Here’s a closer look at the various aspects of the campaign and why I think it works.

New season narrative on Instagram Stories

One of the most interesting things about Ted Baker is how it takes the opportunity to completely refresh its brand creative with each passing season. This means that it is able to ramp up interest on social, teasing fans with sneak peeks and first looks of the latest collections.

This time, the campaign is centred around a comedy sitcom called ‘Keeping up with the Bakers’, featuring a fictional suburban family hiding a heap of secrets. 

Interestingly, the brand has chosen to use Instagram Stories to launch the sitcom in an episodic format, releasing daily content to capitalise on the platform’s storytelling element. It also worked with digital agency Poke to create this part of the campaign.

As well as hooking the audience into the narrative, this also offers users the chance to get involved and potentially win prizes, providing a real incentive to follow the story to the very end.

Interactive windows in-store

While it has fewer stores than other competitor retailers, this fact has allowed Ted Baker to experiment more with digital technology in its physical spaces (as well as concentrate on a digital-first approach across the board).

For its ‘Keeping up with the Bakers’ campaign, it has partnered with Nexus to create digital window displays in key Ted Baker stores in the UK. 

The windows include an interactive display that generates a photo and GIF when a passer-by places their hand on the glass screen. This focus on bringing the digital in-store is certainly something that sets the brand apart. While many other fashion retailers have also experimented with technology – such as Zara introducing self-checkout into its stores, for example – Ted Baker’s approach aims to be fun and creative rather than purely functional. 

Granted, a shareable GIF is not necessarily ground-breaking, but in the context of a busy shopping location it cleverly drives footfall as well as sticks in the mind of consumers.

360-degree shoppable film

The final part of the campaign is a shoppable film – a tactic previously used by Ted Baker to increase shopper engagement and drive online purchases. However, unlike past examples, the brand has this time incorporated 360-degree technology to further immerse users into the Bakers’ world.

Meanwhile, the brand has also added a VR-element, allowing viewers to use Google Cardboard to bring the story to life.

While the virtual reality aspect is entertaining, I think the chance to experience the shoppable video in 360-degrees is what truly elevates it to another level. Google suggests that 360-degree video typically results is a higher click through rate, as well as a greater amount of engagement in the form of social shares. 

It’s not difficult to see why Ted Baker has made use of the technology. With most fashion brands relying on traditional marketing, Ted Baker’s innovative approach continues to make it one of the most interesting brands around.