How Karl Lagerfeld x Paris Hilton achieved a 123% sales uplift

00:00:00: Inside

00:00:00: Fashion

00:00:01: Marketing, a podcast by Zalando Partner Marketing Services shaping love brands and supporting your long-term growth through customer centric marketing.

00:00:19: Hello hello welcome dear listeners glad to have you on this show.

00:00:22: I'm Haike Larry director partner marketing in consultancy at Zalado partner marketing services helping connect fashion beauty and lifestyle brands to consumers all over Europe.

00:00:33: today's episode is about scale star power and what happens when heritage meets cultural momentum.

00:00:40: We are diving into the From Paris with Love campaign, Karl Lagerfeld's biggest three hundred sixty degree activation!

00:00:47: We're talking on-site lounges, off-site amplifications across TikTok and Meta, vogue advertorial sponsored stories at a Paris event that closed the loop – with Paris Hilton herself taking over the decks….

00:01:01: I would have loved to been there!

00:01:05: This episode is about introducing a global icon into a heritage brand universe.

00:01:10: It's about authenticity and celebrity collaborations, twelve years and thought.

00:01:36: that is long, but fifteen years.

00:01:38: That's really impressive.

00:01:40: so tell us more!

00:01:41: Good morning Heike and nice to be here today with you discussing our joint from Paris With Love campaign because we truly brought this campaign to life in a very collaborative fashion... That's true ...with fantastic results.

00:01:59: Yeah, fifteen years.

00:02:00: So you have three more years to go, Heike?

00:02:02: To beat me!

00:02:03: That is a long time however I think in the context of development and business it doesn't feel this way.

00:02:11: when i joined in two thousand eleven Karl was global icon.

00:02:14: literally everybody knew who he was his authenticity ,his iconic style.

00:02:21: but the business was pretty small.

00:02:24: So when I started, i was more or less the marketing department and then over the last fifteen years.

00:02:30: The company truly developed into a global powerhouse in terms of fashion and lifestyle.

00:02:36: So my job changed basically on an annual basis into different sizes, different scopes launching the website, launching marketplace business, launching not only fashion brands but hospitality fragrance beauty.

00:02:56: So it kind of kept really exciting and also being part building the culture was something that I appreciated.

00:03:04: Amazing.

00:03:05: So everybody knows Salando started as a startup, but it seems Carl Lagerfeld started the same way.

00:03:11: and fantastic to hear that yeah you built this marketing business from scratch?

00:03:16: And today your not alone!

00:03:18: We will talk about more on what is that your team is managing.

00:03:22: so first question hands down Carl Lagefeld.

00:03:26: very hard act to follow.

00:03:28: right he's the icon himself.

00:03:31: And I can only imagine how difficult it must have been to think who could be as iconic, as Carl and How Could You Twist Things Around?

00:03:41: So you would not Have To Be Yeah In A Competition.

00:03:45: so maybe you Can Let Us In On The Strategic Intention To Nominate Paris Hilton An Icon Herself As Your Ambassador.

00:03:56: Absolutely.

00:03:57: And let me say that from the start, it was not... Let's say the most obvious choice for sure.

00:04:03: when we started to embark on a process We went through short or long list of about eighty talents and there were many very top models fashion personalities.

00:04:16: That would have maybe be more logical fit.

00:04:21: But then on a second note, when we looked at Paris there was something really unique.

00:04:28: First of all the core of our DNA is the city of Paris.

00:04:32: so that's already an amazing match with Paris to person and Paris to City.

00:04:37: but furthermore if you look at Paris similarities with Carl, because like Carl she's very much authentic.

00:04:48: She has always been doing her own thing... Like she has been criticized many times but she always continued to stay authentic for who she was.

00:04:59: She's kind of the original influencer, she is really like... The first person that built a digital personal brand very much as Karl was the first person to build this iconic creative directorship.

00:05:12: That today is completely normal.

