Gilt is kicking off the fall season with a foray into broad digital spaces, forging a multichannel campaign featuring mobile-optimized video, a diverse array of campaign images, sponsored content and a pop-up exhibit in New York.

The prominent online retailer and lifestyle brand?s campaign, operating under the banner #GiltLife, is focusing on the Web site?s role as a tastemaker for those who enjoy life in style. To help make its point, Gilt has recruited the talents of model Alessandra Ambrosio, actress Kate Bosworth and celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson for inclusion in the video component of the campaign.

?Gilt is launching its campaign with celebrities everyone will recognize: a chef, a model, and an actress,? said Paul Dubie, manager at Boston Retail Partners.

?It?s possible that Gilt has chosen to work with these celebrities not because they are necessarily social media influencers but because they are recognizable to consumers," he said. "We are curious to know how they live when they are not in the spotlight or strutting the catwalk.

?The whole #GiltLife campaign is just that: a glimpse into the entire Gilt lifestyle. Gilt is using their multi-channel campaign to inspire their customers and show off their lifestyle, from men?s to women?s fashion, home and beauty, and to extend an invitation for this experience to their customers.?

Marrying mobile video and tastemakers
The #GiltLife campaign is Gilt?s latest attempt at crafting a cohesive multichannel approach, and this time the brand is looking to mobile-optimized video as the linchpin of its strategy. The first of four video spots heralding the fall campaign was released yesterday on the campaign?s site.

The video features a selection of men, women and children of enjoying each others? company while participating in activities such as bocce ball, an outdoor dinner, and taking photos together, all while impeccably dressed in ensembles supplied by the retailer. 

The video is the first of many which will be released on a rolling basis this fall.

On Thursday, September 29, a video featuring actress Kate Bosworth will be released, followed by a Monday, October 3 release featuring celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson. A final spot featuring model Alessandra Ambrosio will debut on Wednesday, October 5. 

The spots will include elements of each influencer?s personal style and will also display collections of home décor, favorite fashions and local experiences exclusively curated by them.

The video spots will run on the brand?s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube accounts, and the campaign will also feature sponsored content hosted on national and New York-specific fashion and lifestyle digital outlets.

Another significant aspect of the campaign is an interactive pop-up space called the #GiltLife House, contained within a four-story luxury townhouse in New York. The space will be used to exhibit the diversity of Gilt?s retail palate in food, fitness, fashion, beauty, wellness and other sectors through a series of classes, exhibitions and performances.

The pop-up exhibit offers yet another opportunity for social coverage of Gilt?s fall campaign through the inevitable sharing of both products and performances through social channels such as Snapchat and Instagram, which would also denote Gilt?s brand as a sponsor of cultural tastemakers in addition to fashion.

Tickets for #GiltLife House events are selling for members on a first-come, first-served basis beginning Tuesday, September 27, and the events will be held from Friday, September 30 to Saturday, October 8.

Mobile maneuvering
The Gilt Groupe has staked a position at the vanguard of mobile retail, and its adroit navigation of the platform shows why. The company was lauded for using a robust mobile messaging interface to drive mobile sales to more than fifty percent of its total revenue (see story).

Gilt also showed success in transitioning its business model from a primarily flash-sale site to a lifestyle brand, and its recent implementation of bricks-and-mortar stores has proved auspicious (see story).

?As consumers move through their daily lives, there are more and more ways they can? and want to? interact with the brands they love,? Mr. Dubie said. ?From Instagram and Facebook to Snapchat and native advertising? even with pop-up stores? brands have the ability to reach their customers through many channels.?

?A consumer no longer wants to just see a billboard of the new fall sweater; she wants to share it on social media with her friends and get their opinion," he said. "She wants to know how it feels and pairs with other outfits, so she will check customer reviews.

?The tighter and more cohesive a brand can make their channels, the better the customer experience. And all the easier for the customer to see, shop, and share their love for the brand and its products.?