Kate is pretty great. No really, she is.
Kate Spade uses every outlet of social media available to her, and excels. Kate Spade has identified her customer - The Kate Spade Girl, and campaigns not only to her, but about her.
CEO of Kate Spade, Craig Leavitt, says to Mashable blogger, Lauren Indvik, "The Kate Spade girl aspires to lead an interesting life — to engage in the arts and literature and travel and adventure. We talk about those things on social media because that's who she is, and she wants to hear about what her peers are doing." By defining who The Kate Spade Girl is, and identifying their target market, Kate Spade is able to create a brand that is more than clothing and accessories, but a lifestyle. They are effectively selling the type of girl you want to be - and making it appear tangible through their product lines.
By using social media, specifically Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest, she further dives into lifestyle branding, while creating a brand people trust like a friend.
Kate Spade uses Instagram to give followes a sneak peek in to happenings at KS HQ, product previews, and to launch viral campaigns. Over the summer Kate Spade used Instagram to showcase locations around New York with the #wheresthatgirl campaign. Photos were uploaded with the #wheresthatgirl tag and followers had the opportunity to "track down" the Kate Spade team, where they were rewarded with pop up shops, popsicle trucks, donuts rewards, and more. Instagram is also used to showcase photos of travel, summer lifestyle, food, beverages, and good times - making all these things a perceived perk or reward to buying the Kate Spade brand.
Twitter is another great way that Kate Spade directly interacts with customers. Team meetings are live tweeted and often time stamped. Preparation for NYFW is documented so that followers feel as though they are part of the process and VIP. Kate Spade even updates when she has trouble deciding what color to go with on her mani/pedi. By tweeting relatable problems, and asking for the opinion of followers, she is engaging with them on a personal, human level. The Kate Spade team is also very responsive to any tweets directed at them. They listen to customer feedback and respond in a timely fashion, even if its just a quick "Thanks!" or "Cheers!". Both good and bad feedback is treated with the same urgency.
I love the way Kate Spade showcases herself as a lifestyle brand on Pinterest. Board categories go well beyond shoes, purses, and accessories. There are travel boards, recipe boards, home decor tips, and picks from the creative director. All the boards tie into the "Live Colorfully" campaign as well (decorate colorfully, travel colorfully, etc). Pinterest is a great way for Kate Spade to show that there is more to The Kate Spade Girl than Kate Spade clothing and accessories. The Kate Spade Girl encompasses a lifestyle.
For more about Kate Spade, check her out on Facebook, Tumblr (great page, love it), YouTube, Foursquare, and Flickr.
For more on her social media strategy, visit The Social Lights and Mashable.
The Kate Spade brand has great synergy, and your blog has converted me into a fan Lesley. You really showcased Kate Spade's branding and social media strategy. Keeping your image consistent online and offline helps consumers to recognize your brand, and could alleviate the risk of knockoff brands gaining your marketshare.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the feedback, Jason. Kate Spade definitely does it right... It is my hope to create a brand presence that is just as strong.
DeleteGreat examples! Think about it even further... email? What about the tie in to offline? Storefronts, print, or catalog? Don't forget those all important things too! They just opened a store here in Orlando (thank goodness!), and it's like walking through their website. The best companies definitely make you feel like the e-version and the brick&mortar version are synonymous.
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