#Fashion140 Conference and the Brands That Get Social

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I’d like to go out on a potential limb here and say fashion is at its most exciting age ever. Fashion is everywhere these days – it’s a perfect match for the social world we live in and we as consumers are the ones to benefit. Opportunities are endless: brands like Gilt Groupe and HauteLook are creating the opportunity for practically anyone to own designer goods and fashion brands; magazines like Oscar de la Renta and People StyleWatch offer behind-the-scenes looks at the latest styles and trends, and social platforms like Tumblr allow anyone that can type the ability to create their own voice on fashion.

Last week at #Fashion 140, discussions centered on how social media is changing the fashion industry and more importantly, sharing the tips and success stories that translate across industries. While I could sit here and blog all about the amazing rain boots worn to Lincoln Center on this drizzly day, that Joe Zee is even sweeter in person than on “The City,” or how much I adore The Glamourai, I’ll move on quickly to highlight some of the key brands that get it and share the tips they suggested for success regardless of the industry your business lives in:

GILT GROUPE

Gilt Groupe Founder Alexandra Wilkis Wilson (@GiltAlexandra) was fed up with the chaos of sample sale shopping and set out to change it a few years ago – she wanted to re-create the rush of scoring a deal in a fast-paced setting, but with the convenience of online shopping and acceptable hours. Wilson and her co-founder single-handedly created what the industry now calls flash sales. She modernized the shopping industry and encouraged brands and retailers to do the same. Wilson was surprisingly candid in revealing what works and what doesn’t at Gilt. Gilt’s primary method of customer communication and engaging new users is email but social media is incredibly important to their business. Their primary uses of Twitter and Facebook are to “delight and surprise” die-hard fans and create awareness for location-specific events, like the recent Bruno Mars concert in L.A. they publicized using the @GiltCityLA handle.

To reiterate social media’s importance, Wilson spent the entire day before the conference engaging with customers on Facebook and Twitter, and continues to suggest that all executives do the same. Gilt’s business revolves around ensuring a positive sample sale experience and is agile in making changes to ensure that. Recent changes include teaching customers to make quick purchase decisions by instituting a 10-minute item hold limit and engaging those who can’t be glued to the computer every day at noon through the launch of a mobile app. The company sends more than 420 million uniquely customized emails to customers every day based on their preferences, location and past purchases – and this area of a customized experience is where the brand really shines.

DIESEL

@DieselUSA has one of the most popular and powerful voices in fashion on Twitter and the woman behind it all, Rebecca Goodman, spoke during the Social ROI portion of the conference. Diesel’s presence on the platform began with a singular goal – for the male-dominated brand to connect with the women purchasing clothing for themselves and their household. Once they identified this goal, Rebecca took charge of the handle’s strong, tailored tweets, and the rest has been history. More than anything else, Goodman stressed the importance of brands setting specific goals before starting anything social.

TUMBLR

Tumblr is the fastest growing blog platform today. Its social nature and customizable layout has fashion brands and magazines flocking to create a presence on the platform. Some of the best fashion pubs from Lucky Magazine to Teen Vogue and GQ have seen success using Tumblr on the notion that brands should connect with audiences wherever they are. Tumblr’s Fashion Director Rich Tong, who most recently launched Tumblr’s fashion editorial presence with the Tumblr 24 and New York Fashion Week, spoke to attendees about the visual nature of the platform, saying Tumblr users post more than 27 million times a day and more than half include images. For brands seeking a presence on Tumblr or any blogging platform for that matter, visual elements are key. Tong also commend Tumblr pages like that of Oscar PR Girl which gives readers an insider’s look at Oscar de la Renta, and suggested brands look to successful pages like this to use as a guide when creating their own.

TIME, INC.

Journalists on this panel provided example after example of how social media has changed how and what they write. Keeping these notions in mind for any brand will be crucial in the changing social and PR landscape. For example, People StyleWatch’s Melissa Liebling-Goldberg tweeted to her followers right before attending the Met Ball Gala a couple of weeks ago to ask what behind-the-scenes photos they wanted to see most. To her surprise, it was Kristen Stewart, which had an overwhelming impact on not only what the publication tweeted behind-the-scenes from the event, but also what made it in to print.

And gone are the days where journalists would start their mornings reading the paper and press releases before constructing their editorial coverage for the day. InStyle editor Rosie Amodio, for example, customized her Twitter feed using lists of prominent news sites – including everything from Dow Jones to Refinery29.com, and scans her Twitter lists each morning while on the train to work to get a sense of the news for the day and help her frame out InStyle’s online editorial content.

Overwhelmingly, reporters spoke about how important Twitter is to determining and curating their coverage, and brands that want to increase the likelihood of being covered should be communicating relevant information and news early and often on Twitter.

Feel free to check out the full conference via replay here. Also, check out the full list of speakers here. I’d love to hear your thoughts and encourage you to connect with me here on HYPERtext, on Tumblr or Twitter.