MC Ebook HighStreetFashionWeek

Measuring Success on the Social Catwalk:
An analysis of social media conversation about high street brands at London Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2013
Presented with:
2013 salesforce.com, inc. All rights reserved. Proprietary and Confidential 0313
Measuring Success on the Social Catwalk
Table of Contents
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Headline Findings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Topshop received the most love. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 River Island generated the most buzz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Whistles flew under the radar
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Volumes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Sentiment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Most loved. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Most hated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Conversation drivers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 The shows and collections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 The models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Celebrity attendence and collaborations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Competitions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Getting Social . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Notes on methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Presented in conjunction with Media Measurement 2013 salesforce.com, inc. All rights reserved. Proprietary and Confidential http://www.salesforce.com/marketing-cloud/
Introduction
Traditionally, London Fashion Week (LFW) has focused on showcasing designer labels, whether they are long-established brands or up-and-coming new talent. At the LFW Autumn Winter 2013 (AW 2013) however, the high street is featured more prominently. Fashion week stalwarts Topshop returned with their Unique line, but this season they were joined by fellow high street brand River Island, who launched a line in collaboration with pop princess Rihanna. Whistles also debuted, hosting their own show for the first time. This is the first of two white papers investigating the high streets impact at LFW AW 2013, analysing social media conversations. This paper compares the volume and quality of social media conversations about Topshop, River Island and Whistles to determine which of the three high street brands had the most impact. It will also reveal the secrets of their success. Part two, out next week, will look at how the high street performed at LFW AW 2013 in comparison to the designer brands, and offer insight to what they could learn from each-others social strategies.
Headline Findings
Topshop received the most love
Topshop could do no wrong at LFW AW 2013. People loved the collection, the show and Topshop efforts to make London Fashion Week more social and interactive. With the hottest celebs on the front row, must-have models on the catwalk, and its strong social presence, the TopShop performance was hard to beat.
River Island generated the most buzz

River Island was the most talked about brand at London Fashion Week, thanks to its collaboration with one of the worlds hottest pop stars, Rihanna. However, not all buzz is good buzz; conversations about River Island were not always high quality, and not everyone was a fan of the collection, or the lines inclusion in LFW.
Whistles flew under the radar

Those who talked about it loved it. But with a small social presence and no major talking point, the brand received little attention.
Volumes
A comparison of the volume of social media conversations about the brands in relation to LFW during the seven days from 14th February, found that River Island and the Rihanna for River Island line was mentioned in by far the most posts. By collaborating with Rihanna for the launch, they were able to exploit her global brand power to drive conversations. The celebrity pull for River Island ensured that it accounted for three times the buzz that Topshop created (FIG.1). This was despite far stronger social media presence for Topshop (FIG. 2).
Fig. 1: Total volume of posts mentioning the brands & LFW
River Island also experienced the greatest increase in posts during LFW, when the level of conversation was compared to a week in January (w/c 17th Jan). The volume of posts mentioning River Island increased by 274%, compared to a 179% increase for Whistles and a 145% increase for Topshop.
Fig. 2: Social media presence of the high street brands
Sentiment
An analysis of a sample of all posts for each brand revealed that overall sentiment was fairly even across the brands, with Whistles attracting a slightly higher proportion of positive posts. However, an analysis of a sample of posts specifically relating to the brands fashion shows illustrates that while sentiment for Whistles and Topshop were fairly even and almost exclusively positive or neutral, River Island attracted a significant proportion of negative conversations (27%). While some of the negative attention was aimed at the collection, there was also criticism of the models that walked in the show, and of the inclusion of Rihannas collection for River Island in LFW.
Fig. 3: Sentiment of posts by brand, about LFW overall and about the fashion shows
Most loved
Fig. 4: Top positive messages
There was general appreciation expressed for the River Island, Topshop and Whistles collections as a whole, with River Island receiving the most positive attention overall, indicating that Rihanna for River Island split opinions. Topshop was praised for putting on a great show at LFW, and the models on the catwalk received a lot of love, especially Cara Delevingne, who opened the show.
Fig. 5: Positive Tweet about Topshop show
Fig. 6: Top positive messages general messages removed
For River Island, most of the positive support for the collection was generic; while people praised Rihanna and the collection as a whole, there were less looks and pieces singled out for praise. At Topshop, the most loved look on the catwalk was sequins, while for Whistles, knits, camo and leather were all received positive attention.
Most hated
Fig. 7: Top negative messages about Rihanna for River Island
As negative posts about Topshop and Whistles were negligible, the analysis of the most hated focuses on River Island, which attracted significant negative attention (3% of posts overall, 27% of posts about the show). The most prominent negative discussion point was the Rihanna for River Island collection as a whole. While some said that the collection was trashy or porny, and too flimsy or revealing others found it to be underwhelming or predictable.
Fig. 8: Tweet criticising the inclusion of Rihanna for River Island in LFW
Another key point of criticism was Rihannas design credentials. Some felt that she should stick to singing; others felt she shouldnt be at LFW in the first place, and expressed a preference for real design talent.
INSIGHT:
Celebrity endorsements and fashion collections need to be a good fit with the brand, the event, and the target demographic for wholesale success.
Conversation drivers
Its well-known that fashion week is as much about the celebrities, the parties, whos wearing what and who was with whom, as it is about the designers and their collections. This was no different for the high street brands at LFW. Social media conversations about the brands in relation to LFW were frequently not focused on the shows and the collections. Some of the off-topic conversations were part and parcel of fashion week and useful in driving attention and engagement with brands.
The shows and collections

