Stood atop a grand piano, the Hollywood actress sings a rendition of Winter Wonderland in the spot; a track that Topshop hopes has a chance of reaching number one. Accordingly, it is available to download on iTunes as well as through Shazam and Spotify.
The film was directed by Michael Polish and was inspired by the famous piano scene from 1989′s The Fabulous Baker Boys with Michelle Pfeiffer.
It sees Bosworth wearing a custom-made Topshop dress, designed by her in partnership with the retailer’s team. Both that and her shoes will be available to order on Topshop.com to tie in with its new store opening in LA in February 2013. The make-up worn in the film however is available to order immediately.
“This project brings together two important aspects of my life: cinema and fashion. I have always been a fan of the Topshop brand and it has been an honour to work with Sir Phillip and the team. I hope everyone enjoys watching it as much as we did making it,” said Bosworth.
She has also sent personalised digital messages introducing the film to numerous Topshop customers.
Given the fact online films now pop-up left, right and centre from fashion brands and retailers, it’s always fun to see those who go the extra mile to make sure their fans are fully engaged ahead of launch, almost securing the spot’s virality before it does so.
Kudos then to Topshop, who has made its first holiday campaign an altogether more significant affair by using social media to tease who its star is.
“Winter Wonderland” will premier tomorrow on YouTube, fronted by a Hollywood A-lister. Accordingly, Topshop has been using Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Google+, Tumblr, Pinterest and Instagram to build anticipation as to who she is.
Five teaser trailers reveal shots of her from the neck down, pictures on Instagram capture her in London over the weekend from behind, and comments on Twitter provide clues into where she’s from and what she likes doing. A board on Pinterest houses everything together in one space.
Justin Cooke, CMO at Topshop, said: “We are very excited about the launch of our first Christmas movie, its a true 360 degree campaign with some surprise elements that you will see tomorrow! We wanted to create real anticipation before it premiered and it looks likes its working with over 100,000 people watching 10 second teasers and an incredible number of posts and tweets across all platforms.”
Some of the clues have included:
This one is particularly fabulous:
And the guesses have been flying in. “From Elizabeth Olsen & Georgia May Jagger to Whitney Port & Diane Kruger…” tweeted Topshop on Saturday, December 1. So too have there been suggestions such as Cara Delevingne, Kate Bosworth, Chloë Grace Moretz, Emma Stone and more.
Fans themselves have been saying things like: “@Topshop’s #whosthatgirl competition is so addictive, keep trying to guess who it is, I really haven’t got a clue!”
And: “@Topshop #whosthatgirl can’t wait til Tuesday to find out if I’m correct, most fun game I’ve played in a long time, feel like a detective!”
And: “Tortured by @Topshop’s #whosthatgirl campaign. Talk about brilliant social media marketing. Can’t wait to find out who she is tomorrow!”
As for the film itself, Topshop says its inspired by The Fabulous Baker Boys – the film that made Michelle Pfeiffer famous. Until tomorrow then… (and some more pics below in the meantime).
Justin Cooke, CMO at Topshop, took to the stage at Decoded Fashion in London Thursday with one simple message: “You CAN do emotion in digital.”
While he pulled on quotes, videos and nuggets of inspiration from the likes of Steve Jobs through to Mark Zuckerberg, not to mention Walt Disney and Sir Ken Robinson, what resonated the most was the powerful role music plays.
As Leo Tolstoy once said: “Music is the shorthand of emotion.” Cooke added: “Music is killer for me; you can take people down with it.”
He used the example of an Instagram shot he took of autumn leaves made all the more sentimental with the hashtag #paolonutini added to it. Or this beautiful animated Twinings ad that acts as a metaphor for taking a break from our hectic lives, while The Calling’s Wherever You Will Go by Charlene Soraia plays in the background.
But there was one example he gave that stood out more than any other, and that was the rain orchestra. If you haven’t seen it, do click above now – it’s almost worth knowing less about it when you do so for the first time.
… Spine-tingling isn’t it?!
What’s even better is that it’s also a phenomenal example of content that works beautifully for a brand, in this case Burberry, Cooke’s former employer.
The autumn/winter 2012/13 Burberry show used this orchestra to fake a thunderstorm above its London Fashion Week tent, and the same now plays in its new Regent Street store in London. At the top of every hour, the lights dim and each of the screens circling the floor transform into a “digital rain shower” – quite a show-stopping moment for the unsuspecting shopper.
“We’ve tried to choreograph it so that you have content specific to certain areas, but then all of a sudden the whole store turns into one rain cloud and makes you stop and smile,” chief creative officer Christopher Bailey told The Business of Fashion at launch. “It’s not just about shopping. The important thing for me is that when you go in, you feel entertained.”
As Cooke explained: “People say you can’t feel that stuff… but when you’re at a show or in-store and that surrounds you, my god you can feel it.”
He pushed for brands to harness emotion to help their consumers feel more connected with technology and with things online. Super simple, but a great reminder that sometimes it doesn’t need anything more magical than that.
BONUS: Cooke also referenced a piece from The Wall Street Journal, The anatomy of a tear-jerker – a great look at how scientifically our emotions really get going through music.
In case you haven’t yet seen it, here’s Lana Del Rey’s music video for H&M’s autumn/winter 2012/13 fashion campaign. Directed by Johan Renck, it features the US popstar covering Bobby Vinton’s 1963 hit, Blue Velvet.
It appears in a full two-minute version online, as well as in 30-second spots for television.
Burberry is inviting consumers to purchase directly from its autumn/winter 2012 campaign and ahead of store delivery, through a series of short films and imagery.
In a continuation of the brand’s Runway to Reality concept, which allows consumers to pre-order items straight from the catwalk, fans will be able to buy straight from the campaign gallery on Burberry.com for the first time.
The campaign – starring up-and-coming British actress Gabriella Wilde, alongside musician Roo Panes – will break on June 1, with new creative rolled out on a monthly basis thereafter. Referred to as the brand’s “most cinematic shoot to date”, it was captured by Mario Testino at the Royal Naval College in London at night.
“We wanted to play with everything that’s at the heart of the Burberry world – celebrating our brand and London through imagery, film, music, weather and our iconic outerwear, all in a very poetic and British way,” said chief creative officer, Christopher Bailey.
Burberry kick-started the first in a series of global events last night with a multisensory experience in Taiwan that combined the brand’s pillars of British heritage, weather, music and fashion.
Staged in a custom cylindrical space, it included an eight-part 360-degree film featuring hologram Burberry models, digital rain that seemingly poured from the ceiling, and a live performance from British musician Tom Odell. The initiative follows on from the brand’s tech extravaganza in Beijing in 2011, and likewise celebrates the opening of a new flagship store; this time in Taipei’s 101 shopping centre.
Burberry World Live, as the series is being called, will now tour to other cities, including London, Hong Kong and Chicago.
“We created the Burberry World platform for our online community and tonight that came to life when we connected our guests with everything the brand stands for today, using original content to take them on an emotive and sensory journey, blurring the digital and physical dimensions of our brand,” said chief creative officer Christopher Bailey.