00:05:15: but when Karl did it for his time there were no other creative directors in that way.

00:05:21: So yeah on second glance all of sudden Paris became A super obvious choice, even though she wasn't at first.

00:05:30: And we also really wanted to create this like thumb-stopping moment This kind of Moment that makes people think twice.

00:05:38: so it's not only the beautiful fashion phase that people are used to seeing coming by, but also creating a bit of this interruption where people are like really Paris Hilton for Karl Lagerfeld.

00:05:52: And that's the moment you have to consume or already hooked on your idea and That's why we did it in.

00:05:57: then from the first conversation We had with her team and then later also with Paris It turned out into a really fantastic mutual collaboration with a really positive spirit on both sides.

00:06:13: And then also Paris shared the whole history she had with Carl, because he has been huge fan of Carl!

00:06:19: She's wearing fingerless gloves forever in her DJ performances... She consciously learned some personal branding tips from Carl I think.

00:06:32: That is so fantastic and that way you explain it At second glance, as you just said it makes complete sense and great to see how much they had in common although that might not be as obvious at the beginning.

00:06:44: And I wonder very practically... How do you introduce a global pop icon into heritage house like yours without then compromising authenticity?

00:06:55: Well, authenticity was really important for us.

00:06:57: So when we searched the person to collaborate it was key that there is a real story.

00:07:03: We now see so often in marketing where sort of money changes hands and you have like this face That promotes brand exchange from money but wanted to find deeper level connection When started exploring with Paris fun ways in which she had like such a similar point of view.

00:07:25: And I remember we made this kind of comparison, there are so many iconic quotes from Carl and Paris that were kinda similar.

00:07:34: for example Carl said Vanity is the healthiest thing in life.

00:07:39: And Paris says, never pass a mirror without looking at

00:07:42: it.".

00:07:43: So there were all these kind of reverent connection points between the two which on first glance you wouldn't expect but then they're really there and that was a key consideration because we didn't want to do typical pay for play.

00:07:58: We wanted one step beyond that deliver like an authentic storytelling to our consumers And the consumer can feel that definitely.

00:08:09: Yeah,

00:08:09: we're gonna speak about campaign success a little bit later but spoiler absolutely.

00:08:15: this worked out perfectly.

00:08:17: But now Miriam of course I need to ask is knowing you have met Paris and work with her personally?

00:08:23: We are curious what's happening behind-the-scenes so how it works for someone like Paris Hilton?

00:08:31: How does it change internal dynamics also?

00:08:35: Well, I don't want to now give you just the shiny side but i have to be also really in a collaboration with Paris and her team.

00:08:43: Have to say has been really better than anyone could expect.

00:08:49: Also compared to other celebrity relationships that we have had her team is incredibly professional very dedicated.

00:08:58: she herself is really a business woman even though she doesn't always present her self.

00:09:03: This way.

00:09:04: but she's the very smart, very savvy businesswoman that build a multi-million dollar business herself.

00:09:10: so shes' very versed at doing business.

00:09:13: if she makes a commitment sticks to it, so everything is very reliable versus sometimes with other talent you maybe have a little bit less of this professionalism.

00:09:24: With her that was really easy to work with.

00:09:28: and then the second part of your question.

00:09:37: Having someone like Parris Hilton really, truly raises the bar and it brings a lot of excitement to the team.

00:09:43: A lot of pride!

00:09:44: It's like a train that pulls everyone along... ...it brings a certain level of execution.

00:09:51: There is less room for sloppiness.

00:09:53: I mean not there are ever rooms for sloppiness but then you're working with someone like her And a team so incredibly professional That immediately needs to match that level of professionalism.

00:10:05: And yeah, for the team it just opened a whole new world of possibilities.

00:10:10: There was so much creativity that came from this collaboration... New ideas we had for social executions and other things.

00:10:19: So I can highly recommend.

