US fashion brand Forever 21 has signed on fashion blogger Bip Ling to represent it as it prepares to open its second store in the UK - a flagship establishment on Oxford Street. There is little doubt about Ling’s relationship with Forever 21: she stars in the chain's latest ad campaign for its high summer and autumn collections. As Forever 21 senior marketing manager Linda Chiang told Retail Week: "Bip is the 'It' name in fashion. She has her finger firmly on the fashion pulse and has a fun and creative sense of style which embodies the Forever 21 brand."
Despite the seeming body blow the Federal Trade Commission gave the practice of brands using popular bloggers to promote their products, it is still very much in use. Retailers, though, have adjusted their relationships with these influencers to meet regulations - and thus developed a wide range of new models. In the case of Forever 21, the brand makes no bones about the ties. In other cases, the retail brand does not want to give the appearance of a blogger getting paid to influence his or her readers.
Beyond the Call of Duty
Aveda Corp. falls in the latter category. Rachael Ostrom, executive director of Consumer Engagement at the company described to eMarketer a multi-pronged approach to blogger outreach. "Depending on the type of campaign - hair, skin or environmental - we'll identify a group of usually six to 10 highly influential bloggers. We engage them on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and their own channels as well. They serve as evangelists for the brand and engage in conversations with our community."
She said Aveda doesn’t pay bloggers, but does offer them products, and sometimes gift cards "if they go above and beyond the call of duty. We’re very adamant about not paying bloggers because we feel that if they are going to influence women, which they do, they really shouldn’t be influenced by our payment."
Social Campaigns
Another path has been the mashup of corporate content, social media and customer conversation. L’Oreal USA, as one example, recruits customers to be brand advocates via a collaboration with Telemundo Communications, Marc Speichert, CMO of L’Oreal USA, tells Forbes.com. "The partnership targets one of the Hispanic community’s strongest passions, telenovelas. Fans have the opportunity to connect with one another, engage with their favorite Telenovela stars while earning points to win prizes, Telemundo brand premiums and L’Oréal USA products from our collection of brands."
