24 hours of happiness!: Social Media lessons from Pharell's new video.

After years of success, there comes a time when some people can just start doing whatever they want. Pharell Williams is one of those people, although despite how many years have past, he still puts passion and innovation to his work to break the boundaries.

Just today, I shared on Twitter this article which first lesson to become socially engaged is to “dothings differently”. Well, Pharell has (and lets considerate him as a brand). 

He launched the first 24-hour-long music video. And anyone would think “what the heck for?” No matter his reasons, the video made it to every news channel, just for being the first of his kind.

It is not on YouTube, but it’s own platform called 24hoursofhappy (“Happy” is the performed song by the way). 

This means:

Direct clicks

What every brand wants. People are actually going in to this page designed exclusively to showcase Pharell’s new idea. If he made a bet with any brand to prove he could make it and get those direct clicks, he won.

Impact

You must have seen it in the news. Everywhere. Shared by your friends. And now in this blog. I bet, if you haven’t; now you want to see it.

“Shareability”

That 24-hours-long doesn’t mean you can share it. Actually, Pharell thought about this strategically, and the platform is designed so that you can share just your favorite part.

Viral and catchy

The tune gets deep in your subconscious. I’m sure that if you see the whole video, not at once but a few hours at the time, you’ll easily learn the whole Happy song that is constantly repeated along.

I read in “The Guardian” that by the end of the video Pharell has exhorted the viewer to “clap along” 8,640 times (would this involve a subliminal message?).

A little influencers help

The video also involves the appearances of some celebrities like Magic Johnson, Odd Future, Jimmy Kimmel and Steve Carell.

In the end I think I shouldn’t ask what’s your favorite part of Pharell’s new video, but what’s your favorite “time”?

Feed junkie

Whatsapp. Facebook. Twitter. Instagram. Pinterest. LinkedIn. Personal E-mail. School E-mail. Work E-mail. Blog.

The listed above are the main networks I’m engaged to every day. During the past months, I’ve been working intensively with managing multiple accounts, and this has kind of given me the sensation of being packed of it.

It’s funny because social media supposedly gives us insights of other people’s life. These channels are supposed to makes us feel part of their best moments, closer to their feelings, especially from those who are way.

But what’s really happening is that, lately, I’m not really paying much attention to what anyone posts on social media but me. Sounds selfish, I know. But this is probably one of the most sincere analyses I’ve written lately.

Am I becoming a “feed junkie”?

I ask myself this kind of modern-existential questions every once in a while.

The fact is that with the imposed fake necessity of keeping the pace of my updates and the rest of the time that I expend “living” the real life, I ain’t got much time left (or desire) to keep in track with everyone else’s lives. I’m in, see what people have to say about what I posted, and I’m out. That’s it.

Then someone asks me “did you see the pictures I posted about my trip”? And you probably know what the answer is. If I'm not directly involved in it, I might not. (If I wasn’t tagged there, forget about it).

Only when I’m waiting on a line or for the bus to arrive, I get into the stories of the rest of the world, but this might be no more that 10 minutes. And by my amounts of shared content, people think I’m connected all the time, but the truth is I’m more disconnected than ever.

The interesting paradox here is that by being so into “social”, I’ve become an “antisocial”.

Is this happening to you as well?

If we reach a point where the answer of this last question is mostly yes, there will come the evolution, and the networks would have to be reinvented again to drag us back in into their game.

More about the experience, less about shopping.

Last Thursday I visited the Uniqlo store in 34^th street. Lot of people had mentioned me the store, so I decided to give it a try. I really liked it. The design, the structure, the clean layout, the way everything is so organized, the restrooms and the spaced halls. The store mainly offers basics in all possible colors. And some pieces that you could easily substitute with cheaper versions found in department stores. But after being around other packed places, I liked shopping there. It was comfortable and satisfactory.

This pic is from Uniqlo at 5th Avenue
Taken from JSBG

 The shopping experience is one thing you can’t trade. And that’s something managers must understand these days. People is doing more online-shopping these days, so when they decide to go out to store, they’re looking for that temporary fulfilling feeling that comes after purchasing something new and not for a stressful time.

That reminded me an article I recently read at BOF, about how stores like Opening Ceremony are concerned about creating a whole “retail entertainment” strategy to bring in those customers that use to play the shipping and return game.

What we are seeing now is more in-store parties, fashion shows, tastings and sprees. Stores that are hiring producers to create their own music sets and fashion films (found on LinkedIn a company focused on this) to showcase inside the establishment’s screens. And shelves that are being displayed following a mobile-friendly strategy or even integrating e-commercefunctions in the operations of the physical store.

