SIX WAYS SOCIAL MEDIA CONTINUES TO REVOLUTIONIZE THE BRAND AND CONSUMER RELATIONSHIP

When I Iook at the world of fashion today, it is clear that we have entered a new era that brings products and consumers’ lives closer together. It provides brands deeper insight into their audiences’ wants, needs and desires like never before, and at the heart of this is an incredibly powerful force: social media.

A staggering 3.5 billion people are now using social networking sites and apps. In today’s hyper-connected world, having a social media presence is a must for businesses, no matter the industry. According to Forbes, “Social media should be the pulse of your company. It’s the thing that keeps your brand human and lets today’s consumer know that you’re still alive...”

With these thoughts in mind, here are six ways social media continues to revolutionize the brand and consumer relationship, deepening their connection like never before: 

1.    Enhancing customer engagement

Effective customer engagement is crucial to building brand success. Research shows that 54% of those who browse social media do so to research products and nearly 20% use it to ask brands questions. Businesses are listening and building their online presence to connect more deeply with their current audiences, attract the next generation of consumers and ensure their brand stays relevant. Lego  is not only one of the world’s most valuable and strongest toy brands but also one of the most engaging brands on social media. Innovative campaigns, such as its Lego Ideas Twitter page, sit at the heart of its customer engagement strategy and help ensure they stay relevant in today’s digital world.  

2.    Rewriting business models

What really stands out is how social media is completely disrupting traditional business models and with it, brand-consumer interaction. It is opening up brands to global markets; providing new and instant communication and sales channels that shorten the path to purchase (Instagram recently introduced its shopping feature); increasing competition; and offering smarter targeted approaches to advertising. It offers innovative ways to tell stories and capture people’s hearts by giving them a glimpse into the world of the brands they love, such as through live product launches.  

3.    Blending virtual and reality

Fashion influencers - both real and even virtual - and user-generated content such as blogs and videos are making fashion more personal. They shape consumers’ purchasing decisions, inspiring them in more relevant ways, further blurring the lines between digital and reality. Our collaboration with CGI-generated Instagram influencer, Noonoouri, during our TOMMYNOW SP19 show in Paris, led to great online social engagement. Created by graphic designer, Joerg Zuber, Noonoouri is just one of many virtual influencers redefining how fashion brands engage with their audiences and promote their products.

4.    Supporting transparency

Social networking is also giving consumers the ability to question brands about their products, processes and values in the public arena. This is driving more transparency across industries and encouraging brands to become more open, honest and accountable. This can only be a good thing in moving the fashion industry and others towards more sustainable, fair and ethical practices. We recently launched our Make It Possible sustainability vision, and plan to further leverage our social media channels as we roll out our 2020 targets.

5.    Pushing the boundaries of interaction

One of the most exciting developments in social media is the use of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). These technologies are enabling businesses to push the boundaries of innovation, revolutionizing how consumers interact with the brands they love. I’m amazed at how companies are embracing these technologies, such as Mercedes Benz, which has created an AR Instagram filter that is inspiring and engaging consumers ahead of the launch of one of its latest cars. Similarly, Tommy Hilfiger is exploring and testing the use of VR to engage our audiences through the launch of our web-based immersive runway experience streamed live from our FA19 TommyXZendaya show in NYC, giving consumers real-time access to the show, product and our TOMMYNOW world. 

 6.    Allowing greater consumer ‘listening’

Through social listening, we can gain uncensored information into what our consumers say about us, see what’s trending and benchmark ourselves against our competitors. More importantly, social listening is allowing us to better understand what our audiences want and respond to their desires faster. Looking ahead, as we continue to identify ‘tribes’ among our consumers and followers, we will be able to engage with individual communities with content that we know will resonate most with them.

The future is closer than ever

It is clear that social media is fostering intimate dialogue between brands and consumers, and giving us real-time consumer insights in unique ways. It is making the brand stories that we tell, how we tell them and who tells them more important and impactful than ever. It will take on completely new dimensions, in that we may even create our own virtual brand ambassadors who deliver content and stories that align with the interests and tastes of our target groups. And while digital platforms continue to disrupt the relationship between brand and consumer, all of this signals one very distinct possibility about the future of fashion: social media will continue to be one of its greatest and most important influencers.