00:10:22: But i think you also have fair share experiences with these type of collaborations.

00:10:28: I just saw your Emily in Paris, Lily Collins collaboration global and yes that will bring a similar kind of excitement to your organization.

00:10:39: yeah And i can only second that.

00:10:41: so working With big talents with celebrities icons what it truly does is It brings the best out-of-view on your team because as you say Of course there's So much thought and planning going into And there is a lot of alignment needed.

00:10:58: Of course, they are tight time schedules so being on point and to deliver on-point becomes more important than ever right?

00:11:04: But as you say once cooked under pressure then we see what can happen.

00:11:09: And what I really loved is, you say Paris and she's a businesswoman.

00:11:27: So

00:11:29: yes, absolutely.

00:11:30: We actually to celebrate the launch of the campaign we organized an event during Paris Fashion Week where...

00:11:37: Of course!

00:11:38: Where would Paris play?

00:11:39: We're not in Paris.

00:11:40: We brought Paris to Paris.

00:11:42: The campaign is called From Paris with Love.

00:11:44: so there was both Paris and Paris And a lot of love.

00:11:49: Yeah, that was really an incredibly cool evening.

00:11:53: Also later on we saw that tagging onto a cultural moment namely Paris Fashion Week and creating something within it giving the whole campaign even further reach accelerated the engagement.

00:12:07: We had a lot of VIPs attending the event from Heidi Klum to Cara de la Vee in Rita Ora To name just few.

00:12:18: Paris was also joined on the DJ decks by her sister Nikki and her mom Katie, which was like another very iconic... How cool is this?

00:12:25: ...very photographic moment.

00:12:28: And yeah really bringing Going out of that perfect world of advertising and creating like a real life experience where consumers, influencers VIPs could come together.

00:12:41: And create this memory is often unforgettable.

00:12:44: evening was truly I would say the icing on the cake for us in terms off to campaign India next time.

00:12:52: you definitely need to be there.

00:12:54: Yes!

00:12:55: How Paris would say That's hot.

00:12:58: So it was very hot.

00:12:59: Oh,

00:13:01: this sounds fantastic!

00:13:04: But now let's go a bit into the details of the campaign.

00:13:07: so this all started in twenty-twenty five and The Global Brand Campaign with its first phase was then this year?

00:13:17: Maybe you can take us through what it is that you did to amplify the campaign from Paris With Love.

00:13:24: So the

00:13:27: From Paris with Love campaign was our biggest campaign to date, both in general but also together with Zalando.

00:13:36: If I dive deeper into our collaboration, what was fantastic of this campaign is that it was really like a three-sixty campaign from using all the different channels but also from promoting all of our different categories.

00:13:50: So for women's wear to bags two men.

00:13:53: we also had John Cortagena or male model in their campaigns and they have top male model represented as well.

00:14:01: And then we worked with you both on onsite placements, which are always very successful.

00:14:08: But for this campaign We also heavily leaned into the off-site activations With influencers.

00:14:16: We partnered with young emperors On really special campaign content around The Event.

00:14:22: So they came on behalf of us and Zalando to.

00:14:25: The Event Also works at editorial angles much more.

00:14:31: That's incredible.

00:14:32: So maybe let's look at some of the KPIs that we managed during this campaign, so we saw a sales uplift of one hundred twenty three percent year-over-year during The Lounge Week.

00:14:45: Incredible!

00:14:47: Also more than fifty per cent on PDP views over here and sixty four percent in onsite end off site impressions above our benchmark.

00:14:59: So I think it did not only look fantastic, but so impressive when it comes to the KPIs

00:15:07: Yeah, I mean those are the KPIs that us marketeers are dreaming of.

00:15:13: And it was really great to see come-to-life.

00:15:15: I think Zalando is also a perfect platform for us.

00:15:19: It kind all came together with product right from your consumer.

00:15:25: Paris has also high global reach so she's not only famous in certain countries but she's covering also the full Zalindo scope in all the countries, she has a high visibility.

