Case Studies: DKNY #UK2012

How did DKNY leverage the power of social media in their #UK2012 campaign to drive live traffic to their store?

FOMO: Fear Of Missing Out. We have all heard about it and many of us have experienced it at one time or another. DKNY and their marketing team recognized that people enjoy being where the action is, and created the #UK2012 campaign in order to capitalize on that.

DKNY wanted to do something big last year when they were re-opening their London location. They decided that, considering the nature of the campaign and the power of social media, there was no better way to drive success and traffic than with a viral video campaign that leveraged FOMO, social media and industry influencers.

Essentially, DKNY reached out to 50 industry influencers and asked them to begin discussing the store re-opening using the #UK2012 hashtag. As the video below shows, the event went viral and people from all over the world were getting ready to visit the new London store.

Thanks to the digital marketing experts at Fashionbi, we were able to find that the campaign generated over 12 million impressions, DKNY’s active followers increased by 31%, retweets of DKNY’s content increased by 42% and #UK2012 became an organically trending topic on Twitter.

As one tweet puts it, “DKNY #UK2012, Social media is the new press release!” This campaign goes to show it.

So what can marketers learn from the campaign?

Adapt to Changing Markets

There was a time when social media would not have even been considered as a viable medium to direct physical traffic to a local store. The marketing team at DKNY, however, realized that social media has become one of the world’s primary tools for communication.

It is important, as marketers, that we keep in mind that social media is much more than a place to post vacation pictures. It is the primary resource for sharing information and keeping up to date. When you are generating buzz, few places are better for getting started.

Capitalize on Influence

For every one influencer there is an attentive audience of thousands. In a recent Social Equity segment, we discussed the great value of influence marketing. By reaching out to influencers, DKNY was quickly able to reach the viral status that every campaign hopes to achieve.

Keep influence in mind when putting together a campaign. It can be the quickest way to social media success, as exemplified by the #UK2012 campaign.

Every Channel Has Its Use

In the video above, virtually every major social network is showcased as playing a role in the success of the #UK2012 campaign. It is premature to nix a network from a social media strategy early on in a campaign or program. Every social network can add value in some way or another, it is just a question of figuring out how it can be leveraged to benefit your brand.

Big Spending Is Not Big Return on Social Media

Social media is about time, commitment and fluency in every network. Spending thousands on paid ads and featured posts might generate exposure, but it will not necessarily translate into the same success as understanding how to use social media.

For DKNY, #UK2012 became a trending topic on Twitter with no paid media. The influencers volunteered and the Wall Street Journal wrote an article about the campaign as news, not an ad. The proper planning and execution of a campaign is what makes it succeed.

Special thanks to Fashionbi for their hard work and the excellent data they provided for this article.

Which lesson do you think is most useful for marketers? Tell us in the comments below or on Twitter!