Armani One Night Only Roma event
Italian fashion house Giorgio Armani is keeping the brand top of mind to a global audience with a digital campaign for its One Night Only Roma event.
Armani is releasing new content each day for 16 days on a microsite before and after yesterday’s event at Rome’s Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana, which was live-streamed on the site. The brand is spreading the fresh content via its social channels, but the microsite could be the most effective channel for engagement since consumers will not be distracted.
“Their microsite strategy was focused on creating a platform-specific location to view their live events where all supporting content would be event-specific,” said Dalia Strum, professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology and founder of Dalia Inc., New York.
“It’s important to provide content in an area where viewers won’t be distracted and their attention wouldn’t be diverted from the primary area of focus,” she said.
“This approach also provides an opportunity for increased social engagement and additional impressions to reach viewers that they might not have potentially reached previously.”
Ms. Strum is not affiliated with Armani, but agreed to comment as an industry expert.
Armani declined to comment.
Seems like only yesterday
Armani held the One Night Only Roma event last night to celebrate the opening of its new boutique on the city’s Via Condotti. The store offers women’s and men’s fashion in two separate areas.
At the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana, guests could view the brand’s Eccentrico exhibition, which previously toured Milan, Tokyo and Hong Kong, of 62 outfits from the Giorgio Armani and Giorgio Armani Privé collections. Today the exhibit opens to the public for four days.
The event also marked the first time that Armani presented a fashion show to more than 700 attendees in Rome. The presentation featured new versions of the autumn/winter 2013 Emporio Armani and Giorgio Armani collections for men and women along with a showcase of the spring/summer Giorgio Armani Privé Collection.
Following the show, guests could attend an exclusive party with a DJ.
In attendance were celebrities, socialites, leading figures from Roman institutions and local and foreign press.
Armani let its digital audience in on the event through its new microsite at http://onenightonly.armani.com.
Beginning May 30, Armani has been posting one video per day of insights on the brand’s roots and reputation in Rome. The content pays tribute to the city, per the brand.
The homepage of the site shows an interactive countdown. Consumers can click on each date that has passed to view the content.
Homepage
Content presented so far includes a video prelude to the event; video interviews with celebrities who attended the event such as film director Giuseppe Tornatore and actors Raoul Bova, Alessandro Preziosi and Giorgio Lupano; a written interview with designer Giorgio Armani; and the live stream. Content for June 7-14 will go live each day.
Live stream
Other parts of the site allow consumers to view a feed of the #OneNightOnlyRoma hashtag on Twitter and Instagram, read about past One Night Only events and find the new boutique on a map of Rome.
Hashtag feed
Digital focus
Armani is finishing up another campaign of video content that was released intermittently to its digital audience during the previous two months.
The latest installment of the “Frames of Life” campaign brought together the stories of five young characters in a video series. Armani launched the program dedicated to its eyewear in 2010 to showcase the lifestyle associated with wearing its sunglasses and eyeglasses.
Throughout April and May, consumers were introduced to each protagonist and his or her eyewear preference. Each character’s eyewear complemented his or her personality, per the brand (see story).
Digital campaigns from luxury marketers that go beyond a single video promote repeat engagement with savvy consumers.
“It’s important for luxury marketers to put extra support and focus on their digital efforts for a broader visual and virtual reach in regards to how their target market consumes content,” Ms. Strum said.
“By focusing on their SoLoMo strategy, they are increasing opportunities for potential consumers to consume content on the platforms readily available to view and engage on,” she said.
Final Take
Tricia Carr, associate reporter on Luxury Daily, New York
