SLICK, sharp and natural against a sterile, urban background is the look of the new Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) marketing campaign – No Finer Feeling.
The $20 million project was initiated by AWI and its wool partners to create a “toolbox” which could connect with all levels of the fashion world and its consumers.
It will integrate advertising with the Internet, iPhone applications, education about wool and where to buy woollen garments in a three-year program designed to boost demand.
At the helm of the campaign is AWI’s chief strategy and marketing advisor, Rob Langtry, who has been in New York this week meeting with fashion stores, such as Brooks Brothers, Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale’s and Bergdorf Goodman, to spruik wool and No Finer Feeling.
The first $1.5 million of the $20m project has been invested in the development of the campaign and more will go into a mix of partner activities.
Mr Langtry said this would include promoting specific apparel or brands in retail, as well as branching into different languages.
Research and development is also being aligned with the goals of the campaign so the right processes were in place when consumers began to “bite”.
He said there had been a gap in consumer knowledge about wool, with a whole generation now unfamiliar with just how much wool contributed to fashion apparel.
The campaign used noted fashion photographer, Sean Gleason, and was designed by London advertising agency, Euro RSCG.
Euro RSCG Londoner, Michael Collins, has mixed knowledge from a professional stint in Australia with his feel for city life to create the campaign’s angle, Mr Langtry said.
All the advertising material will include the website, www.merino.com, as an ave-nue for further information.
“This electronic media makes it much more affordable and much easier to tie together, providing you think about it before you start,” Mr Langtry said.
“In the past this would have been hard because there was no Internet.”
The iPhone applications can be accessed for free by a consumer looking for a wool apparel outlet in their area as they shop.
“Nestlé once talked about the path to purchase – to be effective you need to touch the consumer at every point along their path to purchase.”
No Finer Feeling is wool’s integrated approach, working with the fashion houses, retailers and magazines to see how the “toolbox” can be used to their advantage too.
For the magazines, Mr Langtry was exploring potential stories about wool, whether it be a new fashion designer, or fabric such as lighter weight wool, which would be of interest to readers.
“In the past we’ve put pretty pictures up there and done what I call image advertising,” he said.
However, this campaign aimed to educate and familiarise buyers with wool.
“The thing to remember is a campaign is not just about running advertisements – there’s a lot of stuff going in behind the scenes.
“So when the ads go out there, they’re not sitting there without any support.”
The theme is designed to flow from media, to shops and products.
