Furla recently wrapped up its “Perfect Match” contest, in which the youthful Italian handbag brand called on its fans around the globe to send in photos of themselves showing off their Furla style. China ranked sixth in the number of submissions to the contest thanks to the company's digital presence on WeChat and Weibo.
Participants were asked to upload a selfie onto social media, share the photo with friends, and get their friends to vote. The requirements dictated that the selfie must show off the user's entire outfit in order to demonstrate how well it would pair with a Furla handbag, and 10 winners had an opportunity to win a Metropolis bag. Those who submitted photos could share their own contest entries or their favorite submissions via Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Weibo, or directly from the site.
This is Furla's second major interactive digital campaign in China so far this year. They also launched an HTML5 page on WeChat, called “Joyful Moment,” another photo-sharing opportunity where users submitted photos of joyful moments and shared them with friends. Those with the most likes were also eligible to win a free gift.
The handbag brand has been experiencing a significant growth in sales in the past five years, and China's market offers major potential. Last year, the amount of traffic from China to Furla's official website ranked fourth-highest in the world. To continue to attract more loyal customers, the brand capitalizes on Weibo, WeChat, and Youku channels in China, using each social media platform in different ways.
“Because the user habits changed in recent years on Weibo, we treat it as a branding platform with active engagement,” said Furla CEO Eraldo Poletto. “For WeChat, however, it is no longer just a social media platform, but a personal engagement platform. Now we are more focused on not only creating content, but also developing Customer Relationship Management to enhance the shopping experience of Furla customers.”
Meanwhile, both outside and inside the digital sphere in China, Furla is promoting its “My Play” Metropolis bags, featuring 10 different colorful flaps that are interchangeable. While this is also a global offering, it's one that likely particularly speaks to China's luxury consumers, who are known to covet customization.