Six great ideas to break eyewear codes
From May to September, Gucci and Kering Eyewear are implementing an eyewear campaign dedicated solely to travel retail. Here is a six-point plan to create an unprecedented eyewear experience.
1/ Create an exclusive and original model
Kering Eyewear wanted to make an important statement in travel retail with this campaign, to show how much it believes in this channel. The best way to do this was to design an exclusive product for travel retail. Gucci consequently designed a sleek, unisex sunglasses style, with thick lenses and shiny golden metal temples, to create an iconic look – enhanced by subtle branding, with the Gucci lettering logo set on the temple. Offered in a varied color palette ranging from classic tones, such as grey and brown, to bright shades featuring blue, pink and yellow lenses.
2/ Give it a signature presence in-store
To emphasize the “travel retail statement”, the product itself had to stand out in airports. The Gucci visual merchandising team developed a striking mustard color point of sale concept with different formats to fit all of the different display clusters in airports: high price points, mega podiums, pop-up stores, duty free corners. To enhance the shopping experience at top Gucci eyewear travel retail doors worldwide it was essential to create the right space in which to display collection.
3/ Create maximum exposure for the signature presence
Running for five months, from May to September, the Gucci eyewear travel retail exclusive is making a big statement among travelers during the peak holiday period. More than 50% of total Gucci Global Travel Retail distribution has been set up for this project around the world with mega-podiums installed in key hub locations, from Dubai to JFK, London Heathrow to Gatwick, and from Shanghai to Bangkok and Haitang in China.
4/ Engage customers (and make it viral)
Consumers are changing dramatically, looking for experiences when they are shopping. Simply displaying a product is not enough anymore. Through the Gucci app, using branded frames, and filters, customers are able to take an animated GIF with the sunglasses on, and then send it to Instagram, Wechat and Facebook, with the hashtag #GucciEyewear – taking advantage of digital innovation to enhance the in-store experience.
5/ Put your communication into the right hands
The global campaign has been supported by a dedicated advertising concept celebrating the exclusivity of the offer. It comprises a video clip and photography by Petra Collins, who was already involved in directing an exclusive film dedicated to Gucci’s spring/summer 2017 eyewear collection. This impactful campaign has been displayed as part of the set-up designed for the travel retail environment. This is a powerful way to improve in-store experience and capitalize on brand image assets worldwide.
6/ Always stay relevant to the channel
The sunglasses also come with a complimentary Gucci-branded satin sleeping mask and pouch – a Gucci travel retail exclusive product. Not only does this keep the whole experience highly relevant to the channel, but it also encourages virality and experience sharing as travelers may choose to wear both accessories during their upcoming trips.
