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Review our webinar: Defining the new brand journey – what is the future role of fashion trade shows?

Review our webinar: Defining the new brand journey – what is the future role of fashion trade shows?

by | May 12, 2022

​5 takeaways from our webinar: Defining the new brand journey – what is the future role of fashion trade shows?

Digitalization is at the forefront of the conversation about what is changing in the fashion industry. The need for brands to have an online presence and operate business digitally has been continuously rising, especially in the past few seasons. This shift is undoubtedly changing the blueprint and make-up of industry events, shows, and fairs. Trade fairs have always played an integral role in the fashion industry, and innovative adaptations are being implemented within them as times change, so what is the future role of fashion trade shows, and how important are they indefinite the new brand journey?

Our Co-Founder Jens Hamborg Koefoed sat down with Christina Neustrup, Director of CIFF (Copenhagen International Fashion Fair), and Edwina Kulego, Vice President of International and Business Development at Informa Markets to discuss what role trade shows play for fashion brands, how they support brands, their criteria for screening, the new brand journey (digital vs physical showcase) and will share their challenges and changes for the future. Here are the 5 main takeaways of our webinar – « Defining the new brand journey – what is the future role of fashion trade shows? » for you here:

1. The role of trade shows has changed because of digital tools but brands need to know how they are still relevant in the future:

Christina: We need trade shows in the future and we actually had a confirmation of that during Covid. We got feedback from buyers that they were really missing physical that interaction. That’s because they are craftspeople, they really appreciate the tactility of our business. For them to do their job right, it’s also again getting the inspiration, meeting the brands, being there, getting their hands into the material.

Also, we got a confirmation of the long-standing role of the trade show, it’s very much about getting together and lifting together. It also means a lot for convenience for buyers, convenience for the industry and just getting together with the people you work with. We shouldn’t underestimate the whole community part of it – getting a lot of people with relevance together in one spot.

Edwina: Brands that are successful in the market today are the ones that are putting their efforts into multi-channels. Wholesale is still very important, touching and feeling, the discovery part. Buyers are still coming to place orders at trade shows. Then you have the e-commerce part, the direct-to-consumer. A lot of brands are focusing on ways to contact their consumers directly. Then you have the social media aspect and the content part.

I think brands are not diversifying their offering, but it doesn’t eliminate the fact that you still want to present at a trade show, you still want to show your initiatives, what you’re working on, and you want to tell your brand story. Many brands treat trade shows as a transactional thing but it’s also a way to showcase who you are and state your brand DNA, and a lot of buyers come to discover just that.

2. The transactional element of trade shows is changing due to new services and offerings:

Christina: People do place orders digitally, but a lot of the discoveries are taking place at the trade shows. Before we could open our doors twice a year and people had to come in to see the new summer collection or winter collection, now people trade all through the year. But we still have the relevance that brands can attract and show who they are. It’s a lot about brand DNA and the marketing part has always been a big part of trade shows, but I would say it’s even bigger now.

Edwina: That shift has also resulted in the way that we curate our shows. It’s not less trade, it’s still important, but it’s also focusing on an event. You’re now inspiring people more with events and keeping them on the trade show floor longer with activations, we’re curating panels, and providing education for the attendees coming – whether it’s a buyer, or press, or an influencer.

You’re navigating the show, with trade in mind but also having different experiences to connect with the fashion industry as a whole. Trade show producers now are thinking about other things that they can add to create more value at the shows.

Christina: We’re pitching an experience for the buyers and also a lot of the buyers come to the trade shows to experience “new” – to get new knowledge. So us delivering the convince of getting the relevant brands together and the knowledge part, where is the industry going in terms of content, in terms of sustainability. They need to know all these things. We provide that for them, we do a curated show that they can walk through and get these things done.

Edwina: Sustainability is a big conversation obviously, we all have a responsibility to do better. So we are now asking specific questions for brands on the contract when they sign up. We have retailers who are looking to identify those brands at the show. That’s another way in which we’re changing, we’re also using those important factors to re-merchandise our shows and to make the wayfinding easier.

3. Trade shows still are an important place of discovery for buyers, retailers, and industry professionals:

Christina: I know from many of the buyers it’s about them getting out there. There are other brands that are doing very successfully online, having a great social media presence, but upcoming brands still need that discovery. Buyers need good quality, good products, and that’s not always something you discover online. We shouldn’t underestimate the salesperson either that’s a craft as well; the presentation of the collection. Meeting the salesperson there is a totally different buying experience.

