Last week concluded one of the fashion industry’s biggest events of the year: Fall/Winter 2015 New York Fashion Week. Social media was buzzing about the week’s events – unique hashtags were used, photos and videos were shared, and behind-the-scenes sneak peeks were uploaded in real time, capturing designers in their elements.

Snapchat was front and center.

How were people engaging during NYFW? Snapchat. The social media platform definitely broadened the NYFW audience beyond just those who were onsite at the tents. Celebrities, models, and media personalities used the platform before, during, and after the shows. Fans following them were able to get a sneak peek into what was happening – as it was happening!

Snapchat provides users with a “live” feature, allowing them to access public “stories” made up of a collection of selected snaps from the Snapchat community. During NYFW, Snapchat users would go to their Snapchat live feeds to get the inside look on the events at play.

Who is using Snapchat?

Business Insider has recently reported how relevant Snapchat is to Millennials. In fact, in September Snapchat was ranked the third most popular social app among this generation, marking its importance as a conduit of influence. Its visual nature and its ability to connect users across a real-time platform are perhaps part of its appeal to those brought up in the digital age.

SnapChat is a win-win.

Snapchatters and businesses love Snapchat. Snapchat has found a way to allow brands to “advertise” to their target audience without using traditional pop-up advertisements – which millennials tend to find annoying and spammy. During NYFW, users were innovatively connected to brands in real-time, giving them a glimpse into the exclusive world of fashion. Considering the fact that the costs of luxury items on the runway are out of most users’ reach, connecting the brand to a lifestyle creates a stronger affinity for the products and resonates with the consumer on a more intimate level.

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Images courtesy of PRNewser

NEW YORKFeb. 27, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — Boston advertising firms CerconeBrownCompany and The Fantastical were honored at the 58th Annual Adrian Award Gala from the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) prestigious 2015 Adrian Awards for “More New York Than New York,” an integrated international brand campaign for Row NYC.

Other winners last night included Booking.com television campaign “Epic” (Wieden+Kennedy); Hilton Worldwide “Be A Weekender” (Publicis);  San Diego Zoo’s “Koalafornia” (M&C Saatchi);  and Brand USAUSA Culinary Guide” (Miles).  Given since 1957, the Adrian Awards is the hospitality, travel and tourism industry’s top advertising, digital marketing and communications honors, hosted annually by HSMAI and named for its creator, Adrian W. Phillips.  The competition has always been a showcase and benchmark of best practices in hotel and travel-related marketing and media.

The Row NYC’s “More New York Than New York” campaign served as the advertising launching pad for the rebrand of one of New York City’s most historic hotels, formerly The Milford Plaza, situated in the middle of Times Square, the Theater District and Restaurant Row.

From brand research, lead creative strategist Erika Brown from CBC identified a powerful connection of today’s Times Square with the New York’s mystique, particularly that of the city’s 1970s and 1980s as seen through the iconic photography of paparazzo photographer Ron Galella, especially for an international audience.

“We were especially inspired by Mr. Galella’s images that chronicled NY nightlife, featuring candid shots of Mick JaggerJacqueline KennedyDustin HoffmanGrace Jones and countless others over NY, including the hotel,” said Brown.  “That inspiration blossomed beyond the campaign to a unique partnership with Mr. Galella that celebrated his art, his voice and his connection to what has become modern celebrity culture.”

The campaign positioned the hotel squarely at the center of the pulsing excitement of New York City, which research showed was the singular driver of tourists that are the lifeblood of hotel.  “More New York Than New York” evoked a decidedly modern version of Mr. Galella’s image style, featuring an ensemble that included model Lizzy Jagger, daughter of Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall (frequent features in Galella’s NY nightlife image library from the 70s and 80s).

The caught-in-the-moment style and was shot by famed Brazilian fashion photographer Marcelo Krasilcic.  The voice of the campaign was confident, bold, fun, glamorous, smart, with support lines such as, “Living in the center of the universe has its perks.  Even if you only live here for the weekend” or, “When in Rome do as the Romans.  When in New York do as you please.”

“The hotel’s promise to guests is about putting a finger on the pulse of New York,” said Michael Ancevic, founder and creative director at The Fantastical.  “So the campaign was was really about capturing that energy and glamor and bringing it to life.”

The print campaign launched in April 2014 and ran in high-end domestic & international print media includingNew York Magazine, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, GQ and Tatler; digital media such as nymag.com, USA Today, Pandora, global online networks; and out of home billboards in Times Square.  The campaign was also supported with PR, social media and promotions, executed by partner agencies.

Staying true to the inspiration, CBC partnered with Mr. Galella to publish an art book (“Ron Galella New York”) published by Damiani and distributed by ARTBOOK DAP.  The partnership with Mr. Galella also included in a curated permanent 300+ digital image, large format gallery in the hotel’s lobby.

