these runway shows, some brands also leveraged social media and technology to provide an exceptional virtual experience as well.
Burberry, in particular, dominated in this regard, as it has placed a primary focus on connecting with its customers digitally, even streaming the first live fashion show in 2010. In 2014, Burberry continues to raise the bar when it comes to innovation and customer experience.
Burberry’s Spring/Summer 2015 collection, which debuted at London Fashion Week, was called The Birds and The Bees. The in-person experience featured a hand-painted runway and live music by British singer-songwriter James Bay from its custom-built venue in London’s Kensington Gardens.
In a continuing effort to claim relevancy with a wider audience, Burberry also relied heavily on social media and digital innovations to extend the customer experience. The brand offered In-Tweet purchasing, a new way for Burberry customers to shop, which gave Twitter customers in the U.S. the first opportunity to purchase new runway nail colors in-tweet as soon as they appeared on the runway.
Additionally, Burberry debuted a selection of outerwear and bags from its new collected at the runway show, and made them available via “Runway Made to Order” on Burberry.com. Customers are able to personalize their purchases through Sept. 29, and be the first to own these pieces from the collection before they arrive in store.
The in-person show was also brought to life through YouTube and social media. Using new beta YouTube functionality, viewers are able to watch highlights from the show and access layered content about the season’s inspiration, the soundtrack, make-up looks, and guest reactions. Burberry also used WeChat to live stream the show, as well as Instagram’s new Hyperlapse app, and live postings on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Vine.
Of note beyond the runway, Burberry recently partnered with Google to launch Burberry Kisses – an interactive campaign that allows users to send letters sealed with a virtual kiss to friends all over the world. The promotion is another way Burberry seeks to personalize its brand experience and connect in unique and innovative ways with its customers.