Feathers marketing boss: ‘fashion brands are wrong to only hire PR people and not marketers’
Melbourne fashion brand Feathers Boutique has turned to traditional advertising for the first time and hiked its marketing budget to raise its profile amid the retail squeeze.
Launched through creative agency The Reactor, the brand is spending heavily on photography in a print and social media campaign that comes a year after Feathers hired its first marketing director.
Previously, the company relied purely on PR and rock posters, the lower-end of outdoor advertising typically used by music bands. But this year, the brand has “significantly” increased spend on marketing and rethought its media strategy.
“Fashion typically doesn’t do marketing well,” head of marketing Poppy Key told Mumbrella. “One of the big mistakes brands make is to just hire PR people and not marketing people. Of course PR is important to get a brand talked about, but a broader understanding of marketing is essential for fashion brands these days.”
Before Key arrived, the brand only had a PR function. The marketing team now includes a PR manager and a head of e-commerce.
Feathers ‘look book’
The campaign will run in Marie Claire, Harper’s BAZAAR, Good Weekend, Sunday Life and Madison. It was shot by CI Studios.
There will also be increased activity on Facebook. Feathers publishes an instore catalogue, a newsletter and runs the e-commerce site shopfeathers.com.au.
Nick Brown, CD at The Reactor commented. “It’s great to see a retailer with a strong business who understands that the best way to maintain sustainable growth is to advertise.”
Credits:
Client: Feathers Boutique – Poppy Key (Head of Marketing)
Agency: The Reactor – Nick Brown (Creative Director)
Photography: Ci Studios – Tintin Hedberg, Charlie Jackson
An Australian retailer not having a whinge for a change, how refreshing! Well done, great campaign.
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They could use some help on their social media campaign.
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Not sure I agree with the sentiment that “Fashion typically doesn’t do marketing well”. Similarly not sure I know of many fashion brands that hire only PR people and not marketers… If this is the case, I’d better switch industries pronto!
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