#MarketingExcellenceAwards SG 2021 highlight: The Front Row forges forward with immersive fashion experience

Tech has changed the fashion industry drastically and players in the space have had to evolve by embracing tools such as AR and VR. One company that was quick to jump on this trend was The Front Row. Utilising AR and VR technology, the fashion company worked with media agency, AP Media and launched "The Front Row 2021" campaign, which won it the gold award for Excellence in Interactive Marketing/AR & VR at MARKETING-INTERACTIVE's Marketing Excellence Awards Singapore 2021.

Challenge 

The Front Row realised that more than 40% of retailers said they were planning to deploy AR and VR solutions to meet customer experiences. Meanwhile, more than 45% of consumers preferred the use of live chats to connect with a company. The pandemic also saw many companies quickly pivot to using virtual conference platforms such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams for executions.

However, The Front Row didn't follow suit. According to the fashion label, the problem with such platforms is that they are all similar in use and functions, which then brings nothing new to the table in terms of technology and experience, and the lack of new experiences causes fatigue eventually.

Strategy 

The Front Row 2021 aimed to break through the digital frontier by creating an immersive experience for both consumers and fashion enthusiasts. Even though digital conferences and events were established as the norm, The Front Row 2021 was designed to replicate a physical fashion festival through an interactive fully rendered 3D 360 Portal, as compared to just using the frequently used platforms such as Zoom or Google Meets. As such, The Front Row 2021 was conceived to be the first "3D Immersive Experience".

Aiming to have a breakthrough of a wider audience, the fashion company decided to not limit itself within the APAC region. In fact, The Front Row aimed to be a platform for both consumers and fashion pioneers at an international level. With "The Front Row 2021", AP Media and the fashion company sought to showcase how its teams had grown and reflect its growth in the digital portal. 

According to the fashion label, a new format of virtual event development had to be created in order to achieve that theme. With the concept of "Phygital Foundation", the agency and the fashion label created an immersive environment that blended the physical and digital space together. The team managed to achieve that by improving on certain key features of the digital portal. By developing the digital portal in a fully 3D rendered environment, users were able to navigate the entire site without any restrictive barriers, enabling a "never before seen immersive experience". 

Execution 

To set itself apart from the 2020 event, The Front Row opted for a colour that represented the summer season. To achieve a bold new look, AP Media and The Front Row created a new design direction for the team to be ambitious in their colour palette choices, which resulted in a fresh new look for the digital portal. With extensive research on how certain colours will reflect a stage of surrealism, the main theme for The Front Row 2021 was determined to be in pastel blues, greens and lavenders.

Designed to be a festival, The Front Row 2021 also came up with a full schedule of events that was livestreamed. This, in turn, gave the atmosphere of people tuning in to watching shows and segments live physically, amplifying a sense of immersion in the virtual space directly from their homestead.

For a fully immersive experience, the team created a virtual exhibition, where users were able to enter and browse a full fashion design gallery in a 3D 360 space. According to The Front Row, this gave users a chance to experience and visit galleries that were harder to achieve in a typical physical gallery. 

On the marketing front, The Front Row and AP Media decided to utilise social media channels such as Instagram and TikTok to reach out to its diverse demographic range. By using the said platforms, the festival was able to maximise its reach before the opening itself. Furthermore, it allowed the event to engage with its users personally. 

At the same time, the video trailers used dynamic lightings and treatment, directed towards their target audience to create a sense of anticipation and immersion. The Front Row also sought to use Facebook to broadcast the video trailers as well as livestream, generating awareness and enabling The Front Row to simultaneously host the festival itself.

Results 

With this event, The Front Row realised that there was room for improvement and growth. In fact, the company added that it managed to show the world that "a new norm can be achieved". "The blend of tech and fashion proved to the world that nothing is impossible, and fashion is inclusive towards everyone," explained the fashion company.