The revolution in Egypt ignited a global conversation about the power of social media and how it has evolved from an interactive social platform to a forum for ideas. Gone are the days when Facebook was solely used to socialize among college students. The Egyptian people used Facebook for something more than connecting with old friends – they used it to bring together individuals who held common attitudes toward (now former) president Hosni Mubarak. Facebook and Twitter allowed “the disconnected [Egyptians] to organize and mobilize in ways they never could before” Source. Yet the concept of social media mobilizing masses into motion is not entirely new. “While some have portrayed these programs (Facebook and Twitter) as ‘game changers’ creating a whole new paradigm for mobilization, others have placed them in the same social context as a photocopy and fax machines, cassette tapes, radio and other media which, in their own day, empowered uprisings and revolutions” Source. Facebook and Twitter are the present media outlets and when technology changes, the way people receive, digest, and interact with information changes too.

Social media has taken on a much larger role in people’s lives today than ever before. People are not only connecting over ideas and friendships, but also over brands and their products. PGR clients continue to see the power of social media in their campaigns. Juicy Couture used Facebook as part of their 2010 spring digital campaign. During the eight weeks of activity, Juicy Couture’s fan base grew by 71%. The Facebook buys were so successful, that Facebook will be using Juicy Couture as their case study for the fashion/apparel industry. Similar to Juicy, other fashion brands are also seeing success with Facebook. During the Burberry fashion show on February 21st, Creative Director Christopher Bailey streamed the show live to Piccadilly Circus and to screens around the world. The Burberry brand jumped to number two on Famecount.com’s fastest growing brands chart with 107,023+ new fans (Facebook and Twitter combined) just this week. To date, Burberry’s fan count amasses to over 4 million Source.

Through social media, brands connect more intimately with their consumers. When Marc Jacobs’ fans tweeted demands for bigger sizes, he responded: “As soon as I get back to New York, I’m on it.” Ann Taylor LOFT listened to its fans as well. When its Facebook page received criticism for showing clothes on only super tall and super thin models, the LOFT posted images of women ranging from sizes 2-12 wearing the brand’s apparel. Brand interaction builds trust and loyalty because consumers are being heard and their demands are being met. Loyal consumers have become instrumental in shaping a brand’s identity and it seems that the more brands interact with their consumers, the more retailers are selling Source.

Social media has the power to connect people with brands when the two otherwise may not meet. Social media has the power to introduce products, brands and ideas to people in a more encompassing scope than any traditional media can. The power of social media is that it has become a global forum, a community, to which a brand can showcase a product and instantly receive viral advertising.

How has social media changed your perceptions of a brand?

Google’s latest fashion site: Boutiques.com, launched November 17th to much anticipation. The site is a chic, social shopping site crafted from Google’s $100 million acquisition of Like.com in August. With 1.3 million monthly uniques, Like.com “developed technology that lets users understand visually what terms like “red high-heeled pumps” and “floral patterned sleeveless dress” mean and created algorithms to understand whether those pumps complement or clash with that dress.” (Source) Boutiques.com mirrors Like.com’s digital design, allowing users to employ a visual product search filtered by color, silhouette, pattern, size, style, designer, and price. Using this visually interactive platform, shoppers are able to compare trends and brands within one interface. Such aggregation allows online shopping to be accessible and a complete solution to finding desired products.

Within Boutiques.com, users are able to curate their own unique collections from products they’ve pulled and can share their collections with other users. Shoppers can browse “Celebrity Boutiques” which showcases the signature looks and styles of featured celebrities, like Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen and Carey Mulligan. Revered fashion bloggers have also set-up shop and have their own boutiques spotlighted. Google doesn’t sell products directly on site, but rather drives shoppers to online retailers to make their purchases.

Similar to the search engine model, Google profits by implementing a cost-per-click or cost-per-action pricing model when it comes to driving purchases and clicks to retailers and brands’ e-commerce sites. Retailers that wish to be part of the site need to apply to be included. The site has received some criticism for this “pay to play” search environment. One critic states, “Now we’re talking about a company that controls 80% of Internet traffic, so to say, and they run a “shop” where they ask brands to pay for inclusion in what essentially is a pay-to-play search engine.”(Source)

While Boutiques.com has its critics, PGR is excited about the opportunities that may exist for our clients. PGR’s clients have seen great success with other social shopping sites like Polyvore, which encouraged user engagement with the brand and also drove revenue. Google Search has also been an instrumental tool for generating revenue for one of PGR’s direct response clients. This combination of fashion and search along with personalization, social sharing and the efficient pricing model is sure to be a success.

How will other social shopping sites evolve to match Google’s offerings? Or has Google done it again by improving user experience to such a high degree that it leaves others behind?

http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/fashion/the_big_fashion_test_M1bsKRxpjW0Tk25T5d03AP/1