Sunglasses manufacturer Persol is blending modern and classic themes with marketing and design in an interactive Instagram campaign featuring a graphic novel with a participatory storyline, celebrating an iconic product redesign. 

The Instagram graphic novel features a storyline on which users can vote, allowing them control over the outcome of the plot, which follows a dystopian thriller theme. The campaign is designed to celebrate the new generation of its classic Persol 649 style of sunglasses in an interactive experience that makes a lasting impression and prompts consumers to discuss with friends.  

?To celebrate a new generation of Persol 649s while appealing to a new generation of brand enthusiasts, we knew we had to reach them within a more contemporary context: on mobile, and particularly on Instagram where users actively seek a visual escape from the day-to-day,? said Chris Gilbert, senior social strategist at Kettle, the agency behind the campaign. ?That is why we set out to create a visually immersive world that could become personal to the user by sourcing input. 

?The intimacy of mobile and fashion credibility of Instagram also offered a pairing that was contemporary and ripe for disruption,? he said. 

Persol took to Instagram to create a dialogue with followers while also providing them with unique marketing content with which users can have fun, promoting the new design. The storyline follows the character Frankie Malone in a dystopian world where there is no free will or individuality while he tries to uncover information about the world?s history. 


Persol's current Instagram page featuring the graphic novel

Users that follow Persol on Instagram can influence where the storyline will go by voting on which outcome they would like to see next. For instance, one post featured an image of the character Frankie while making a decision for his next move.

Participants were able to vote for Frankie to either swipe an entry pass to the secure room he needed to get into from his boss or to steal from the janitor. To select the option of choice, users had to like a photo on the dedicated Instagram page for the particular option. 

The ?swipe from boss? choice was the winner with 118 likes. The graphic novel then showed an image of Frankie stealing the keycard, and what follows after, with each post asking for user?s input. 

Acclaimed illustrator Jonathan Bartlett is behind the graphic images and creates them in real time based on consumers' answers. Chapter one is out now and chapter two will be released soon. 

Anheuser-Busch similarly kicked off an interactive hidden-message Instagram campaign, emphasizing the importance of leveraging unique call-to-action content through social media to appeal to users (see more).

Also, Columbia Records provided an immersive experience for fans of the late David Bowie, partnering with a popular Instagram page to create a storytelling experience to coincide with the release of a new album (see more). 

?By combining nostalgic elements with modern cues, the campaign seeks to reinforce Persol as a classic brand, yet with a twist for a new generation,? Mr. Gilbert said. ?We want to give users a chance to become more actively involved with the brand, and in a way that is appropriate for the audience and tasteful for the brand. 

?When crafting the campaign, some of our greatest inspiration really came from applying principles of experiential marketing to the social space,? he said. "To achieve this, we knew we needed a memorable and engaging campaign, something that was not just social because it prompted input, but because it was honestly something people could talk about over drinks with friends.?