Marilyn vintage fashion
Building a unique brand narrative
Objectives
Vintage fashion is no longer a niche subculture. It is a rapidly expanding global market driven by sustainability, individuality and the cultural shift toward digital resale platforms.
The objective for Marilyn brand advertising is differentiation. What sets the brand apart from the proliferation of vintage fashion markets and resale platforms?
This project demanded strategic thinking and relevant, targeted art direction. Our role included defining the brand proposition and establishing a clear strategic foundation for the business.
A campaignable concept was required, designed to provide a platform for sustained advertising activity. The concept and visual language had to ensure consistency and a clearly defined brand promise across all communications.
In short, the brand narrative must express a clear and unmistakable differentiation within a competitive market.
Strategy
Given the large and growing market and proliferation of digital platforms for vintage fashion the buyer is confronted with an overwhelming choice of products. Who to buy from, is the the garment authentic and what is the condition.
So this is a matter of offering and source that can be trusted - giving the buyer assurance and confidence in the garments they are purchasing.
Marilyn vintage fashion has been established by an individual with decades of experience and is able to source garments that provide this trust, making it the unique selling point.
So how do we communicate this brand promise effectively with advertising media that gets attention and holds the viewers interest?
Each garment is individually numbered, recording its place within a finite, curated fashion collection. The number affirms rarity, provenance, and the garment’s status as a considered object.
Out of home advertising
An example of out-of-home advertising, reaching markets in public spaces to build awareness and engage consumers while they are on the go.
Out of home advertsiing, in ths case a digital display, is designed to get attention with a powerful, engaging image - giving the brand high visibility with high-impact exposure.
The design and art direction is deliberately simple and graphic in a busy moving environment the primary objective it to get attention and communicate in a simple format which can be grasped in seconds.
Building a resilient, memorable brand narrative
Shop window advertising is a crucial, high-impact retail strategy that turns passers-by into customers by creating an engaging first impression.
Effective displays use targeted image, typography at eye level—to boost foot traffic, promote sales, and reflect brand personality.
Use window poster to communicate advertising, branding and provide information. In tis case a code to the e-commerce website.
Important to choose an image which will get attention we have used a quirky unusual image for shoes worn by a model which is more likely to be noticed.
The typography and design are clearly part of the brand eco-system creating a holistic, long-term, multi-touchpoint relationship with the customer. And building a resilient memorable brand narrative.
Distinctive art direction for Instagram
Instagram makes an idea platform for our creative direction, the platform is designed for visual storytelling, demanding the advertising to use distinctive imagery, typography and design to capture attention and deliver a clear message.
As with all advertising harnessing the power of ideas is paramount to engage the viewer, here we present the viewer with a cropped image, a number and subtitle, which engages curiosity and naturally draws a swipe to reveal the next image and reveal the brand and message.
We made the Instagram advertising simple, eye catching, and story driven by utilising the unique interactive properties, to ensure the advertising stands out.
The art direction is clearly part of the brand eco-system, and continues to build a multi-touchpoint relationship with the customer as well build brand awareness with users who do not already follow Marilyn.
The project status for Marilyn vintage fashion is conceptual and for practical reasons we are working with stock images.
Image sourcing and editing are a core part of our picture editing capabilities. Selecting appropriate images is a critical role in shaping brand narratives and achieving professional, credible results. This is usually a long and arduous task that saps time, energy and ultimately budget too.
Equally, if not more important, is commissioning and collaborating with photographers. We have extensive experience in selecting the most appropriate photographer for a brief and working closely with them through clear art direction to produce relevant and effective images. These images are proven brand assets that communicate meaning with precision and resonate with brand values.
Stock libraries, no doubt, include some highly talented photographers, and when used intelligently they can be effective. That said, commissioning a photographer, working to a distinct brief and creative collaboration will always deliver the best results and, counter to popular belief, will always prove to be the optimal return on investment.