French fashion label Chanel is asking consumers their sign on Instagram in a new marketing effort for the Chance fragrance collection.

The Instagram content, exclusive to the platform, includes GIF imagery for each of the 12 astrological signs to connect with Chanel enthusiasts on a personal level. The integration of the Chance fragrance aligns with the zodiac messaging as many consumers, especially those in Asia, may rely heavily on their signs to predict life events and chances as suggested by the scent?s placement.

?Since GIFs start moving automatically on Instagram, it?s definitely an eye-catcher,? said Markella Haynes, social media coordinator at MDG Advertising, Boca Raton, FL. ?Seeing butterflies, parrots and bright eyes pop up in an image makes you do a double take.

?Your first reaction is to jump through the posts to find your zodiac sign,? she said. ?Similar to when you used to flip through a calendar to find what picture was featured on your birth month.

?It begs you to ask, ?Which of these is for me?? Thus, connecting you to the brand.?

Ms. Haynes is not affiliated with Chanel, but agreed to comment as an industry expert.

Chanel did not respond by press deadline.

I saw the sign
Beauty and fashion marketers continue to be enamored by photo-sharing application Instagram?s organic reach, with 95 and 98 percent of brands, respectively, in those sectors' operating accounts, according to a report by L2.

Instagram has presented marketers with a platform that is more engaging than Facebook or Twitter, with fashion labels growing their communities by 27 percent to 2 million followers and beauty brands increasing by 30 percent, or 600,000 individuals. The popular app, which boasts 300 million monthly users, recently announced plans to open the platform to create a stronger relationship with all advertisers through the use of direct response within advertisements to grow revenue opportunities (see story).

In the case of Chanel, the house often posts imagery that is shared across platforms to form a cohesive brand narrative. For the #TakeYourChance zodiac effort, Chanel took note of the Instagram?s engagement prowess sharing the GIFs solely on the platform.

As Facebook interaction continues to decline among millennial and young consumers, Chanel?s Instagram effort will likely be seen by this aspirational demographic. 

The whimsical nature of the content will also more likely be shared and reposted as consumers enjoy posting images that represent their personalities and interests.

?Instagram is a very visual platform, so to promote the look, feel and overall tone of their product through striking imagery is key,? Ms. Haynes said. ?Not all platforms support GIFs at this time, so it?s smart that they went straight for the platform that would best showcase this type of media.

?Since Instagram doesn?t have an advanced ads dashboards yet, when a potential customer sees these bright, vibrant GIFs in their feed, it makes them stop and investigate,? she said. ?[Consumers] may think it?s something clever a friend posted instead of being an ad.

?Likewise, the lack of an ads dashboard is also a drawback. Someone who hasn?t followed the brand may be missing out on the content. On the plus side, if this execution is popular among Chanel?s followers then the brand can repurpose this execution for other mediums.?

In each of the 12 posts, Chanel included a bottle of Chance in the center and included zodiac signifiers surrounding the bottle. These elements then move to create the GIF.

For example, for Leo, which is also the sign of brand founder Gabrielle ?Coco? Chanel, who celebrated her birthday Aug. 19, the brand included a lion?s head, a crown and a portrait of Ms. Chanel in the center of a sun. The collage pieces move when the play button is clicked, with the crown becoming larger and smaller, the lion?s mouth moving simulating a roar and the sun shifting positions

The post also includes a caption reading, ?Your royal posture forces the world to kneel before? and the tags #ChanceChanel, #TakeYourChance and #Leo.

Leo was the first astrological sign shared by Chanel and was timed to coincide with Ms. Chanel?s birthday. I

n the days following, Chanel shared the rest of the astrological signs, with Virgo including grain, Scorpio a scorpion, Pisces a fish bowl and Taurus the horns of a bull, along with miniature fortunes accompanying the GIF.

As of press time, the Leo post has been liked the most with 93,900 likes and the other posts seeing a range of likes between 55,600 to 81,300. Although not a concrete way to collect data, this may give Chanel a sense of where its consumers fall on the astrological chart.

Insta-branding
Many marketers have used Instagram campaigns to add longevity to an ongoing effort or increase consumer interactions digitally and in the in-store space.

For instance, U.S. fashion label Diane von Furstenberg invited consumers to join its team of secret agents with an Instagram contest as part of the brand?s fall campaign.

Consumers could enter to win two tickets to the DVF spring 2016 fashion show in New York and a Secret Agent bag of their own by guessing the location of pictures posted to the brand?s Instagram account. Getting consumers involved with a mission of their own likely spurred more interest in the campaign and the brand itself (see story).

Also, French footwear maker Berluti brought its online user-generated gallery in-stores with a ?Wall of Shoes? that encouraged consumers to take a ?selfeet,? or a foot selfie.

Consumers were asked to snap a photo of their shoes in-store and post them on Instagram, a campaign that had been on the platform for a few months, and then the photos were printed out and placed on Berluti?s walls around the world. Taking a social media campaign and bringing it in-store allowed Berluti to extend the campaign even further and spin attention back to itself (see story).

At this time, Instagram does not offer brands the ability to insert hyperlinks into posts, thus limiting engagement to the platform. Because of this, it is difficult to gauge if Chanel?s effort will produce sufficient ROI.

?It?s important for your Web site and social media efforts to work together for the same purpose ? in this case, it?s to drive sales on the Chance fragrance line,? Ms. Haynes said. ?When a potential customer decides to click on Chanel.com link in the brand?s bio, the first thing you see on the fragrance Web page is a large, clickable banner image also promoting Chance.

?Their online platforms are working in unison to make the new fragrance easy to purchase with simple navigation, which can help increase sales and interest,? she said.

Final Take
Jen King, lead reporter on Luxury Daily, New York