Situation Analysis
As an international retailer, Orvis could be classified as old school. They’re America’s oldest mail order catalog company and recently began print and digital advertising, as well as investing in earned media. The company was missing out on a lot of product placements because they had no visual aid to share with the media as part of the pitching process. Marshall Communications suggested that a look book be created as a vehicle to present their new products and to serve as an educational tool for the brand.
Objectives
- Create a seasonal look book for men’s, women’s, and dog/home items
- Secure five new gift guide placements
- Receive five new inquiries from writers unfamiliar with Orvis products
Strategies/Tactics/Execution
Working with Orvis, Marshall Communications was able to identify and create a timeline for product selection, photo shoots, and the design of three look books (men’s, women’s and dog/home). We then created a targeted list of vetted top-tier fashion and outdoor media to send a press release to with look book links (an excellent cost-saving measure – instead of mailing them) and measured hits through bit.ly and product sample requests.
In addition, the look book links were sent in personalized emails to editors, bloggers, influencers, stylists, and other fashion industry contacts. We found that the look books were an excellent educational tool to introduce additional product lines to those unfamiliar with the brand or who knew the brand only for fly fishing.
This project was completed under the company’s monthly agency fee.
Results/Impact
- Estimated 5.09M coverage views with 19K social shares and a collective 7.06 billion estimated online readership
- 80+ product placements in gift guides, including three placements in Outside’s 2018 Summer Buyer’s Guide
- 40+ sample inquiries from vetted writers, editors, producers, hosts, and bloggers
