Keeping in touch: Proenza Schouler's social approach
It's undeniable that company's are eager to interact with customers digitally, IBM recently reported that almost 80 percent of companies they surveyed are launching social media initiatives. And while many media sources provide excellent guidelines on where to start with Social CRM and how to develop effective programming for retail, it is refreshing to see a brand approach social media in a more intuitive way.
“I think our brand is about contrast. It’s about something that is very polished and something that feels a little bit rougher - and we like that roughness of the Internet.”
When you see the Proenza Schouler ads pop up on a site you're visiting, they look as if they are from another decade - 2 colour, basic shape -without all of the polish usually associated with a high quality web product - or luxury for that matter. The luxury company's e.commerce business contributes to 15 percent of the company's overall sales - making it their biggest sales channel. The website and ads are just one part of a broader online branding strategy, which is driven by how the brand's designers view the web. "It's not scary or some kind of magic box. It's an amazing tool that helps us communicate with our friends and family and do research, " Lazaro Hernandez, one part of the design duo recently told Business of Fashion.
This view of online as a playground and research tool, has led Hernandez and McCollough (PS's other half) wade sincerely into many collaborations, platforms like Instagram and Tumblr - creating art for and with their followers. Oliver Walsh of Wednesday Agency, and designer of the Proenza Schouler site, mused, "Amongst all the noise online, nothing shines through like authenticity."
While consumers primarily interact with brands online for discounts and product information, Proenza Schouler is one of the few brands which seems to have generated a following - 290,000 strong on Twitter - based on a genuine relationship and desire to get to know one another.
“Amongst all the noise online, nothing shines through like authenticity.”