4. Consumers are becoming more complex and conscious in their purchasing, trade shows can curate the right brands for the retailers:

Edwina: We want to be more informed. I want to know a bit more about the brand, I’d love to know where it’s produced, I’d like to know if it supports a community that needs it, and I want to know if some of the brands I purchase from are Black-owned for example, or minority-owned. These questions are coming up. Gen-Z and Millennials have clearly stated that they want more information before they hit purchase so we, as trade show producers, have a responsibility to look for those brands.

5. Brands need to elevate and upkeep their digital content to stay relevant, even for physical events and shows:​

Edwina: We are being asked by brands how we can support them in telling their story and their messaging. In our screening process, before we accept any brands into our shows, we’re looking at their look books, their line sheets, we’re looking at their Instagram. I think now Instagram is becoming more popular than the actual website, so we have a team that’s looking at multiple digital ways for the brands to tell their stories.

Sometimes if brands aren’t able to do it in an efficient way or if it’s not cohesive, we may miss the mark on a great brand. We are digitally accepting brands into our shows and that becomes an important part of the process.

Christina: It is still very much up to the brands. We lend them our platform, but it’s still up to them to produce the content and have enough content. Most brands, thankfully, are really aware of this and they’re really good at it.

We doubled our work in the sense that we now do both digital and physical. But our main part is still the physical, the digital part really supports our brands and buyers before they enter the show space. You can never fully swap the two, we got a confirmation that physical trade shows are still needed because we couldn’t translate the things we do in the physical space to the digital.

 

Meet our experts

Christina Neustrup – Director of CIFF

Christina Neustrup is the Director of the Copenhagen International Fashion Fair. During her career, Neustrup has worked alongside and with many prominent creators and brands: Designer and founder Malene Birger, Stine Goya, and Mark Kenly Domino Tan to mention a few. She has worked in the fashion industry for more than two decades and is known in the industry as an experienced creative, specializing in business development through brand-building.

 

Edwina Kulego – Vice President of International and Business Development at Informa Markets

Born and raised in Sweden by Ghanaian parents, Edwina Kulego is the Vice President of International and Business Development at Informa Markets Fashion. Edwina has over 12 years of experience in the fashion and events industry. Edwina is also the founder and CEO of Essentials By Edwina: a vegan, makeup collection designed for women of color. Fluent in Swedish, English, Ga, Twi, and proficient in Danish, Edwina was poised to be a trendsetter in International Business.

Let’s get digital

Digitalization is at the forefront of the conversation about what is changing in the fashion industry. The need for brands to have an online presence and operate business digitally has been continuously rising, especially over the past few seasons. Meeting and sharing content online became even more integral for brands due to the restrictions we have collectively experienced during the pandemic, but the trend of brands moving into a more digital universe had been occurring before this. This shift is undoubtedly changing the blueprint and make-up of industry events, shows, and fairs. Learn more about the VOCAST image bank feature here: https://vocast.com/digital-showroom.

Cabin Culture & The Alpine Lifestyle

Cabin Culture & The Alpine Lifestyle

by | Apr 26, 2022

Cabin Culture & The Alpine Lifestyle

Designing optimal personal spaces is not only reserved for our everyday homes; in some markets, recreational homes and cabins also have significant time and attention devoted to them. This is the case in the mountainous nations of Norway, Austria, and Switzerland, where the population values creating comfortable homes away from home in touch with nature.

The strong establishment of cabin interiors and the popularity of mountainous cabin destinations indicate that the market is developing, with niche magazines and influencers sharing content revolving around these spaces functioning as a source of inspiration for cabin owners. We have spoken to two experts within the field: Tonja Folkvard, Editor-in-Chief of Hytteliv, and Ellen Schwick, cabin interior influencer, shedding light on the strong market position of “cabin interior” and why brands can benefit from collaborating with profiles and publications that showcase these recreational homes.

Looking up north: Norway’s cabin dedication

For many Norwegians, going to one’s cabin is a highly valued way to unwind and connect with nature. Seizing the outdoors – whether it be skiing in the winter, or hiking in the summer – holds long traditions, and is inherently part of the culture. In fact, the element of history has a strong impact on Norwegian cabin culture. Cabins can remain in families for years and years: properties are passed down between generations and function as a shared recreational space for the extended family.

