By the time 2011 rolled around, the fashion blogosphere was
already making significant headway in realising both its value, and
how it could be utilised for commercial gain.
We'd already seen Handpicked Media brokering advertising deals
on behalf of its exclusive members list and Bryanboy featuring
in Burberry marketing campaigns, as the first wave of bloggers woke
up to the fact that brand partnerships can mean much more than free
samples and fashion week invites.
The trend continued on a larger scale in 2011, as big brands got
on board - H&M produced a capsule collection in association
with Swedish blogger, Elin Kling; Topshop teamed up with Suzie Lau to
curate its 'Edited By…' series; and Monki supported the launch of
its e-commerce site by inviting numerous international fashion
bloggers to appear on its dedicated online video portal, 'Monki Television.'
Aided by rising levels of recognition within the industry
itself, the way is being paved for a second generation of fashion
bloggers who are all too aware of the commercial opportunities
brand partnerships can pose.
And why shouldn't they? E-commerce sites bring in a vital
portion of retailers' sales, and coverage on influential blogs can
lend brands valuable website traffic and gravitas.
As such, I predict 2012 will be the year that brand-blogger
partnerships become more mainstream.
The opportunities to get influencers involved in campaigns
supporting e-commerce websites are there for the taking, and with
big brands like H&M, Monki and Topshop leading by example, we
will see nervousness surrounding dedicating marketing budget to
blogger outreach begin to dissipate.
An as yet relatively unexplored arena, 2012 will see brands
setting the rules for establishing these partnerships, and pushing
the creative boundaries as to what can be achieved in collaboration
with influential bloggers.