Smart Set is aligning its brand with electronic music in an effort to resonate with its target consumer. The office and casual wear retailer, which is owned by Reitmans, is sponsoring three electronic music festivals this summer: Digital Dreams in Toronto, Escapade in Ottawa (both of which have already taken place) and Piknic Electronik in Montreal (Aug. 31 to Sept. 2).
Smart Set, which launched a brand makeover in 2011, said the music festival sponsorship is just one step in the brand’s new commitment to immerse itself in all components of its customer’s lifestyle.
“We love music, we love [DJ sets] and this exciting music sponsorship is a natural extension of who we are: creative, inventive, imaginative and always engaging,” said Valerie Védrines, VP of marketing and visual presentation at Montreal-based Smart Set, in a release. “The ‘Smart Set’ lives to inspire, and this initiative further allows us to bring forth these ideas and be part of the community.”
Smart Set ran a Facebook contest that offered fans a chance to win VIP and regular admission tickets. At the events, festival-goers were invited to create their own two-minute party scene inside a translucent sphere called the Smart Set “Bubble.” A 360-degree camera captured about 20 seconds of music, a light show, confetti and dancing inside the sphere. Participants could then upload the clip to their social media platforms via an iPad station.
Smart Set has also launched an online video to showcase its fall 2013 collection. The one-minute ad shows models posing and dancing to electronic dance music, and ends with the retailer’s new #bettertogether tagline.