About CerconeBrownCompany Founded in 2001, CerconeBrownCompany provides unified communications programs, including brand positioning, advertising, media relations, social media and online marketing, to brands that reach engaged consumers. Clients and experience include Rockport, TomTom, Boston Logan International Airport, Luminox, adidas, Orvis, BioScriptives, Dr.Hauschka Skincare, Sperry Top-Sider, K2, The Timberland Company and Quiksilver. For more information, visit www.cerconebrown.com or www.facebook.com/CerconeBrown.

About The Fantastical The Fantastical is a Boston based creative agency that creates highly branded and highly effective brand experiences by combining reality with something magical. They define and create great brands by developing an authentic voice across all media channels: digital, social and traditional branding. The agency is comprised of highly experienced creative tier-one agency brand builders and orchestrators founded by award-winning Creative Directors Michael Ancevic and Steve Mietelski. For more information please visitwww.thefantastical.com.

SOURCE: CerconeBrownCompany

Throughout January 20th – 23rd,Orlando was packed with golf fans scoping out the newest golf wear and training equipment – so of course, our client TomTom made sure they were there to show off their latest golf gear.

With more than 100 of the world’s largest golf and golf lifestyle brands, and over 40,000 industry professionals to test out the new gadgets, the three-day event left everyone well-prepped for tee-time.

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TomTom showcased their Golfer GPS Watch to bright-eyed retailer participants, demonstrating its capabilities to improve any golfer’s game. This watch contains data for more than 34,000 courses and helps users avoid bunkers (that’s golf jargon for sand traps) and other elements on the green.

CBC clients Rockport and Kahtoola recently had a blast meeting industry members, consumers, and all around enthusiasts who share the same love for quality active wear and gear at this year’s Winter Outdoor Retailer in Salt Lake City, Utah.

This year’s winter sure came ready to play, so it’s a good thing that the 2015 Winter Outdoor event did the same. Held from January 20th to 23rd, some of the world’s leading outdoor professionals and retailers in sports equipment gathered at this industry mecca for all-things outdoors. Held biyearly with both a Winter and a Summer Market, clients Rockport and Kahtoola were right in the middle of all the buzz and excitement about this year’s new winter merchandise.

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Rockport’s focus was on their new XCS line and Walk360 collection. Stoppers-by enjoyed checking out the latest Rockport styles and technologies in outdoor and active footwear, including notable industry influencers from Complex Magazine, Backpacker Magazine, Examiner.com and Vamp Footwear.

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Photo Credit: www.trailtosummit.com

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Kahtoola, meanwhile, debuted their new upgraded MICROspikes, the smartest footwear traction gear for slick winter conditions. Kahtoola stood out with an icy bang, having their booth visitors test the new, upgraded ‘spikes and other signature products on an actual ice block indoors! They made some great connections with folks from Trail Runner, Backpacker, Runner’s World, SELF Magazine, and ESPN.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sometimes it can be hard to fit in everything you want to show off about a product in the span of a 30-second TV spot. That being said, when that time slot alone costs upward of 4 million dollars, you don’t have much of a choice.

This year, many of the Super Bowl ads that resonated with us were the ones that developed – however briefly – a strong story. Of course, a simple story line isn’t an automatic recipe for success, but it’s still a good start to creating an emotional tie between the viewer and the brand.

Looking through the lens of this year’s Super Bowl ads, let’s take a peek at three key ingredients for memorable storylines.

1. Originality. For some advertisers, originality was a challenge this year. Anyone else notice an abundance of father-centric ads? It makes sense; it is the right target audience.  Watching the Super Bowl is often thought of as a father-son or father-daughter activity, which resulted in more than one brand using this as an angle to approach their viewers. Amongst all the dad spots, it quickly became hard to stand out. Particularly, both Toyota and Nissan focused on this story line: developing a relationship between a father and child. This is even more confusing since they target similar segments – and coincidently are both car brands. The concept may be a memorable one, but there’s a big chance people who saw both ads will confuse the brands behind them.

2. Leverage Well-Known Characters. Another trend this year’s crop of Super Bowl ads displayed was the value of already established characters. When trying to tell a story in a short time span, using easily referable characters avoids timely introductions and saves precious seconds. Snickers made the most of the technique, with a Brady Bunch-themed commercial featuring Steve Buscemi and Sons of Anarchy’s Danny Trejo.

3. Use Real People. A good story doesn’t always need to be scripted by advertising masters to get a spontaneous approbation from viewers. While Budweiser told quite a tale, puppy included, other spots used “real people” and still managed to stay memorable. Microsoft profiled two everyday technology-users that greatly benefit from innovation to show off their brand’s core values in a friendly and touching way. Always also put relatable, everyday people in the spotlight to redefine female stereotypes, and although they didn’t quite stick to a “story” format, their real people had a real impact.

It’s difficult to agree on which Super Bowl ad came out on top, but it’s safe to say that many achieved their goal. That is, they were able to capture the viewer’s attention and keep it long enough to last at least 30 seconds. They were also able to establish an emotional connection with the viewer using these three key tactics above. How about you: what were your favorite Super Bowl ads this year?

 

This post can also be found on the Publicity Club of New England’s site!