Oscar de la Renta's Fall Ad Campaign Debuts on Instagram

Oscar de la Renta fans who follow OscarPRGirl on Instagram, and are plugged into the company's Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr pages, got first look at Oscar de la Renta's fall ad campaign on Instagram, weeks before the September issues of Vogue or Elle hit newstands.

It's just another sign of how social media has impacted the way fashion brands reach consumers.

"One can measure clicks and see how much the cash register rings," said Alex Bolen, Oscar de la Renta chief executive officer. "Are we making decisions based on that today? Yes. Is it at this point a radical departure from past practices? No. But could experiences like this, if they are successful, lead to big changes? Absolutely."

The fashion house plans to release its fall ad campaign via the OscarPRGirl's Instagram account, the label's social media personality (also known as senior vice president of global communications Erika Bearman) who has more than 175,000 followers. After the initial Instagram post, the full-size ad campaign images will be promoted on the brand's social media channels. There's also an e-commerce tie-in: A presale on oscardelarenta.com will launch simultaneously so users can shop the ad campaign.

The way the digital revolution has changed marketing remains to be seen. Social platforms can have the potential to amplify a brand message in a more cost-effective way and faster.

According to Ketty Pucci-Sisti Maisonrouge, adjunct professor at the Columbia Business School who teaches the master class "Marketing of Luxury Products," the fact that a luxury brand is introducing its ad campaign on Instagram shows that the industry now looks at marketing in a "360-degree" way.

"Oscar de la Renta is trying to position the brand among younger audiences, so that's an interesting move, but I'm pretty sure all of the luxury brands will continue to advertise in Glamour and Vogue," Pucci-Sisti Maisonrouge said.

The campaign was shot by Norman Jean Roy, was styled by Alex White with makeup and hair done by Gucci Westman and Orlando Pita. It features models Kate Bogucharskaia, Patricija Motiejunaite and Iris Van Berne, and the first image to be released will feature all three models wearing the brand's costume jewelry collection - also one of the entry points into the brand from a price-point perspective, at $110.

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