Designers, looking for ways to connect your brand with clients? Master class is in session, y’all! Brand activation is the go-to marketing strategy for spurring direct consumer engagement via an event, campaign, or experience.

“Brand activation is not just about gaining affinity — it’s about inspiring consumers to act,” says Amanda Hansen for Ad Age. A brand must present a flawless, harmonious, and fluid union of all available communication vehicles in a creative platform in order to activate consumer interest.

And it would appear that the women’s e-commerce website Revolve Clothing are the experts at brand activation, and they have the ad-dollars to prove it!

Even their macaron game is on point. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/BIaZUGODpDr/?taken-by=revolve

They work with celebrities, jetsetters, model, style influencers in order to create an overall exciting and enticing image in order to drive consumers to their e-commerce checkout line. And this past month, the brand invested in a 6,636 square foot Hamptons beach rental that costs about a $37,500 a month to rent.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BH4kpvaghmO/?taken-by=negin_mirsalehi

For the stunt, Revolve hosted tastemakers, including pay-for-play bloggers who boast a following of over 1 million on Instagram like Natasha Oakley (1.8 million), Danielle Bernstein (1.5 million), Chiara Ferragni (6.3 million), Eleanor Calder (3 million), Kristina Bazan (2.4 million), Negin Mirsalehi (3.2 million) and Camila Coutinho (1.9 million), according to Fashionista.

Revolve covered all of the bloggers’ travel expenses, appearance fees, and even provided a clothing credit of about $2,000 each. Yikes!

Dubbed the Revolve House, the resulting outcome allowed “digitally savvy millennial customers to get plenty of opportunities to see the company’s products in context.” And as previously pointed out via Google: “64 percent of women shopping for apparel on their smartphones are influenced into purchasing products that are displayed in context.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BIf7fK2j3jv/?tagged=revolveinthehamptons

And the hefty investment paid off! It helped to generate over 5,000 Instagram posts alone, using the hashtag #RevolveintheHamptons.

As Fashionista describes:

To keep up said buzz, each weekend saw a different mix of personalities, events and activities; but throughout the month, group dinners, organized workouts and jaunts out to Montauk or Shelter Island for beach time or sailing were standard on the itinerary. Revolve also made sure to provide some exclusive entertainment gratis for partygoers, including a performance by up-and-coming rappers Desiigner and D.R.A.M., a two-weekend residence by tattoo artist Jon Boy (he’s inked [Hailey] Baldwin, Justin Bieber and Kendall Jenner, and normally charges $300 per hour), a DJ set by Off-White’s Virgil Abloh, and an open bar thanks to partnerships with Patrón and Moët. 

The celebrities in attendance include Nicole Ritchie, sunglass mavens Coco and Breezy, Chrissy Teigen, John Legend, and more.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BIa27bVhThP/?tagged=revolveinthehamptons

And of course, a highly expensive stunt like Revolve House wouldn’t be complete without Kim Kardashian.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BH8CUSAhT89/?taken-by=kimkardashian

But what about a fashion label with limited resources that wants to influence the buying process via a unique brand activation experience? Here are some ideas, courtesy of AdWeek.

Happy influencing!

Jacqueline Colette Prosper, yummicoco.com