As a result, Norwegians have a strong relationship with their cabins, often stronger than that of their everyday homes. Many are hesitant towards renting their cabins out, and rather want to spend as much time as possible there themselves, including weekends and holidays like Easter, the latter being high seasons for cabin goers.

The most prominent cabin destinations in Norway are characterized by their closeness to outdoor sports facilities: among the most sought-after areas, you can find Trysil, Hemsedal, and Geilo. The common denominator between these destinations is their appeal and catering to a wide array of ages and interests, thus functioning as year-round nature and sports recreational zones for the whole family. 

With this in mind, it comes as no surprise that Norwegians are investing both time and effort into their cabins. Traditionally, Norwegian cabins are rustic and laid-back in style: comfort and functionality are key elements. However, in more recent years, the willingness to invest in these leisure spaces has increased: this applies to both the cabin’s interior as well as outdoor spaces like terraces.

  • Norway boasts 500,000 cabins, a vast amount compared to its modest population
  • 2,5 million Norwegians have access to a cabin property, equaling almost half of the entire country’s population
  • High ownership rate: 97,5% of all registered cabins are owned by Norwegians, indicating prominence and accessibility

 

The flourishing Alpine area and its impressive appeal

Surrounded by alpine peaks and wildflowers, once abandoned farming huts have been converted into chic and contemporary holiday cabins. The alpine region, including Switzerland and Austria, is, with 60-80 million tourists per year, one of the most visited regions on the European continent.

In fact, the tourism industry in the alps generates close to 50 billion in annual turnover and provides 10-12 % of all the jobs in this area. To draw the scope of the overall size of this business, the alpine region has, with its more than 600 ski resorts and 10,000 ski installations, an extremely dynamic infrastructure. 

Austrians as well as The Swiss, are very proud of their cabin culture. Their strong connection to the outdoors and skiing lifestyle is apparent and has resulted in an increase in people coming there for the whole experience. Their heritage is deeply integrated into their day-to-day lives as these two nations are situated directly within the alps and they have created their societal understanding around themselves interacting with their surroundings. This means the demand for typical alpine interior, both cozy cabin and chalet styles, remains high.

The most sought-after areas here are the regions of “Verbier”, “St. Moritz”, “Gstaad”, “Davos” and “Grindelwald”. Hence, one can say that the business thrives; this development generates great engagement amongst entrepreneurs and influencers that take pride in their surroundings by making it their topic of conversation.

  • Low homeownership rates are caused by tight property legislation: 50% of the population owns private properties 
  • Due to skyrocketing property prices in the Alps, cabins and chalets are mostly owned by luxury real-estate companies and hotels
Interview with Tonja Folkvard – Editor-in-Chief of Hytteliv 

Tonja Folkvard is the Editor-in-Chief of Hytteliv, Norway’s leading magazine about cabin interiors. With her extensive experience and expertise within the field, she has highlighted what trends and needs currently characterize the market of the Norwegian cabin interior, as well as how this is reflected in the magazine. (Picture credit: Caroline Roka)

What kind of content do you find that your reader base responds best to when it comes to the topic of alpine/cabin interior style?

Hytteliv’s readers are a diverse group, and there are variations between the different reader segments of this group when it comes to their preferences within cabin interior styles.

In general, articles that show inspirational photos in combination with interior decorating tips, cabin features, and shopping articles are well-liked amongst our readers.

Style-wise, a combination of the typical Norwegian cabin style, with wood panels as well as antique and retro objects, in combination with more modern furniture, like comfortable seating furniture, is popular. Color schemes are often inspired by the nature surrounding the cabin. For example, earth tones, greens in the mountains and greys, sand tones, blue and green by the sea.

Natural materials such as stone, wood, wool, and linen, and designs incorporating animals, flowers, and landscape, are popular. Many choose the view of the landscape outside the living room window as a focal point when furnishing. There is also an increased interest in both constructing and decorating cabins in a more environmentally friendly manner. Therefore, second-hand furniture and redesigned objects are often incorporated into the cabin interior.

@hytteliv

To what extent does your publication conduct paid sponsorships with interior brands, and how well does it work within alpine/cabin-related content?

At Hytteliv, we publish commercial content in cooperation with commercial partners. This content is always clearly marked as an advertisement or sponsored content. We strive to ensure that all content published by us, commercial or not, should be of value to our readers. And as a measure to ensure this value, we use our unique reader data.

