Runaway success for Guess’ Facebook promo

Posted July 10, 2012 |

Guess Watches’ recent digital marketing campaign designed to encourage more consumers to interact with the brand more often has posted impressive results in just two months.

Asking Facebook users simply to click the ‘Like’ button on a company page has proven incredibly difficult for many brands. Consider, then, asking notoriously short attention-spanned Facebook users not only to join a page, but also to complete a personal details form, create a personal ‘trend board’ of some of their favourite fashion images, share their creations with all their friends, and encourage others to vote for them as well.

That’s exactly what Guess Watches has done, producing some impressive results. In just two months while running its ‘One To Watch’ promotion [which Jeweller reported on before it was launched] Guess Watches’ Facebook fanbase increased by around 500,000 users.

It’s the kind of Facebook promotion that many brands have tried, but few have succeeded with.

At the time of publication, the page was edging towards two million ‘likes’ and dwarfed the Facebook communities of all of other watch brands.

Natalee Hubbard, promotions consultant for the brand’s Australian distributor Designa Accessories, told Jeweller that Guess had been overwhelmed by the response.

“It’s been absolutely phenomenal,” she said. “We already had a great fan base, but to grow by 500,000 in a matter of two months is incredible.”

There is still a month remaining in the general blogger call-out period before finalists are announced, and Hubbard can’t see the increase stopping soon.

“It’s significant growth and it’s working in the sense that entrants are updating their style board and getting interest from their friends, so it keeps on growing,” she said.

Hubbard credited the rise of blogging culture and the difficulty for fashion writers in gaining exposure as part of the reason the promotion had been so successful.

“The nature of fashion journalism has been influenced a lot by bloggers, we’re recognising they are important in our journalistic environment by doing this,” she said. “There are a hell of a lot of people out there wanting their voice heard, and it’s a great platform to have a potential audience of two million people on a global stage.”

Hubbard said she hoped that Designa would work with the two eventual Australian winners, using their skills and newfound profile.

“Our campaigns are done globally, but wherever there are local opportunities or local events, we would absolutely like to get them involved,” she said.

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