Peer Hartog, Speaker at 1st Sportswear International e-Fashion Summit shows best practice examples and analyses

1. Is viral marketing just fashionable –
or does it really sell fashion?
By Peer Hartog and Clemens Gerlach

2. PROLOGUE
What is viral advertising?

3. DOES VIRAL MARKETING OCCUR
ONLINE ONLY?
Counter question:
Was this an online campaign?

4. DEFINITELY NOT. WAS IT VIRAL?
Yes, cause this press ad was shown around and discussed by lots of readers- and
widely broadcasted by the media throughout Germany at no cost!
And in fact it created media revenues of round about 2 million Deutschmarks.
And this after paying 28.000 Deutschmarks only to run that single press ad in some
newspaper.

5. SO ... ONCE AGAIN:
What is viral advertising?
Our definition:
Viral advertising is not a catagory, but an

7. EFFECT?
A viral effect begins, as soon as people start to spread your message on their
own.
Or even the press.
Our assumption:
Any communication medium can kick of a viral effect.
A press ad as well as a facebook group.
A street guerilla as well as a spot on the internet.

8. BUT – HOW?
Here comes the golden rule of viral advertising:

9. BE OUTSTANDING, TOUCHING,
SURPRISING, RADICAL,
RESPECTLESS, AMUSING, SHOCKING
The criterion for the rating of ideas of viral ad-activities must not be the same as
for classic brandcommunication.
The benchmark here are the people out there and those approximately 60.000
new videos every day only on Youtube, fighting for attention.
So - as we say in Germany - we have got no chance, let´s take it!
Welcome to the from our point of view most promising basic approaches for viral
communication for fashion brands!

10. 1ST APPROACH: CLIMB ON THE
BANDWAGON
The crucial question:
On which upcoming event could you jump on, to use it for your purposes?

11. The idea:
We check out, where Google makes their next aerial photos.
WHY NOT USING GOOGLE EARTH!

12. Then next we talk to the community or leaseholder who is located in that specific
area and create a huge message that will be possible to identify from a far
distance. By planting flowers!
THE IDEA GOOGLE EARTH

13. Through the company homepage, social forums, through press releases as well as
through email marketing we spread hints, that you can solve a mystery with Google
Earth. And this is what you see entering the right longitudes and latitudes:
HIDDEN HINTS

17. Every participant receives a product sample.
And even more:
Because it is a quite unique love message, it can be sent to however you love.
So here for example „the Earth“ becomes the ad medium!
A PRODUCT SAMPLE
Game

18. 2ND APPROACH: MAKE PEOPLE PLAY!
The crucial question:
How can a game look like, that is carrying my brand message in an entertaining
way?
And that ideally puts more relevance to my brand, as the „grouse shoot“ (dt.:
„Moorhuhnschießen“) did for Johnnie Walker?
How about this:

19. PANTY POKER FOR VICTORIAS
SECRET

20. MOTTO: GET THEIR PANTS OFF!

21. OR AN APP AS A GIVE AWAY
How should an application look like, that boosts the core of your brand?
That is not only fun, but also presents your latest collection.

22. THE IDEA „FASHION TOP TRUMPS“
This virtual game can be played with yours and your counterparts on your mobile
phone.
Instead of cars you will find models wearing the outfits of the latest collection.
And instead of horse power or top speed you will tip on parametres such as price,
glamour factor, material, sexyness etc. – and the program will generate the one
who wins the card.
Street

23. 3RD APPROACH:
TAKE YOUR IDEAS INTO THE STREET!
Fashion is a happening in public. But fashion communication by far doesn´t give
consideration to that fact.
The crucial question:
What can we do in the environment of our target group, to attract and win their
attention and sympathy?

24. NIKE JUST DID IT
Nike did a quite nice street-guerilla a couple of years ago in Amsterdam, just
before an international football match:
Over night and all over Amsterdam they placed Nike logo stickers on to the orange
coloured traffic light bowl. Orange – you know is the colour of the dutch soccer
team. So – without fail – car drivers or even pedestrants couldn´t escape from
thinking of the national team sponsor thad day.
A huge effect for the cost of a couple of 100 bugs and a bunch students applying
the stickers.

25. JOSHUA ALLEN HARRIS` PAPER BAG
MONSTERS, NY

26. DESSOUS AGAIN ...
The PR-agency Schubert & Schubert did a viral PR-stunt for the dessous brand
LASCANA, when they turned the pavement into a catwalk.
Within seconds they managed to roll out a carpet, to make music and to get some
great models walking up and down.

27. THE MODELS RECEIVED A LOT OF
APPLAUSE
And the audience received the new dessous brochure. Obvious, that LASCANA
finally got a lot of press coverage and created some word of mouth after they had
informed the press right before the event took place.

28. GUERILLA CAN ALSO BE DONE
MODESTLY
That street guerilla can make sense even on a smaller scale, shows „revers
graffity“, something we developed for a fashion brand.