Following every issue of Hytteliv, content is tested in our reader panel, telling us that when commercial content is well made, it is highly valued by our readers.

Commercial content is normally produced by our content agency, Core Content, which has a broad understanding of the Hytteliv brand and its target group. We publish commercial content on a regular basis in our magazine, on social media, in our newsletter, and through Hytteliv.no and Klikk.no.

@hytteliv
Interview with Ellen Schwick – Influencer and Cabin owner in Salzburg, Austria.

The “Hütte am Wald” cabin run by Ellen Schwick lies in the beautiful area of Salzburg, Austria. The owner, Ellen, has given us an exclusive insight into how she works as a content creator and nano-influencer. She also tells us about what interior pieces are especially worth mentioning and what she thinks sets alpine influencers apart from other interior content creators. 

What is the main difference between cabin interior / alpine influencers and other interior influencers? What makes them special?

In our opinion, alpine influencers are more focused on nature. The “coziness” inside the house is furthermore being emphasized because of the landscape it is embedded in. Our content is more outdoor-oriented with stronger adaptation to the changing seasons.

The activities of the guests are different very much throughout the seasons, therefore our communication needs to reflect that change. Values such as connection to nature, appreciation for natural materials, sustainability, and environmental awareness increasingly play a bigger role in how we create content.

@huetteamwald

What kind of product categories within interior content do you gravitate towards showcasing the most? What works best and receives the most engagement?

The choice of products to showcase is almost endless for us. We are representing products from all interior segments whether it be furniture for the dining, garden, living, and bathroom area or wellness, yoga, and kitchen -accessories but also sleeping equipment and toys for children are things we promote.

For us, the positioning of each product is important. A clear message and a unique selling proposition for our audience are details we think should be understandable right from the beginning of any campaign we engage in with brands. We know our target group well and therefore know what content ultimately drives conversion for us. Lastly, we always make sure to only work with brands that engage in our values and design aesthetic.

At the moment, the posts that drive the most engagement to highlight our cozy and cabin-like interior style. Pieces for the dining area and living room are definitely converting better than utensils for the bathroom and wellness area. Storytelling is also very much an integral part of our strategy and emphasizes the products we decide to promote (…)

A blanket is not nearly as interesting on its own but rather works as a promotion piece within a context.

@huetteamwald

 

Sara is the Norwegian Market Coordinator at VOCAST, responsible for Norwegian fashion and lifestyle research. When not at VOCAST, she studies Brand and Communications at Copenhagen Business School. Besides work and studies, she is a travel, music, and movie enthusiast.

 

 

 

Kevin is the DACH Market Coordinator at VOCAST. He grew up in Berlin, studying fashion journalism and communication, and has previously worked within fashion PR. Currently, he is studying toward a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and has a strong interest in sustainability, writing, and modern design practices.

 

 

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Salvatori launches Digital Showroom powered by VOCAST

Salvatori launches Digital Showroom powered by VOCAST

by | Apr 6, 2022

Salvatori launches Digital Showroom powered by VOCAST

Salvatori is an award-winning Italian design company specializing in natural stone and creating innovative products for every part of the home. Since 1946, innovation is entrenched in the DNA of the company. Drawing on the very best of Made in Italy values and cutting-edge engineering and technological know-how, Salvatori fuses old-fashioned craftsmanship with contemporary design. Working closely with architects, designers, and builders to provide not only practical support but also inspiring new ways to work with stone which often challenge traditional thinking.

Today the third generation continues the story of innovation and at VOCAST we are proud to support the digital expansion of such a legacy. We sat down with Salvatori to know more about the reasons why they chose VOCAST for their B2B digital endeavors. 

What were your digital needs before finding VOCAST?

We were using a series of different platforms and it got to the point that we realized our partners, dealers, and other parties needed a tool where they could find everything in one place. We wanted to make it easy to share resources such as images, documents, and so on.

​

What is your favorite feature of the digital showroom?

We love the tags and filters because it means the latest, freshest content is immediately available and easy to find when a user searches a particular product. Another favorite is the way you can choose images and add them to your basket – this is a really useful sharing tool for our press office. 

 

Our sales network has really noticed the difference, as they now have more autonomy in the way they access and share materials. We can also quantify the most downloaded and appreciated content which in turn, helps us to develop more relevant images and documents.