Whistles had the highest proportion of on-topic conversations during the day of its show and the following day, when 43% of posts (FIG. 9) featured comment about the catwalk show itself. Many of the posts about River Island at LFW focused on the fact that Rihanna was collaborating with the brand for a collection, without elaborating. There was a lot of anticipation expressed in social media for the River Island show, as people were intrigued and excited by what the collection might look like. During and following the show, many of the references to the collection were very general, and mentioned the various looks and pieces far less frequently than posts discussing Whistles and Topshop.
Fig. 9: % of posts in sample (from day of, and day after each brands show) which mentioned shows content & the collections
For Topshop, many different elements of the show prompted conversations, from the models, to the music, the staging, the collection and the celebrities in attendance.
The models
Models walking for the brands at LFW were a source of positive and negative buzz. One of the Topshop models, Cara Delevingne, the model of the moment who appeared in seven shows at LFW, was frequently mentioned. The use of a model cam attached to Cara and fellow model Jourdan Dunn which captured their view of the show, plus backstage antics, increased attention for the show.
Fig. 10: tweet from fashion blogger/writer about Cara Delevigne walking for Topshop
In the River Island show, there was mixed opinion about the models. While some loved the new models, others perceived them to be too skinny.
Celebrity attendence and collaborations

Rihanna Tweeted multiple times to her 28.5 million twitter followers about the collection with River Island, attracting Retweets of between 2,000 and 5,000 each time. This helped to build huge anticipation for the show and the collection, and there is no doubt that without Rihannas presence River Island would not have received the amount of attention that it did.
However, there was also some criticism of Rihanna and River Islands inclusion in LFW, as people complained that she was not a real designer, and that London Fashion Week should be about up-and-coming British designers.
Fig. 11: Tweet from Grazia magazines The Topshop show was attended by a number of shopping editor about the Rhianna for River celebrities, including singer Demi Lovato, actor Kate Island show Bosworth and One Directions Louis Tomlinson, helping to generate buzz. However, Topshop was only mentioned in passing in these posts, which meant that the quality of conversation was diluted.
Whistles did not attract attention in social media for celebrity attendance/endorsement at its show. This meant that the volume of posts about Whistles was significantly lower than both Topshop and River Island, although posts about the show were, as a result, much more focused on the quality of the collection.
INSIGHT:
Having the hottest celebrities at the show increases attention and buzz if they are popular with the target demographic. However, attention for celebrities attending/endorsing can also dilute the conversation and draw attention away from the looks and trends.
Competitions
On 20th February River Island ran a very popular competition to win a Rihanna LFW goodie bag, with one lucky winner getting to meet Rihanna. The competition was almost solely responsible for over 4,500 posts on this day, which significantly boosted River Islands share of voice. Whistles also ran a similar competition with Revlon, which increased posts mentioning the brand at LFW on 19th February, and accounted for 74% of UK posts about Whistles at London Fashion Week. This type of conversation may increase the number of followers and visibility for the brand, but it is usually fleeting, low quality engagement.
Fig. 12: Tracked number of posts per day
INSIGHT:
Brands opting for this type of activity should have a plan to translate the increased attention from consumers into deeper engagement.
Getting social
Topshop was by far the most social of the three high street brands at LFW. The retailer aimed to make its show and the rest of LFW as interactive as possible, via a link-up with Google+. The brand gave people at fashion week an insight into what was going on backstage and used model cams to allow viewers to see the show from a different angle. The live stream show included a feature where viewers could take their own photos of the show, which made it very easy for people to share their favourite looks.
Fig. 13: Tweet about the social/interactive elements of the Topshop show
