Influencer Marketing: Calvin Klein
*All Images belong to Calvin Klein
In recent weeks, a new fashion trend has been circulating on social media since the release of Hulu’s series Love Story, based on the real-life story of JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette. Influencers have taken to their platforms with posts featuring outfits, makeup tutorials, and hairstyles (even going so far as to dye their hair after watching the series), inspired by Carolyn and her iconic looks. One of the most common brands mentioned when discussing Carolyn’s fashion was Calvin Klein, the brand that employed her and launched her romance with JFK Jr. Calvin Klein has been known for its classic fashion as well as its iconic collaborations with its models, ranging from Brooke Shields to, as of recent, Bad Bunny. But what if Calvin Klein started utilizing the changing landscape of advertising and launched an influencer marketing campaign?
Calvin Klein has iconic ads featuring portraits of their models dressed in their clothes, ranging from denim to underwear. I believe that if Calvin Klein begins to utilize the influencer space properly, it can see real impact and ROI for its brand. I would set the objectives of the campaigns as follows: Utilize the current discussion on Carolyn Bessette's iconic looks and raise brand awareness through influencers who have a similar fashion sense to hers, and have a major increase in conversion through shoppable ads, specifically through Instagram, to mimic the iconic billboard and in-store visuals. This can also be achieved through a series of sponsored posts from the influencers and by utilizing affiliate marketing of a specific discount that is exclusive to the influencer's code on the site. Regarding the content the influencers would post, I think it would be best to mimic the iconic ads: a simple portrait featuring the iconic Calvin Klein pieces. Some of the pieces can be remakes of Carolyn’s most iconic looks, like the camel skirt and the simple black top, or the classic Calvin Klein denim. The influencers can also post a series of stories with affiliate links, showing how Calvin Klein fits seamlessly into their daily routine, much like it did for Carolyn.
The influencers I would recommend for this campaign are Emma Pritchard and Greta Tomé. Emma Pritchard is from Massachusetts (a nod to the Kennedys’ iconic home state) and has a total of 383K followers on Instagram and a similar fashion sense to Carolyn, of simple yet classic outfits. Greta Tomé is from NYC and shows her life living on the Upper East Side, as well as her classic style ( a nod to the main setting of the series and the couple’s real-life home). Greta has a total of 308K followers on Instagram.
Throughout the campaign, we will use the collaboration feature on Instagram and Instagram Insights to track engagement, click-throughs to the site, and purchases made directly through Instagram's shop feature. We will also track the number of times the specialized coupon code is used to track the number of customers who are coming directly from the influencers’ page. The only real challenge I can foresee for this campaign is that the allure of Calvin Klein’s ads may be lost on the younger users on the app. But this can be fixed by Calvin Klein posting a series of throwback posts to show the influences their ads and fashion have had on society over the years.
