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In this edition, we share focal points from Glossy’s report on how fashion and beauty brands are using in-person experiences and influencers to amplify their brands’ messages at fashion week.
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47% of marketer respondents allocated the majority of their marketing budget to events over other traditional channels
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Traditional marketing gimmicks used to align a brand to a strategic message and brand proposition can feel forced and outdated to consumers, especially at large cultural events like New York Fashion Week. Instead, some marketers are leaning on in-person brand experiences and partnerships with influencers at fashion week events to reach the individuals driving today’s trends and expand their brands’ online audiences. In fact, Glossy’s 2023 Q1 Research Roundup found that nearly half of marketer respondents (47%) said they allocate the majority of their marketing dollars to events over other traditional channels.
Kate Spade used influencers to expand the brand’s online audience at its fall 2023 NYFW show last February. According to Glossy+ Research’s case study, the brand’s social media content received a lot of positive engagement, especially a livestream hosted by popular influencers Madeleine White (@madeleine_white, 4.1 million TikTok followers) and Charles Gross (@charlesgross, 1.3 million TikTok followers). It received 120 reactions, 106 comments and 17 shares by FacebookWatch viewers.
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Brands making their first appearance at NYFW this past week, like Laura Mercier and Jovani, chose to create in-person brand experiences, with some also enlisting the help of influencer partners.
On Monday, heritage beauty brand Laura Mercier made its first backstage appearance at New York Fashion Week with the goal of establishing itself as an artistry cosmetics brand. To potential new customers backstage, Laura Mercier showed off makeup looks intended to complement Altuzarra’s new collection.
“Our overall intention at New York Fashion Week ties into our plans to build on our strong product foundation to elevate, modernize and sharpen the overall brand positioning,” said Diane Kim, global president of Laura Mercier. “We’re evolving from a product-focused proposition to a more holistic, brand-based proposition that has a clear point of view anchored in a heritage of artistry.”
Similarly, womenswear brand Jovani invited influencers Haley Kalil, Camille Kostek and Jen Selter to its debut show at NYFW on Friday night. The influencers in attendance have millions of followers across social platforms. Selter alone has more than 14 million followers on Instagram.
“This is our way of starting a new couture phase for the brand and going full-force into it,” said Saul Maslavi, CEO of Jovani. “The show is a big deal, but it’s more about what we do after the show. Through our social posts, through our excellent PR team and through influencers, we will try to maximize the attention that the show brings us.”
Last season, Launchmetrics reported that influencers accounted for 21% of the over $700 million in earned media value created for brands throughout NYFW.
Key findings:
- Marketers invest in events the most, in comparison to other traditional marketing channels. Nearly half of respondents (47%) in Glossy’s Q1 Research Roundup said they allocate the majority of their marketing dollars to events over other traditional channels
- Kate Spade generated a lot of brand buzz and interest during its fall 2023 NYFW show, especially on Instagram, by inviting key influencers who aligned with the brand’s legacy image but who could also reach a younger audience. Kate Spade’s content received more than 50,000 likes on Instagram. It also drove more than 64,000 views on TikTok and garnered 163,000 Twitter (now 180,000) impressions.
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