Digital strategy boosts Burberry's brand value

It may have been founded over 150 years ago, but Burberry is harnessing ground-breaking marketing techniques to put it at the forefront of fashion. Where once luxury labels fought shy of the internet, believing it would cheapen their image, Burberry is now seeing its fastest growth in online sales as it embraces social media and blurs the boundary between its physical stores and the digital world.

Burberry’s commitment to innovative content marketing and social media engagement has earned the fashion label a place among the online sphere’s most exciting and popular luxury brands. More than 60 percent of the brand’s marketing budget is going towards digital, and you can be sure that the ROI is bound to be big – especially if it’s measured in terms of brand awareness.

Burberry consistently delivers seamless, on-point experiences to their fans and potential customers; and while not everybody may be able to afford that iconic trench, the point is that everyone knows it’s iconic. Check out these campaigns to get a taste of how Burberry’s team has revamped the brand, while continuously pushing the digital envelope.

Art of the Trench Burberry was one of the first brands to truly embrace the full potential of user-generated content as a powerful marketing tool. There’s nothing like giving your real-life fashion-forward fans creative power as they sport your brand’s pièce de résistance – in this case, the trench.

Art of the Trench It also never hurts to have a couple of cool kids on your side. The Sartorialist founder and photographer Scott Schuman, as well as other noted fashion photogs, were tapped to create styled shoots while fans were encouraged to post their own selfie shots. Within the first six months after the November 2009 launch, there were seven million views, and the site is still going strong today.

Acoustic It’s no secret that Burberry’s a brand that’s big on music. To prove it, Creative Director/#1 Fan Christopher Bailey orchestrated a project called Burberry Acoustic. The short film series features emerging British musicians performing acoustic versions of their work against countryside settings, all while decked out in head-to-toe Burberry.

Acoustic The partnerships infused the brand with a high dose of youthful hipness while gaining tremendous traction across several content channels including a separate microsite and various social media channels. The campaign has resulted in an incredibly successful set of videos, many of which have well over 100,000 views on YouTube.

#Tweetwalk With 17 million likes, Burberry’s the most followed brand of its kind on Facebook and has definitely made its presence felt on other platforms as well, especially Twitter. In a fashion first, a few seasons ago Burberry launched its Tweetwalk, sharing its newest looks before they made their way down the catwalk, and streaming the images to 25 stores across the world.

#Tweetwalk The result? Within 30 minutes of the show, there were 50,000 views and #Tweetwalk and #ChristopherBailey trended on Twitter. Sneak-peeks do wonders to rile up excitement, especially when fans are made to feel just as important as the star-studded front row audience of live catwalk shows. Not only did real-time shoppers get the first look, they also got the chance to shop the new collection moments before they became available to the general public.

Kisses The latest from Burberry is a lighthearted yet ingenious campaign meant to highlight the brand’s expanding makeup collection. In partnership with Google, Burberry Kisses allows users to send letters that are sealed with a virtual kiss to anyone in the world.

Kisses The fun and interactive experience takes a shot of your puckered up lips, resulting in your smooch being sent along with a note of your choice. Google Street View then enables users to actually follow the message as it makes its way to its recipient. Not only do users get to learn about Burberry’s new cosmetics offerings, they get to engage on an emotional level, sending out kisses & notes to those they love. Recipients are delivered the brand’s message, and Google benefits with higher engagement on its Plus platform. Sounds like a win-win-win.

Questions 1) Compare digital marketing and traditional sales promotion methods 2) How does digital strategy boost Burberry's brand value?