EMERGENCE so far, has been such a fun book to work on. As a young creative myself I find it so important for brands to communicate to their current and future audience of the collaborations and support they continually have throughout the young, emerging, and future creative scene. The aim for this coffee table book is to communicate the way Swarovski support, collaborate and understand the future of the creative industries as well as emerging creatives.
In writing my my recent dissertation, titled “do branded publications form consumer loyalty?”, I found out that branded publications do not form direct consumer loyalty- however, do form a greater amount of brand equity. I conducted a case study into Salt Magazine for Swarovski (published by Condé Nast) and spoke to three readers of the publication. In doing so, I found that over riddlingly all readers liked the branded publication due to the fact they were learning something from the brand that they didn’t know from seeing the brand at face value.
What stood out to me about this figure was that they all were happy and eager to learn more about Swarovski- and in doing so, made them change their attitudes towards the brand. This inspired me to create a collectors, artistic publication based on exposing and bringing to light the collaborations and support the brand have within the emerging creative industries and young creatives. I wanted to communicate this in a luxurious way and give the creatives a platform that Swarovski is able to provide.
In a recent project, tasked to me by the Editor in Chief of Condé Nast Contract Publishing, I was asked to come up with a digital strategy and idea to pitch to a luxury hotel brand, providing a collaboration with the title ‘young creatives’. In doing this pitch I conducted some of my own research towards young creatives.
In doing so I asked people if they believed it was important to see millenial artists represented within the media- 78% stated yes. In another question, I asked young creatives and creative students only if they would like the opportunity to present their work on a media platform and 100% stated yes. As much as this helped me with the project for Condé Nast it also allowed me to open my mind into understanding this data for my own IFCP.
And finally, when speaking with Darius Sanai- Editor in Chief of Condé Nast Contract Publishing and of Salt Magazine for Swarovski I asked him why communicating through print publishing was still appropriate for brands. He stated “if you are a brand you have many routes open to communicate your brand now, and the print is a pillar that is distinct. It is not something that I think will replace it is something that I think is along with other pillars so you are going to do film, digital and social- but what print has still images of lasting value (so you will keep looking) and it will get the attention. You can produce a great video but no one is going to watch it, or if people do watch it you might have spent a lot on it and it engages people very briefly. With print people go back to and it needs to be a work of art in themselves so it needs to be something people keep, value and show. If you are watching Gucci’s video through GQ on your phone then no one knows but if you have a copy of Vogue in your house then people know you are a Vogue reader, so that has a certain personal branding element to it”
All these aspects of research have been placed together in order for me to produce a piece of branded print communication as a piece of art to bring to light knowledge of a brand, Swarovski.