 

Discover Salvatori’s Digital Showroom

 

 

Let’s get digital

Why not give a visual experience that tells a story about your brand, just as you would in your physical showroom? VOCAST supports hundreds of brands by setting up their tailor-made image banks. It’s a place for their hand-picked editors, influencers, buyers, and retailers to access their assets on the go. Learn more about the VOCAST image bank feature here: https://vocast.com/digital-showroom

 

Ines is the Research and Marketing Manager at VOCAST.  She previously worked in the beauty industry and is now an expert in social media and digital marketing. Every day she helps design-driven brands navigate digital trends and carry out their marketing and brand strategies effortlessly.

 

 

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Review our webinar: Defining the new brand journey – what is the future role of fashion trade shows?

Review our webinar: How do fashion brands become know today? – a buyer’s perspective

by | Mar 24, 2022

5 key takeaways from our webinar: How do fashion brands become known today? – a buyer’s perspective

In the age of accelerating digitalization, a global pandemic, travel restrictions, shifting social media algorithms, hybrid fashion weeks, and everything in between, how does an emerging brand make its mark while still keeping a sense of purpose and control over its brand journey? Fashion buyers are responsible for predicting future trends and choosing what is sold in stores in order to generate the largest profits. They play a big role in the discovery of new brands and putting them on the map for consumers. They also often work alongside marketing teams to help decide which products to promote to customers. Constantly collaborating on content to make sure that the stores are highlighting bestsellers and pushing products that aren’t selling so well.

So what approach do fashion brands need to take to grab a buyer’s attention? And what type of content do fashion buyers need to drive sales? We defined the new brand journey and gathered best practices from expert fashion buyers, Kevin Kafesu, Head of Strategic Buying and Communication at Norse Projects, and Hannes Wellander, Menswear Buyer at Strøm, on how to navigate a fragmented media and digital landscape. Here are the 5 main takeaways of our webinar – « How do fashion brands become known today? – a buyer’s perspective » for you here:

1. The internet has completely changed the game in terms of brand discovery:

Hannes: The Internet has changed everything. 10 years ago at the dawn of social media, you used it for communication. Now you use it for inspiration and the brands that do their content really well and seamlessly, you follow them no matter if you decide on buying their products are not. Nowadays I can be reached in spite of the product. 

Kevin: We went from being on/using social media to share and communicate with your friends, and share your instant moments. Now it has become a hybrid tool that people use to communicate and promote products and values of a certain brand, and with the abundance of brands, there are so many players now trying to get their message across. Influencers have become advocates for brands to communicate and stand for values.

For us, the online tool has become a great way to access new brands, learn about them, and communicate with them. Today a brand needs to be great at everything, but it is quite tough because there is a lot of information you have to filter. The internet has changed the game completely.  

2. Fashion buyers now discover brands through the cross combination of many different channels:

Hannes: Before we used to go to a lot of different trade shows in Paris, Florence for example, and we would discover a lot of new brands. In the last couple of years, I can’t remember the last time I discovered a brand that I haven’t seen before on Instagram, or online. This is the nature of the job; we do a lot of research whether we like it or not and the internet made us more prepared as buyers.

Kevin: Now it’s a cross combination of Instagram and media coverage online. It’s intuitive and organic. Every morning I refresh online media such as Hypebeast, Complex, and High Snobiety, figure out brands from their Instagram and search for information about the fabrics and their production. 

3. Fashion brands can present their collections and create a great brand experience digitally:

Kevin: Aura Lee is a Japanese brand we recently bought directly online without an initial physical presentation. Unfortunately, the brand had its show in Tokyo and I couldn’t be present because of the lockdown in place in Japan. I was following Aura Lee for a couple of years and figuring out how to actually start this collaboration was tricky. 

The brand is all about the fabrics, so for me, it was important to touch and feel them. Fortunately, these guys were sending out fabric swatches, alongside the whole online collection, catwalk videos, fitting imagery, product descriptions, and size charts which allowed you to gauge how are these clothes going to fit. I got this 360 sensory experience about how it is with the whole collection. You can potentially say this is the new way of doing it.

Hannes: We also bought a new brand during the pandemic called Rohe Frames, it’s a relatively new Dutch brand. They have been in the business for a long time. This was a cold call, normally we receive so many emails. What actually did it, is that their online universe was so coherent and well presented, that you immediately got what they were doing. Branding, styling, communication, they sent us fabric swatches and we got the feel for it. 

