Anyone who knows me knows that one of my favourite Canadian apparel brands is Oak + Fort. I love their clothes, I buy them both online and in-store, and I even open every single email newsletter they send out to me (and no, this is not an ad). So you can imagine my delight when I learned about the Vancouver-based company’s easter egg-style web campaign this weekend.
Not one to miss out on my opportunity for an easter egg hunt (and one that involved new clothes, nonetheless) I signed in right away. If the company’s goal was to get fans clicking through the site, I have to say mission accomplished. I must have spent an hour online, looking for eggs and clicking through almost every photo. Further to that, if their goal was to get audience’s eyeballs on the company’s spring collection, mission also accomplished. Not only did they get to my eyeballs, they got to my wallet, too. I couldn’t resist this peach off-the-shoulder dress with built-in slip—the stuff summer dreams are made of.
Call me a fashion victim, but I’ve always said, I don’t mind being advertised to, so long as the advertising is relevant and clever. Oak + Fort’s Easter campaign is just one example of how retailers are innovating to pull fans into their portals. In a crowded and noisy marketplace, surprising and delighting customers is still a way to differentiate. Incorporating elements of gaming doesn’t hurt either, especially when the fun is tied to something seasonal, like Easter. Nicely played, Oak + Fort ?. I’m still searching for eggs, but my new dress is on the way.