The pushers

As in other aspects, Apple has been one of the innovators when it comes to In-store experience. The model of their Apple stores, have been reproduced by other technology brands that want their customers to try out their products.

Apple Store in 5th Avenue

Make the store an interesting place to visit

Architecture matters. As if it was a touristic venue, Starbucks opened last year a store built out of recycled shipping containers, converting this in a spot anyone would like to visit and take a picture of. They’ve been using this kind of strategy for years and it has worked to build brand equity.

What else can you offer?

You can give something extra to your customers by partnering with another company that can add up to your in-store customer experience. Like Verizon did last year with Kitchen 67, offering good food with bites of technology to their visitors.

What experiences have you enjoy lately in your favorite stores? 

Readability!

For my Social Media class this week I was asked to talk about a social tool that I like. I choose Readability, an app that I discovered recently and that I wanted to share with you guys. So this is what i wrote: 

Readability View

With so many things to read on the web and so many content to curate to feed our final project account (@SocialVilleNY), my personal account (@YanerisM) and to contribute to our class’s hashtag (#Mkmc5102), there’s a lot of interesting readings I come across everyday but I don’t have the time to read them all completely while I’m surfing pages.

I already have a million bookmark folders I never come back to. So, to keep saving pages this way was not an option.   I considered using Evernote, but they had so many features on their description video that I felt a little overwhelmed. I wanted something simple as I like simple things. 

"Read comfortably - Anytime, Anywhere!"

That’s when I noticed the Readability button. I spotted it in one of those pages, right next to the usual sharing buttons. Readability is an app that lets you bookmark something you want to save for later. It saves the articles for you in a clean format, without the advertisements and you can even choose to read them in your Kindle format, if you have one. You can organize your readings in an archive and also add tags to classify them better.

Sharing options in Readability

For me is perfect, because it works in a very simple way. You log in using your Facebook or Twitter account (where you can also share what you’re reading). And you may also install the Readability button on your browser, which works exactly like the “Pin it” button from Pinterest.

Readability button

What apps are doing for fashion

Stylebook App

The fashion industry runs around trends and, living on the social era we are living, it isn’t hard to figure out why it is so susceptible to all these new tech and social media trends coming up.

These days, we can find all sort of mobile apps for fashion lovers aimed to be used in different aspects of our lives. This variety is more likely to be found on iOS (some exclusively), letting us know that the wider range of trend lovers can be found under the Apple umbrella.

Let’s just take a look at what’s going on:

Magazines being useful

Apps are challenging magazines on their apps conception. Now is not about “read this edition on your mobile”, but about what else can we do beside entertain you.  

Glamour magazine, for example, has “Ask a Stylist”. An app that allows you to receive expert’s advice on what to wear and how to wear it. And Lucky magazine has Lucky at Your Service, which would help you track the most fashionable items of the moment, according to editors.

Catalog delivery

No more catalogs on your mailbox. Now you can have them all gathered in apps like Catalog Spree, making it easier to update the offer, but also challenging the stores to work on this new content display.

Deals hunting

Apps that help you come across “fabulous finds” are the most popular lately and there’s still more to come. Snapette and Swirl are some of these, that would help you locate stores near you, but also spread the word on social media by letting every body envy what you’ve just purchased.

Putting your outfit together

Some people plan their outfits for the week. Some of us just don’t have that discipline. But for any case, apps like Stylebook and Cloth, will make this task easier, by allowing you to combine what you have in your closet, put it on a when-to-wear-it calendar and sharing it with the rest of the world, among other solutions.

What other fashion apps do you use and recommend?

Why social models are becoming the top!

We are sure that the social media boom has become pretty rewarding for famous figures that receive endorsements while using their private accounts. Athletes, actors, bloggers, experts and many others have found their ways to take advantage of self-advertising on the social web.

@CocoRocha on Instagram

But there’s another group for whom social media has totally changed the game, and I’m talking about models.

For years, models where meant to remain silent, speechless and expressionless, by assuming the heterogenic concepts of the brands they represented. Being promoted under the mercy of their modeling agencies, until they where hired for enough campaigns and shows to pay their own reps.

But today the game has changed, and younger models can find their own way to breakthrough if they know how to take advantage of their social networks.

The perks of being a social model:

-Paid to be socialites

Models are paid to walk down the runway, but at the same time, the get to by part of the parties and the entertainment around the fashion industry. Which is a great subject to showcase on social media.

-Fashion insiders

They get to see, feel and comment the trends with information from the primary sources, the designers. Besides, they can create expectations on upcoming campaigns, keeping their followers posted and waiting for more.

