Net-A-Porter promotional image
British ecommerce retailer Net-A-Porter is targeting consumers looking for both work and play attire with a pair of advertisements on New York magazine’s The Cut blog.
One ad is for strong attire and the other features swimwear brand Eres, which the retailer just began selling. Both ads use multiple moving states to better get readers’ attention as they are flipping through content.
“The more interactive, dynamic or engaging a mobile ad is, the better,” said Philippe Poutonnet, vice president of marketing at HipCricket, Bellevue, WA.
“People are so used to static banner ads that they are sometimes passed over,” he said. “Having the rotating images catches the eye of someone quickly scanning through the mobile site. It sets the ads apart from the rest of the page and forces the reader to take notice.
“Interactive or dynamic ads generate more click-throughs. So, we would expect this ad to perform better than if Net-A-Porter used a static banner.”
Mr. Poutonnet is not affiliated with Net-A-Porter but agreed to comment as an industry expert.
Net-A-Porter did not respond by press deadline.
Moving image
Net-A-Porter’s ads ran on both the Love & War and Fashion sections of The Cut in the banner position.
After showing a white box with a loading icon with the Net-A-Porter name, the ads begin to play.
Net-A-Porter ad on The Cut
The ad for Eres begins with an image from the campaign with Lindsey Wixon showing her in a red halter swimsuit lying on the side of a pool. Text appears telling consumers that Net-A-Porter is introducing the swimwear brand.
As the ad morphs it shows a different campaign image from Eres, this time with Ms. Wixon in a teal suit. This page of the ad includes a call to action to shop now, and tells consumers about free U.S. shipping and returns from Net-A-Porter.
Net-A-Porter Eres ad on The Cut
The click-through on this ad sends consumers to Net-A-Porter’s product page for the swimwear brand, which includes information about Eres. Consumers can shop or sign up for updates about the swimwear line.
Net-A-Porter landing page
Net-A-Porter’s other ad shows a range of brands included in its edit of “Power Pieces.” This ad begins with just the words power pieces, which are then joined by the image of a model.
Net-A-Porter ad on The Cut
That image fades and the ad then changes and tells consumers to “Make the ultimate style statement this season,” and shows the same model in a different look.
Net-A-Porter ad on The Cut
A different state shows the names of the brands included in the “power pieces” edit, including Marc Jacobs, Burberry, Jimmy Choo, Chloe and Dolce & Gabbana.
Net-A-Porter ad on The Cut
The final state of the ad shows the same model in yet another look, with a reference to power pieces and a call to action to “shop now,” which similarly to the other call to action ad informs of free shipping.
Net-A-Porter ad on The Cut
Eventually the ad pauses on the “shop now” page.
The click-through on this ad takes consumers to the page where they can buy the “power pieces.”
Net-A-Porter landing page
Net-A-Porter’s moving ads allowed the brand to include a lot of information and images without overwhelming consumers.
Divide and conquer
Running multiple ads at the same time is a way for brands to show their range of products.
British fashion brand Burberry continued its holiday “With Love” campaign with different mobile advertisements on both New York magazine’s The Cut and Vogue’s Web site.
While both ads contained a similar theme, Burberry’s ads directed users to different landing pages on the click-through, one to the brand’s Web site, and the other to the gift guide page on the site. Each of these landing pages gave consumers a unique message from the brand, which each have their place (see story).
Other fashion brands have looked to The Cut to reach its style-savvy readers.
For instance, U.S. fashion label Diane von Furstenberg aimed to speed up mobile commerce to fit the pace of smartphone users with an advertisement on New York magazine’s The Cut.
The ad featured enough signifiers without being cluttered to give fashion readers a clear idea of what to expect. Although content works well for consumers looking to kill time, a streamlined commerce experience appeals to those on-the-go (see story).
Because of the design of these ads and the placement, Net-A-Porter will likely see a positive response.
“Net-A-Porter and The Cut share largely the same audience,” Mr. Poutonnet said. “These are high-income earners who are plugged into both technology and fashion.
“Displaying an add on such a mobile website is a savvy move by Net-A-Porter to reach their targeted demographic,” he said. “This is an audience receptive to their message, so we should expect to see high ROI on this campaign.
“These ads should also appeal to the fashion aesthetic of The Cut’s readers. They blend into the copy very well, almost as if it was native advertising. The two websites even share a similar black-and-white minimalist design.”
Final Take
Sarah Jones, editorial assistant on Luxury Daily, New York
