For the next year or so at least, Holt Renfrew’s marketing strategy is up in the air.
The luxury retailer has partnered with Air Canada to launch a new in-flight TV channel. Debuting Sept. 1 and running for the next 12 months, the Holt Renfrew TV Channel will be included as part of the in-flight entertainment on the airline’s domestic and international flights.
The new channel will air a series of 20 documentary-style videos, each between 8-10 minutes long, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the world of Holt Renfrew – from the creation of its iconic Christmas windows to trips to the studios of new and emerging designers featured in-store.
“It’s going to celebrate and illuminate all aspects of the Holt Renfrew experience, and really give people a portal into the world of luxury,” said Alison Simpson, Holt Renfrew’s senior vice-president of marketing, brand and customer experience.
The first five films will include a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the fall 2015 issue of Holts Magazine, while another film examines the Holt Renfrew Men store. The content is being developed in association with Nomad Republic.
Simpson said there is a natural alignment between the two brands, since Holts customers tend to have a global worldview and are frequent travellers both for business and recreation.
Holts stores are also located in Canadian cities that attract tourists, such as Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, making the channel an ideal way of reaching that particular audience, said Simpson.
The retailer is supporting the channel’s launch with a 10-second commercial running within Air Canada’s in-flight entertainment, as well as a double page spread introducing passengers to the channel in the September issue of its in-flight magazine enRoute.
The channel will also be featured on a tip-on ad on copies of The Globe and Mail distributed to first-class passengers during the channel’s launch week.
Holt Renfrew is also providing a sneak peak of the channel to the more than 125,000 members of Holt Icon Privileges, the loyalty program it launched in March. Content from the channel will also be repurposed for the retailer’s various digital assets, including HoltRenfrew.com, the Yorkdale digital façade and its social media feeds.
Simpson said the channel provides a “curated journey of discovery” for travellers while underscoring its longstanding commitment to creating experiences for its customers.
“We’re increasingly looking for ways to engage and inspire our customers, so when you think about how much Canadians like to learn about everything that goes into finding great designers, what it’s like to be in Milan or Paris during Fashion Week, what it takes to really create an iconic retail experience, it really is about giving customers that behind-the-scenes access so that they can appreciate everything that goes into the Holt Renfrew experience,” she said.
