Last month, former Givenchy designer Riccardo Tisci sent his first collection for Burberry down the runway and one thing became apparently clear: new designer = new logo = a brand new Burberry. With this new Burberry comes a brand new sales tactic that Burberry is calling #BSeries.
Burberry first grabbed consumers attention for its new #BSeries initaive via Instagram, which is a very common way for brands to get the word out about its latest launches, usually called drops. #BSeries makes use of a sales and marketing strategy made popular by streetwear brands such as Supreme, Nike, and most notably Adidas with Kanye West’s Yezzy Boost Sneaker line. The way that #BSeries works is that on the 17th of every month, a product launches for purchase and according to their website, is available to buy via Instagram or online. The first of these drops happened last Wednesday, October 17th, when the ‘B’ logo tee dropped and was available to buy for just 24 hours. True to the hype of this type of launch, it’s unclear what will drop next, and if it will include handbags, but I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. Additionally, Burberry allows consumers to stay up to date on its latest product launches via their website’s e-mail newsletter— a typical component to these types of highly anticipated campaigns.
Though this sales technique is new for Burberry, it’s far from a new concept altogether, and it makes me nostalgic for the early days of Mansur Gavriel, when the brand’s bags were highly sought after, and drops were announced a few days in advance. Consumers had to religiously stalk Instagram for news of a new release of bags. This tactic is one that streetwear enthusiasts are used to, or even expect, but will it work for Burberry? If the brand is trying to reach a younger, trendier demographic than it’s very possible that this initiative will be a success, but while this targets a whole new set of fashion folk, is the brand alienating it’s older, less social media saavy, but brand-loyal clientele?
