NKPR is about to go on a Mulberry push.
The Toronto agency has picked up the communications assignment for the British luxury fashion brand following a formal review that included several unnamed agencies.
NKPR is charged with creating awareness of Mulberry’s two new stores, opening in Toronto’s trendy Bloor-Yorkville shopping area and Yorkdale Shopping Centre, early next month. They are Mulberry’s first stores in Canada, although its products are also sold at Holt Renfrew.
NKPR president Natasha Koifman told Marketing that her agency won the business on the basis of its creative thinking around the Mulberry launch and the consistency of its communications approach.
“They were looking for creative ideas and how to actually market to their target consumer, but they also wanted a true partner at the table where we would be providing them with strategic counsel on media buys,” said Koifman. “I find that we’re doing that more and more as an agency.”
Canada is part of Mulberry’s ongoing commitment to international expansion. The company opened 17 new international stores in the fiscal year ended March 31, with an additional 15 to 20 openings planned for 2013-14. It now operates 117 stores in Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East.
“A huge part of their strategy is going into these new markets and educating consumers on Mulberry,” said Koifman. In an investor presentation earlier this year, Mulberry said its communications strategy will continue to focus on its “British-ness,” as well as its heritage and craftsmanship.
NKPR’s primary communications focus will be on Mulberry bags, which comprised more than three-quarters (77%) of the company’s £165.1 (C$258.4 million) in revenues in fiscal 2013.
The agency has created an integrated program surrounding the Mulberry launch that debuts in September. Koifman wouldn’t disclose details, but said that it represents an opportunity to increase awareness around the bags, the product and the brand heritage.
Mulberry’s continued presence at events like London Fashion Week, as well as a robust social media presence (more than 177,000 followers on Twitter) will also feed into the communications strategy, said Koifman.
Established in 2002, NKPR is a lifestyle-focused PR agency with 32 employees.
The agency has enjoyed what Koifman calls a “huge growth spurt” in the past 18 months, which includes expanding its purview with The Jones Group – which had included the Jones New York and Rachel Rachel Roy brands – to include its Anne Klein business.
The agency also recently won the assignment for the English fashion brand Boohoo, as well as the Canadian PR assignment for Loews Hotels. The agency also picked up the Avon assignment, which Koifman said she is particularly enthused about. “I love the heritage and history behind that brand,” she said.