00:15:40: And then I think that way we brought Paris into Carl's world... Also, the first teaser was seeing Paris from the back looking like Carl and then she looks in a mirror.

00:15:49: And you see that it's Paris at kind of real moment also created this tension and excitement with the consumers.

00:15:59: That nicely translated into the interest on site in conversion and PDP uplift which is fantastic to see!

00:16:07: Of course now we set ourselves as benchmark for seasons to come.

00:16:12: Oh

00:16:12: yes, that's true.

00:16:14: and speaking about Paris entering the world of Karl we even went a step further with the shooting of her at La Maison right?

00:16:24: So in Karls actual house.

00:16:26: so maybe you can talk about this little bit.

00:16:28: Yes!

00:16:29: That is now our follow-up campaign for spring summer twenty six which was launched as called living in the Maison.

00:16:37: This was shot at our Maison in Paris, where Carl had his office.

00:16:44: and actually he picked that building.

00:16:47: He found it, he chose it...he decided many of interior decisions on this building And we brought Paris Yeah, to slip in the maison.

00:16:57: Slipping is a word that Paris has invented and it's a combination of the words slaying and living your best life.

00:17:06: How cool was this already?

00:17:08: She definitely came over our maison with all her glitzs and glamour And It Was Really Nice To See Her In Karl's Habitat.

00:17:19: Also, for the second campaign we leaned a little bit more into Paris and her iconic look.

00:17:25: For the first campaign we really transformed her to very strong Karl aesthetic.

00:17:33: You see how she has long blonde hair like you're used too because it's basically bringing her with and fun to us!

00:17:42: And yeah I can't wait to see that rolls out over next coming months created some specific content in our Maison as well.

00:17:52: that will go live I think pretty soon.

00:17:55: Yes,

00:17:56: I'm so excited for this and when we say three hundred sixty.

00:18:00: We really mean it right?

00:18:01: So we're using any possibility if that's on site offsite.

00:18:06: We talk stories on Zalando.

00:18:08: social media will have of course the hero SK use in the PDP integration.

00:18:15: So we really want to create a big bank And i much looking forward an am Really happy also that The Paris party isn't over yet because As you said, yeah.

00:18:26: We had a great time doing this together but also saw how well it resonated with everyone right?

00:18:33: And maybe to close it off Miriam what is your learning from this collaboration?

00:18:39: and also when you look at the involvement of the Karl Lagerfeld marketing

00:18:44: Definitely tapping into a big reach figure that is aligned with the values of your brand, such as Paris Hilton.

00:18:54: That can bring an extra layer to your storytelling has been huge win!

00:19:00: especially if it's somebody that is known globally and also not really limited to age groups.

00:19:06: Because she's the queen of Y-to-K, which was a massive trend so even younger generation is familiar with her.

00:19:14: She basically covers demographic from like fifteen to sixty Which is unheard off And that truly gave us some strong marketing muscle with a lot of pull from press, With really high social engagement.

00:19:29: We are continuously beating our own benchmarks for social engagement with this campaign and yeah just the ability to create those authentic stories that are more than just an ambassadorship has been truly worthwhile.

00:19:46: That is so important.

00:19:47: you mentioned this Miriam because likeability and reach of any ambassador, any talent you work with is so important.

00:19:56: And this was interesting news to me as well because being born in the eighties I remember Paris very well.

00:20:02: but then seeing a cultural phenomenon now transferred into generations after it's really cool!

00:20:10: Then make sure they disconnect so well from your heritage house.

00:20:14: just rounds up the story perfectly makes sense.

00:20:18: Thank you so much for joining us today.

00:20:21: And dear listeners, thank you for turning into another episode of Inside Fashion Marketing!

00:20:28: If you're looking for more we've dropped some useful links in the show notes on this episode and make sure to check them out.

00:20:40: Ciao for now!