-Networking

Do you have any idea of how many people you get to know around any fashion event? From photographers to stylists, journalists, editors, brand directors… Just a quick snapshot with any fashion icon, and you’ll have some word-of-mouth.

These and much more kind of content that models can have access to, easily generates conversations that lead to more social media awareness and faster exposure than ever before.

And of course, all these lead to worthy endorsements from small and big brands that models can take advantage from at any level.

"Models, paid to be expressionless, are finding a new way to express themselves". –The Wall Street Journal. 

Who did it right last Fashion Week?

@cocorocha

@missjourdandunn

@caradelevingne

@karliekloss

@MirandaKerr

@AngelCandice (Candice Swanepoel)

@HillaryHRhoda

@JoanSmalls

The legendary keep their social media going on too.

Famous top models don't let it all to the young newcomers. This women are rockin' it too on the networks. 

@GiseleOfficial (Gisele Bundchen)

@HeidiKlum

@KarolinaKurkova

@NaomiCampbell

Events with no boundaries!

On my last blog entry for my Social Media Class (MKMC5102) y was talking about how the boost of social media has changed the creative process in the fashion industry from inside the firms.

Well today I’ve found out about another innovation in the way fashion is being showcased, also reinforced by the possibilities that internet and social media are offering.

I’m referring to the Digital Fashion Week, “the first world’s first shoppable live streaming fashion week”, done thanks to a joint partnership between Singapore and the British Council.

This Fashion Week debuted in October 2012, which means this is its second year. And is only presented through YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, Facebook and Tumblr.  

I believe the team you need to put together a live fashion show that will be streamed is kind of the same of a regular one, except that you save the need to have ushers accommodating guests in the room.

And here is where the industry have different opinions about how things should be. “On one side, there are veterans who believe that Fashion Week should remain a strictly closed business-focused event; and on the other side are those who want to crack Fashion Week wide open”, says an article on Luxury Society.

Selective or not, this could be the future of much more events to come, done exclusively online. “Brands are embracing digital; as evidenced by the fact that marketing initiatives are now incorporated into the vast majority of shows and presentations”, the article recalls.

And the possibility of selling the merchandise right through the web offers the opportunity of a faster return of the investment, that doesn't depends on the impact on regular media or the amount of attendants at the event.

So what you guys think about this initiative? 

Isn't it funny how social media changes the creative game?

“Isn’t if funny how money changes the situation?” –a song says. But the thing is that, for the fashion industry specially, social media is changing the whole creative process when it comes to working on campaigns.

Oscar De La Renta launched their fall ad campaign on their Instagram @OscarPRGirl this year 

Right now, the creative team not only needs to make tangible an abstract inspirational concept for a collection. It also needs to be attached to a wise and attractive ad campaign that will be later showcased in different formats including, of course, social media.

The whole campaign won’t be only about visual impact anymore. Its interpretation must be communicated as a whole set of experiences that will be showcased through these new channels available.

This means that nowadays each season’s campaign’s meeting shall contemplate how the idea would work on pictures, how it would work on a 140 characters message, how it would fit a 1:1 Instagram square, on which Pinterest board it would be placed, how the whole story can be told on a 3 minute video on YouTube and the third party channels of the influencers recruited for the brand.

This means, the complete planning of performing all these things involves more than just a concept, a model, a stylist, a make-up artist, a photographer and a location, as in the old days.

Fashion in particular, is an industry which sales are driven by each brand’s visual contents. Some are definitely doing it better than others on this race. They’re seeing the whole picture together and the consumers are seeing it as well.

Michelle Williams by Peter Lindberg for Louis Vuitton

Talking about being all over? Louis Vuitton makes it on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, Google+ and even Foursquare. Followed by their own App. All of these clearly prompted on their main site. 

Chanel on the other hand, is lagging on the list of brand’s with a good social media presence, despite their intents of engaging people with the brand’s history, with their “Inside Chanel”, video series on YouTube. 

Some might say: “Maybe is just that Chanel true ladies (large buyers) are women who are probably not “losing time” on social networks”. But guess what? Maybe their daughters, grand-daughters and nieces are. And when it comes about getting their first high fashion piece from “wealthy grandma”, some network influence might lead their preference.

Oscar de la Renta’s house may teach them all a little lesson about it. Their @OscarPRGirl is more than an account name. Is an insider with true personality, communicating with the world from the bowels of the brand. They even choose to launch their fall ad campaign on Instagram, before any other traditional media. Approaching with these strategies a younger circle of customers who have responded happily to the messages of a brand that specially suits women beyond their 35’s. 

So get your team's minds set or die trying.