French fashion house Christian Dior is emulating the motions made while using mobile devices to promote its Dior Vernis nail lacquers.

Dior showcases the gel-effect shape achieved by wearing Dior Vernis by depicting a consumer swiping and tapping her smartphone or tablet. Beauty marketers should look to the everyday habits of consumers to show products in a relatable way.

"We all remember the first time that we got our hands on an iPad: beautiful contents flow under our fingertips with simply a few swipes and taps," said Yichan Wang, marketing specialist at Aurnhammer, New York. "Dior's promotional video cleverly translates those user interactions to the elegance, power, and smoothness of Vernis nail polish.

"Viewers will easily find the hand gestures relatable to their dynamic and fun experiences with smart tablets," she said. "Mobile technology should be front and center for all brands today.

"As a brand with rich history, Dior needs to take its transcending charms into the technological era. It's exciting to see them subtly hinting mobile innovation in the campaign. However, a bolder step into mobile will help Dior preserve its timelessness, and leap forward to keep up with the consumers at the same time."

Ms. Wang is not affiliated with Dior, but agreed to comment as an industry expert.

Dior did not respond by press deadline.

Polished

New to the Dior line-up of nail polishes, Dior Vernis promises an ultra-shiny, long wearing gel-shape. The ?gel-effect? is a popular trend among women who prefer the long lasting gel manicure over traditional polish.

Available in 24 shades and 4 limited-edition colors, the Dior Vernis collection polishes are named and inspired by codes of the maison. For instance, Muguet, a pale white color, is a nod to Mr. Dior's good-luck flower, often worn in the buttonhole of his lapel.

Dior shared Dior Vernis with its enthusiasts across social pages and its branded blog, DiorMag. On Facebook and Twitter, Dior included a 48-second video where a woman?s hand taps and swipes polish bottles and the screen to mimic the movements needed to work a mobile device.

First, a bottle of polish appears with a second cap acting as a power button. When the woman presses the cap, the screen brightens and a rectangle begins to appear from the background dripping in polish.

As the polish drips off, the outline of a Dior Vernis grid is seen. Next, the model takes her hand and swipes across the screen to push away the opening scene and show a close-up of a purple polish bottle.

The following sequence shows a red bottle from different angles before the model swipes the screen upwards. When she does, the bottle resists but after a second attempt the cap is separated from the base.

Another swipe brings up four bottles of polish while a second brings up approximately 19 bottles to show the full range of shades in the Dior Vernis collection. As the model swipes again, the bottles rush by before pausing and changing color without moving.

The following scene shows the woman zipping up a Dior iPad case while wearing matching purple nail polish. When the zipper is closed completely the woman swipes again to end the video leaving only Dior?s logo on the screen.

Dior Vernis 2014 - Infinitely Fashion. Infinitely Couture.

Dior also incorporated a Tumblr aspect to its promotion of Dior Vernis. On its account, Dior created family crests using two shades of Dior Vernis and fostered a conversation using the hashtag #KingdomOfColors to generate additional interest as consumers create their own color combinations.

For example, Palais Royal and Tra-La-La are combine to create a family crest of houndstooth in brownish taupe and light pink. Many of the #KingdomOfColors crests represent colors or patterns that are iconic codes of the brand such as the use of light pink and houndstooth.

Dior #KingdomOfColors with Palais Royal and Tra-La-La houndstooth 

Keeping up with the Diors 
Just as fashion brands dictate trends in fashion, the beauty looks created by brands set the tone for consumers. Staying ahead of the current beauty trends helps a brand maintain relevancy.

For instance, Dior shared its beauty secrets with enthusiasts by providing tips to achieve curated looks using the maison?s Diorskin Nude Tan powder.

Available for the first time this season in a matte formula, Dior used its Backstage Makeup Mag to promote the Diorskin Nude Tan Matte powder where consumers could watch tutorial videos and learn more about the product line. When introducing a new product to an established line, beauty makers can benefit by tying in additional information about the collection as a whole to attract current users and curious consumers (see story).

Dior has also become effective at reaching its audience on multiple platforms.

The maison used a dedicated YouTube landing page, its new Backstage makeup microsite and social media accounts to promote its lip product. By hitting all of its digital platforms with varied content, Dior is able to ensure that consumers receive the message, however they interact with the brand (see story).

Knowing where your target consumers look is key to promoting a new product range.

"Connecting fashion and beauty brands to technology is a trend that is taking off in the fashion space," said Lauren Bates, email operations specialist at Blue Moon Works, Denver, CO.  "If a brand isn't connecting through technology and the social space it isn't going to reach its audience.

"This video short is a great way for Dior to enter the fashion meets technology space without over doing it or to feel like it is losing its branding," she said. "The use of social platforms like YouTube and Facebook is a great way to get the video short in front of its fans and followers.

"Also, this leveraging of Dior's followers has already lead to over 1,200 shares on Facebook alone. A brands social audience is a great way to create awareness because those people are already connected with the brand on a more intimate level and are more likely to share posts."

Final Take
Jen King, editorial assistant on Luxury Daily, New York