29. GUERILLA GEHT AUCH BESCHEIDEN.

30. IS IT LEGAL?
The contractor says:
Yes, because you don´t add colour but simply take the dirt from the area inside a
pattern.
Ask your legal department – but you will anyway cause people start sweating.
That is the same with any good street guerilla activity, that is leaving the usual
framework.
Lawyers tend to see problems.
So think twice if you really want to consult a lawyer.
Insofar again this advice:

31. WE HAVE NO CHANCE, LET´S TAKE IT!
For example, when you realize, that the media revenues through PR are much
higher than a civil penalty ever could be.

32. FOR THOSE WHO ARE MORE
ANXIOUS
The right idea can produce a viral effect even for the good old outdoor billboard:

33. THE DEADLINE COURIER BILLBOARD

34. THE STREET IS VERSATILE
And there are poster areas, who don´t know that they are billboards.
House fassades for example.
With light intense beamers it is possible to project some astonishing and artisticly
worthful effects onto fassades at night.

35. THE GUGGENHEIM IN NY, FALL 2010

36. GALERIE DER GEGENWART,
HAMBURG

37. GALERIE DER GEGENWART,
HAMBURG
Video

38. 4TH APPROACH: VIRAL VIDEO
To reach a couple of hundred thousand people with a viral video today isn´t as
easy as it used to be 2 years ago. But it´s still possible.
The crucial question:
How should a film look like, that loads up the core of your brand, but is so
significant, that people start sending it around?

39. RAY BAN
Ray Ban is a synonym for sun glasses. With such a high market share, that the
brand can afford to do generic category advertising for sun glasses:

40. QUICKSILVER
Quicksilver stands for passion in surfing. And exactly that stages the well known
viral – this time without featuring those usual „surfer-in-the-tube-scenes, but buy
telling an incredible story:

41. AUBADE
The french Lingerie Brand Aubade produced a viral video while making a street
guerilla:
Blog

42. 5TH APPROCH: FICTION TV FORMATS
– NOW ONLINE
The crucial question:
How could a series look like, in which your brand would be integrated as a
homogenious part into the plot?
In 2009 the Otto-Versand gave an example:

45. ATTENTION: EXPENSIVE!
The audience won´t make a difference if this shown on TV or in web.
Therefore this soap was professionally produced by the TV-filmproduction MME
and featured on bild.de
In this case we assume that the budget was beyond a million euros.
Social Media

46. 6TH APPROACH: SOCIAL MEDIA
Let´s start with an up and coming option:

47. LOCATION BASED SOCIAL MEDIA
Using location based social media tools such as Gowalla or Foursquare the idea
is to signalize other users where you are right now
and why it is that great to be there.

48. AN EXAMPLE
Diesel NY for instance attracted people to visit their flagshipstore.
Visitors received a „be stupid!“ t-shirt and had to upload selfportraits on the „faces
of stupid“ site to win „stupid prices“ like swimming with sharks.

49. BUT WE FEEL THAT JUST FOR NOW
YOU CAN RELAX BECAUSE:
In Germany/Austria/and Switzerland location based social media has just begun;
Foursquare here in Germany only counts 20.000 members.

50. AUGMENTED REALITY
Another trend coming from the US:
Outdoor promotions, which work with the mobile phone and augmented reality:

51. ON A VIRTUAL TOUR USERS COLLECT
GOODIES AND TAKE PICTURES OF
THEM

52. IN RETURN ...

53. BRANDS GIVE YOU REWARDS

54. FOR EXAMPLE H&M NY

55. MULTIPLICATION-EFFECT:

56. ONCE AGAIN FACEBOOK!

57. PHENOMENON FACEBOOK
A 100 million users within 8 months, 500 million within 6 years – facebook has
revolutionized the media landscape.

58. FACEBOOK AS WELL HAS
REVOLUTIONIZED THE PARADIGMS
OF COMMUNICATIONCause facebook is not an ad channel.
The usual procedure ...
„Company bombards target group with consumption recommendations“
doesn´t work anymore:

59. ADVERTISING? THANKS, BUT NO
THANKS!

60. S0 WHY IS SOCIAL MEDIA THAT
IMPORTANT?
20% of all drivers are responsible for 80% of the accidents.
In communication it´s similar:
20% of all people are opinion leaders, By contacing them you can reach 80% of
your target group.
Because opinion leaders communicate a lot - specifically trough social media
networks.
In forums such as facebook we have got the chance to win those influencers.
The question is not, if social media is useful for brands.
But:
Quelle: „Tipping Point“, Malcolm Gladwell

61. IS YOUR COMPANY READY FOR
SOCIAL MEDIA?
In social forums you can´t necessarily always keep control about your brand.
Take this instructive example:

62. KITKAT

63. FANS REFERRED TO THAT
KitKat, after the „palmoil-attack“
from Greenpeace, mangaged to
totally alienate their own fans.
They actually tried to eliminate the
upload of adbuster-logos.
The community angrily reacted on
that:

64. what do we learn

65. WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THAT?

66. 1ST: IN FACEBOOK YOU´VE GOT TO
BE A LITTLE BIT LIKE JESUS
Act like a calm person – not like a company.
Even accept a slap in your face.

