On the stiletto heels of its own experiential red carpet event earlier this month, Stitch Fix is rolling out a new brand campaign on Hollywood's biggest night. The San Francisco-based ecommerce company will debut a 60-second spot on Sunday in several big cities during the commercial break just before the Academy Awards show begins on ABC.
The spot highlights the versatility of Stitch Fix, which uses a mix of stylists and computer algorithms to send personalized apparel and accessories to customers on a regular basis.
"Today, Hollywood got dressed up for their big night out, and Molly got dressed for hers," a voiceover in the spot says, as the video shows a woman getting dressed in a more casual outfit she bought from Stitch Fix. The commercial highlights the specialness of everyday occasions, along with red carpet events.
While Stitch Fix, which was founded in 2011 and went public six years later, has had TV campaigns before, such work was primarily an explanation of what the brand does. In contrast, the new campaign is more emotional and designed to build brand love and affinity, according to Chief Marketing Officer Deirdre Findlay, who joined the company last year from Google.
"There's a brand opportunity to continue to drive awareness but also improve client understanding of what makes Stitch Fix special," says Findlay.
A 30-second spot during the Oscars costs around $2.2 million, according to experts, but by running an ad right before the awards begin, and in select regions, Stitch Fix will save money. The spot will run in cities including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, San Francisco and a few others. "The cost is a lot less," says Findlay. "It's a smart way to maximize impact and impressions tied to the Oscar program itself."
Following Sunday's debut, the spot will air nationally in 30-and 15-second versions. Stitch Fix will also push its campaign online, in out-of-home ads, at cinemas and on audio streaming services. The company worked with Giant Spoon on media and The Many, the agency formerly known as Mistress, on creative.
While Findlay declined to say how much Stitch Fix is spending on the marketing ahead of the brand's earnings report next month, the company is investing more in advertising. In its fiscal year ended 2018, Stitch Fix spent $102.1 million on advertising, a 45 percent rise over 2017 and quadruple that of 2016. in its annual financial report, the brand stated it expects "to continue to make significant marketing investments to grow our business." Revenue is also on an upswing—in 2018, Stitch Fix generated $1.2 billion in revenue, up from $977 million in 2017.
Earlier this month, Stitch Fix teased the new campaign as part of a pop-up red carpet activation that included paparazzi in New York City and Los Angeles. The experience generated 60 million impressions on Twitter, Findlay says.
