This is a great article I came across on mashable.com on one of my favorite designers Tory Burch. The editor interview Tory Burch’s CEO Miki Berardelli, on how designer Tory Burch expanded her empire globally by using social media and Internet marketing. Whether you’re an up and coming fashion designer or a veteran in the retail industry, this article shares great insight on the paradigm shift of digital marketing and the importance of having an e-commerce presence for your business. Below is a portion of the interview.
You joined Tory Burch in 2009. What drew you to the company? I think it was really Tory’s vision to create a luxury brand that is accessible and has a sense of social responsibility — those were things that resonated with me both personally and professionally. There was also of course the people and the culture and, from a marketing perspective, the emotional connection that the customer had, and still has, with the brand.
How would you characterize the company’s marketing strategy at that time? Tory always says that in the early years, not having a tremendous budget forced her to really think out of the box and tap into her and her team’s creativity. It was very much about editorial relationships and personal appearances, which enabled her to connect directly to the customer. Seven and a half years years later, that start-up spirit is very much alive. We still have not bought traditional advertisements in U.S. magazines, although we do some display and online advertising.
How else have the company’s marketing efforts changed since you joined? We continue to focus on all things digital. We redesigned our website earlier this year, which was very much about pulling all of the content [we have developed] into the shopping experience … [and] supporting mobile commerce. We’ve also done a lot in the social media space. Lately we’ve been focusing on the intersection of social, local and mobile, whether that’s for a new store opening in a specific market, or driving traffic into [our existing] stores. Given the rapid growth of the company, we’re also focused on analysis of our marketing efforts to ensure that they are effective.
To read more from the article click here