67. 2ND: FACEBOOK IS LIKE RODEO:
A LOT OF WORK, LITTLE CONTROL
But:
f you consider the opinion leaders as partners,
if you listen to them and care about the
relationship to them,
there will be a great chance of brand loyality,
which would be comparable with:

68. FRIENDSHIP
People use facebook to meet friends.
To receive recommentations and to give recommentations.
To stay up to date.
To share things with friends.
Sometimes brands are like friends.
And friendship must be taken care about.
The Bogner facebook page on 9th november 2010:

70. SO, ONCE AGAIN:
Is your brand ready for social media?
A reading recommentation for the insecure:
a 95 thesis manifest about communication culture 2.0 on cluetrain.com

71. HOW CAN SOCIAL MEDIA MAKE
SENSE FOR FASHION BRANDS?
Wrong:
Company talks to target group
Right:

72. DIALOGUE!
-Involve people, eg in you product development
-Collect ideas
-See your fans as partners and advisers
-Treat those, who commit openly to your brand on social media platforms
preferential

73. WHY PEOPLE „LIKE“ BRANDS
Quelle: mashable.com

74. HOW TO TREAT FANS PREFERENTIAL
By giving them the exclusive opportunity to get rarities first for example, even
before they are on market.
By giving them useful Apps.

75. BY ENTERTAINING THEM

76. BY INVOLVING THEM

77. OR BY GIVING THEM A STAGE
To show how that could look like, please have a look at the following campaign,
we developed for BENCH.
BENCH produces Streetwear, so BENCHs authentic brand world is - the street.
So:
Streetwear goes well with street-art.

78. THE IDEA:
BENCH gives street artists a stage to present their work to a larger audience.
The name of the stage:
-whatsyourbenchmark.com
-facebook/whatsyourbenchmark
Their motivation to join:

79. BECOME FAMOUS!
Unknown artists can upload their work on whatsyourbenmark.com or on facebook
to present it to a broader audience.
And Bench becomes THE instance in street art,
and a forum for the young street artist community.
By the way:

80. THE THEME „STREET-ART“ IS
VIRULENT

81. AND THIS IS HOW SUCH A CAMPAIGN
COULD LOOK LIKE:

98. SO HOW DOES SUCH A CAMPAIGN
BECOME VIRULENT?
1st.
Every artist will mobilize his friends to vote for him on facebook or on
whatsyourbenchmark.com. That will kick off a virulent avalanche.
The best work will be awarded and be published in the press & poster campaign.
This again will reach non-online-target groups which will additionally boost the
campaign (and of course Bench.).
2nd.
The users vote and by doing that they start spreading their choice in the facebook
newsfeed (little unpaid Bench ads).

99. SO HOW DOES SUCH A CAMPAIGN
BECOME VIRULENT?
3rd.
Via „I like“ clicks the campaign gets additional distribution in the newsfeed.
4th.
Chosen artworks will be charity auctioned for a good purpose. And that will be
caught up by the PR-agency again.

100. SO HOW DOES SUCH A CAMPAIGN
BECOME VIRULENT?
5th.
With PR-stunts, in which art is produced in public,
we attract the press as a powerful messenger.
6th.
Films and documentaries from artists at work
will be spread online widely.

101. WHY A FASHION PRINT CAMPAIGN
WITHOUT FASHION?
Because:
When everybody shouts, whisper!

102. BE CONTRARY!
When pomp and tulle stand for elegance, develop the „little black dress“ and
declare: „Simplicity is the true elegance.“ (Coco Chanel)

103. WHEN ALL ADS SHOW THE IDEAL
WORLD: SHOCK!

104. WHEN EVERYONE SHOOTS THE
SCHIFFER OR THE CRAWFORD:
DISCOVER KATE MOSS!

105. WHEN THERE IS AN ECONOMY
CRISIS: CELEBRATE GLAMOUR!

106. WHEN ECONOMY IS GOOD:
INVENT THE HEROIN-LOOK!

107. IF EVERYONE WANTS TO COME
ACROSS SMART: BE STUPID!

108. AND WHEN EVERYONE SHOWS
FASHION:

109. SHOW
ATTITUDE!

110. BUT: CAN WE SHOW THE LATEST
COLLECTION?
It is self explaining, that such concept ideas create an amazing surrounding for
collection presentations like in lookbooks, brochures, on the homepage etc.

111. EPILOGUE
- Ray Ban by the help of a simple Clip reaches almost 5 million
views – only on Youtube
- well done internet soaps find millions of viewers
- the completely useless (but funny) Skittles-facebook page gets 14
million fans
- and in overseas an unknown black man with an interactive social
media campaign becomes the President of the USA

112. AND NOW ... THE BALL IS IN YOUR
COURT
Thank you for listening!