Stuart Weitzman innovates with cinemagraph campaign

As retailers try varying ways to attract the interest of shoppers, Stuart Weitzman is launching a totally new kind of digital campaign.

The retailer says it is the first company in the apparel industry to launch what is called a "cinemagraph advertising campaign" on Instagram. Cinemagraphs — still photographs incorporating looping video elements — are increasingly popular as retailers experiment with new visual tricks and gimmicks designed to make consumers stop and take notice.

Seen as living photography, the cinemagraph is a unique hybrid of photography and individual instants of motion isolated against a static image. Showcasing cinemagraphs on Instagram creates motion in the feed because the social platform recently enabled the autoplay function for videos.

"Cinemagraphs allow us to share mesmerizing moments that extend the visual vocabulary of the brand. We are very excited to bring life to this innovative Instagram campaign, which will enable us to connect with new consumers on an intimate and aspirational level. The opportunities for engagement and organic reach are limitless," said Susan Duffy, CMO at Stuart Weitzman.

Stuart Weitzman embraced this opportunity on Instagram by creating an unprecedented digital advertising campaign with four cinemagraphs spotlighting key spring styles: the LOVEFRINGE stiletto, the MYSLIDE sandal, the SPARTA gladiator and the FRINGETIMES bootie. The campaign elevates the moving images into something much more refined, offering an immersive experience.

To emphasize its omnichannel approach and strategy, Stuart Weitzman created the campaign around its proprietary hashtag #inourshoes.

"Autoplay on Facebook and Instagram has opened up so many new possibilities and we were thrilled to work with Stuart Weitzman to bring their shoes to life in a way no one has ever done," said Jamie Beck and Kevin Burg of Ann Street Studio.

The Stuart Weitzman Cinemagraph advertising campaign, which runs for two weeks on Instagram, will target women aged 22 to 40 in North America. Its key objective is to build brand affinity and awareness while simultaneously reinforcing the #inourshoes positioning.

The campaign will also utilize Facebook's new reach capabilities: a supplementary media buy on the channel will retarget people who see the campaign on Instagram – a recent development that extends the storytelling capabilities across both social platforms.

Stuart Weitzman operates 45 retail stores across the United States, including New York, