We recruited people who had both the attention and respect of trendsetters - the fashion editors. These influential fashion commentators then competed for fan base kudos (votes, likes, shares, comments) by creating authentic editorial video and print content.We developed a channel-neutral interactive hub which was accessible from 28 sites, allowing trendsetters to engage with the content (judging entries, uploading their photo and buying the watch) within their own environment.Foregoing traditional media buying, we offered an exclusive contract to the publisher with the highest engagement, allowing the fan base to influence the final paycheque. This incentive inspired the publishers to play dirty, as editors recruited their allies – the fashion bloggers - to actively canvas for votes across social media and display ads.

The results were stunning - 144 editorial pages and 47 minutes of authentic film were produced. Which proves that in fashion it’s about who, not what you know.

Trendsetters loved the video content with 11,458 views per hour for every day of the campaign across advertising and the interactive hub. That’s 22,000,000 views (+275% benchmark4)The universal interactive hub received 485,649 visits and 53,832 qualified votes5.But these standard metrics only tell part of the story. Led by fashion bloggers and publishers, the watch was endorsed across social media. Through social engagements, the campaign reached 1,000,000 fashionistas. Facebook fans increased by 47% at cost of €0.04 per fan (benchmark € 2.006)The SWATCH NEW GENT has exceeded sales expectations and is set to become a 2011 best seller.