You need a level of trust especially when you buy a brand for the first time. The way you communicate is important. An established digital presence is key, the brand needs to come in with a lot of visibility and brand awareness. 

4. Providing the content is key to building a good relationship for post and pre-sales:

Kevin: We need to calculate our return on investment when we create our own unique content. We have a small team, on a lot of the products that have a lot of turnover for instance: limited edition sneakers, we use the content directly from the supplier because the turnout is so fast. But for the bigger brands, we buy a lot from, then we actually do editorial content through our lenses. But for all the fast pace products we usually rely on assets provided by the brands directly. Pack-shots, product descriptions, etc… Which we then obviously amend to our tone of voice, but all that stuff is important. 

When you are working six months ahead, we want these assets already so when the product arrives. It’s just plug-in and play. Dropbox is not always ideal because it’s folders amongst folders, but at least everything from pack shots to campaign images, and product descriptions, is there for us to use.

Hannes: We are usually looking for a partnership for the long term. Content is a big factor, images are key and storytelling is really important for our newsletters fx. It needs to be coherent and if the brand universe is clear, that makes it easier for us to repurpose, and it’s also easier for us to translate into our own universe.

5. The best and worst ways to share content:

Hannes: Some brands are still stuck 10 years ago, they provide you with a physical lookbook and then it’s done and there is no digital game at all. The brand being invested with content sharing is a great service. 

The worse experience I had was during the pandemic; a French brand had a person run around the showroom with their phone to show you the collection, which got me very dizzy after 2 hours.

Kevin: It’s the whole red thread, the high would be a window activation, digital, and staff uniform. Dress top key sales associate in the product that coincides with the window display and the digital campaign. Asics for instance has a platform to inform you about digital assets available nearly every other day. That little tool is great because you can share it with the marketing team and get everything prepped in advance ready for selling.

4 types of content you need to provide to your retailers/buyers:

1. Images: Pack-shots, campaign images, images cropped for different social media channels

2. A story: Brand or collection story

3. Videos: Catwalks and brand campaigns

4. Product descriptions: Size charts, prices, colors, and materials

 

Meet our experts

Hannes Wellander – Menswear Buyer at Strøm

Originally from Sweden, Hannes has been working as a menswear buyer for several independent multibrand stores in Copenhagen for the past 15 years, including Pede & Stoffer, Goods, and now STRØM.

 

 

Kevin Kafesu – Head of Buying at Norse Projects

Kevin is the Head of strategic Buying and Communication at Norse Projects. He worked for brands including renowned knitwear brands Andersen-Andersen and Wood Wood, both in a Retail and Marketing capacity.

 

 

Let’s get digital

Digitalization is at the forefront of the conversation about what is changing in the fashion industry. The need for brands to have an online presence and operate business digitally has been continuously rising, especially over the past few seasons. Meeting and sharing content online became even more integral for brands due to the restrictions we have collectively experienced during the pandemic, but the trend of brands moving into a more digital universe had been occurring before this. This shift is undoubtedly changing the blueprint and make-up of industry events, shows, and fairs. Learn more about the VOCAST image bank feature here: https://vocast.com/digital-showroom.

 

Ines is the Research and Marketing Manager at VOCAST.  She previously worked in the beauty industry and is now an expert in social media and digital marketing. Every day she helps design-driven brands navigate digital trends and carry out their marketing and brand strategies effortlessly.

How ATP Atelier shares great pieces of content with their B2B partners

How ATP Atelier shares great pieces of content with their B2B partners

by | Mar 9, 2022

How ATP Atelier shares great pieces of content with their B2B partners

Content marketing is one of the most effective methods of developing brand presence, growing an audience, and driving sales for many brands. Consistency in brand messaging is one of the many factors that determine growth and control over a company’s narrative. Strong brands know how to portray their brand consistently and at every customer touchpoint. 

But how do you parallel this with your equally important partners, press, and other B2B collaborators? We sat down with Emmy Björling, PR & Marketing Manager at Swedish accessories and shoe brand ATP Atelier, to talk about the benefits of producing consistent and high-quality content. Learn how ATP Atelier efficiently distributes unique stories with their B2B partners. 

Why is producing quality digital content important?

