REVOLVE: Why we #canteven with the #revolveinthehamptons 2016 social media campaign

by Belfort Group | Thought Leadership
August 1, 2016

Ladies around the world “literally” #canteven with REVOLVE Clothing’s most recent social media campaign. The e-commerce site that offers fashion items from emerging designers with a west-coast vibe launched its second annual #Revolveinthehamptons campaign on their social media channels this July and we think it was even better than last year’s.

On July 23rd, REVOLVE hosted its final Hampton’s party of the summer. Each weekend’s guest list included A-list social media influencers and several celebrities. One consistent quality of all of the guests—besides being incredibly photogenic—is the large scale of their social networks. Notable guests from this season’s events included Aimee Song, a 28 year old fashion blogger with 3.7 million Instagram followers, Hailey Baldwin, a 19 year old fashion model with 6.5 million followers, Chrissy Teigan, model and fashion blogger with 7.8 million followers, and 35 year old TV personality Kim Kardashian, who has 77.3 million followers … just to name a few.

Throughout July, guests were treated to days of partying, lawn games, and live performances at South Hampton beach, while sipping Moët & Chandon. They got to wear anything REVOLVE’s closet had to offer, but of course, there was a tradeoff. Guests were asked to post twice daily to their own social media channels including Snapchat and Instagram, with the captions that utilized the designated hashtag, #revolveinthehamptons. Attendees included in their captions @mentions (tag links to other user profiles) at fellow attendees, tags, and geotags to popular locations like The Surf Lodge and Sunset Beach. And believe it or not, those @mentions and geotags really matter. In fact, according to SproutSocial Instagram @mentions in captions earns 65 percent more engagement and adding location drives 79 percent higher engagement. Translation: REVOLVE’s name is everywhere, and we don’t just mean physically – like in the lawn where the bushes were manicured to spell out the brands name.

According to Fashionista.com, 64 percent of women shopping for apparel on mobile are more influenced into purchasing products displayed “in context,” meaning when they see the products being worn on women living their lives—slightly more glamourous lives than normal, but that’s the appealing part.

Founded in 2003, the company currently boasts 1.2 million followers on Instagram and is worth $400 million (via Fortune). In an article by MediaKix, Co-founder Michael Mente attributes the brand’s success to a mostly mobile-based marketing strategy focused on targeted, customer loyalty-driven campaigns that foster “genuine interest.” #revolveinthehamptons so far, has generated 4,813 Instagram posts and hours of photos and video footage on Snapchat. In 2014, Revolve created a hashtag where shoppers can tag their outfits from REVOLVE using #revolveme which has 41,990 posts as of today.

User-generated advertising is an incredible and inexpensive tool that, when properly used, spreads brand awareness and grows its image. It’s engaging and allows for the brand to build a relationship with its customers and eventually integrate itself into its customer’s everyday life through their social profiles and personal branding.

Alright, so what does all this really mean? Simply put, REVOLVE has successfully capitalized on the perfect combination of social media influencers and experiential marketing to captivate their target demographic and grow their brand to new international heights. The company’s name is recognizable, their products are selling and their campaign is adored—and most of the content about them isn’t even theirs.

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