This increased accessibility ensured that more people commented about and shared images of the show. It also scored the brand brownie points, as people commented on how much they were loving the live stream, the model cams, the Google+ hangout and the shoot the show screenshot option. The Topshop already significant social media audience (see FIG. 2) meant that the brand was more able to justify its investment in making LFW social than the other high street brands. However, the results indicate that the decision paid off, and ensured that Topshop was seen as leading the way for other brands.
INSIGHT:
Investment in making LFW more social paid off for Topshop. However, brands need to work on building a strong social brand as a base for more experimental tactics.
10
Summary
The high street brands left their mark on London Fashion Week Autumn Winter 2013. River Island brought a lot of attention to LFW due to its collaboration with Rihanna. While not all of this attention was positive, its likely that LFW and the brand were exposed to new audiences thanks to Rihannas participation. Topshop, which is a little more established at LFW, also succeeded in opening up LFW to a wider audience through its use of social networks and technology to give those not attending in the flesh greater access to the shows and the backstage action. Its clever selection of the models and celebrities of the moment to walk in its show and sit in the front row ensured increased buzz about the shows and collection. Whistles made a good debut, receiving respect and love for its collection; however, its low profile in social media and lack of celebrity power meant that the show did not drive the conversations the collection may have warranted. High street brands taking part in fashion week events should carefully consider the inclusion of celebrities and top models as part of their PR and marketing strategy to increase attention for the collections. However, it is important to retain focus on getting the right fit with the event, the brand and the target demographic. For maximum exposure, retailers should focus on building their social currency year-round, and try new social tactics to increase the brands social reputation. Read next weeks report for a comparison of the LFW high street brands social media performance to the designer brands. We will reveal what they could learn from each others social strategies. Presented in conjuntion with:
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Notes on methodology:
Salesforce Marketing Cloud social listening was used to monitor social media conversations about Topshop, River Island and Whistles. Boolean searches were used to find posts mentioning one of the three brands associated with London Fashion Week. LFW took place from 15th to 19th February 2013. This report includes posts from the seven-day period from 14th to 20th February. The report is restricted to posts from the UK, in English language. The scope does not include all social media sites; notable exclusions include Google+, Pinterest and Instagram. The sentiment analysis was carried out by human analysts on a random sample of posts, focusing for each brand on the day of their show and the day following their show.
Please note, the charts in FIGS. 1, 9 & 12 were made using infogr.am.
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Measuring Success on the Social Catwalk:

Measuring Success on the Social Catwalk

Measuring Success on the Social Catwalk

Measuring Success on the Social Catwalk

River Island generated the most buzz

Whistles flew under the radar

Fig. 1: Total volume of posts mentioning the brands & LFW

Measuring Success on the Social Catwalk

Fig. 2: Social media presence of the high street brands

Measuring Success on the Social Catwalk

Fig. 4: Top positive messages

Fig. 5: Positive Tweet about Topshop show

Fig. 6: Top positive messages general messages removed

Measuring Success on the Social Catwalk

Fig. 7: Top negative messages about Rihanna for River Island

Measuring Success on the Social Catwalk

The shows and collections

Celebrity attendence and collaborations

Measuring Success on the Social Catwalk

Fig. 12: Tracked number of posts per day

Measuring Success on the Social Catwalk

Measuring Success on the Social Catwalk

Measuring Success on the Social Catwalk

Have questions? Contact us:

www.salesforcemarketingcloud.com E marketingcloud@salesforce.com @marketingcloud T 1-800-NO-SOFTWARE

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