For us to be able to stand out in the overly saturated fashion industry it’s important to not only create unique and exciting products but also to match that with interesting content. In some cases, content even trumps product in importance. The content tells a story the product can’t. In this day and age, most people shop to realize themselves and to associate themselves with a brand’s values rather than filling an actual “need” through a product.

ATP Atelier is known for fun and original content, how do you create something that grabs the eye and captures your brand identity?

We really value all the content that we do, which means that we put a lot of effort into how it will look and how it will feel so that the content really shows the core of the brand. It’s a constant flow process coming mainly from a team of four people in marketing. One of us has been working here for a very long time and she’s head of all the content that we produce. That is really something that helps us do almost everything in-house.

As for the inspiration, we get it from everywhere, from our creative director, the products we make, the community around us, etc…We also have a physical universe which is our Atelier, it’s much more than a store, we have other brands that we represent as well. All sorts of furniture and art that we feel are a part of our identity. We collect things around us that will be sooner or later be the inspiration for everything we do.

You also create specific content for specific retailers/stores, what are the benefits you see in doing this?

When you have a lot of different retailers around the world it might be difficult to present our brand the way we think it should be. But one way of keeping it all together is through the content that we share and create together.
For us content is so important and in that way we also want to share that with our retailers and our partners, it’s a win-win situation. That helps with keeping the narrative of ATP Atelier and the branding consistent.

In the case that we want to put a bit more effort into a certain partnership, we could for instance do a collaboration on a product level where we would do a product design together and we will also create content for that product. Sometimes we do content collaborations where we will share the story of ATP Atelier while including their products as well.

For example, we did a very successful collaboration with Net-a-Porter last summer where we created a product together – a cozier version of our Doris everyday sandals, we also worked on a content collaboration with the influencer Linh Niller. That content was shared between all of us on social media and other channels. By joining our forces together with Linh and Net-a-Porter we achieved create a very successful content collaboration.

What were your digital needs before finding VOCAST? 

We didn’t have an in-house team which means that we basically didn’t control any of the PR. We would send pictures via email or did simple wetransfers to different PR agencies. Our PR team was started together with implementing VOCAST. It simplified the whole process and we now do everything ourselves.

You create landing pages for your different collections detailing and sharing all the assets and essence of the collection. How did this idea come up?

It came up when we couldn’t travel or have anyone visit our physical showroom during the lockdowns. The whole media bank is where all pictures are but the focus is more on downloading the assets. I wanted to create an interactive page that you can share with anyone anywhere and that contains the spirit of each collection while keeping control over the narrative. It’s been great to share that because we also use it for our sales purposes, our sales team couldn’t travel as well and they use it for prospecting mainly and presenting the new collections.

What is your favorite feature of the digital showroom?

Creating and sharing selections, we use it a lot to send to stylists, to press, and partners. It’s so easy to be able to showcase in one go for example what are the heels for this season just for them to see.

What are some of the benefits you are already seeing with using our platform?

It makes a huge difference for us, if we didn’t have it we wouldn’t have a natural place to direct all the important people that should have the information for the upcoming season. I work with it every day and I think it’s an amazing solution.

Marketing teams are always working hard to make a great customer journey and I would say that as PR managers we are also focusing on creating that same journey for the whole process that comes before the end customer. VOCAST is a tool that helps us create that brand journey from start to finish. It also simplifies the whole sending back-and-forth of big assets.

 

Discover ATP Atelier’s Digital Showroom

About ATP Atelier

ATP Atelier was founded by two close friends Maj-La and Jonas. ATP Atelier was born out of the desire to create shoes and leather goods that couple contemporary Scandinavian design and authentic Italian craftsmanship. The mission is to challenge the concept of luxury – to make it smart, not redundant. With a sustainable mindset ATP Atelier sets out to create, not just because, but to make a real difference in women’s lives. Read more about ATP Atelier or discover their digital showroom. 

 

Let’s get digital

Why not give a visual experience that tells a story about your brand, just as you would in your physical showroom? VOCAST supports hundreds of brands by setting up their tailor-made image banks. It’s a place for their hand-picked editors, influencers, buyers, and retailers to access their assets on the go. Learn more about the VOCAST image bank feature here: https://vocast.com/digital-showroom

 

Ines is the Research and Marketing Manager at VOCAST.  She previously worked in the beauty industry and is now an expert in social media and digital marketing. Every day she helps design-driven brands navigate digital trends and carry out their marketing and brand strategies effortlessly.

 

 

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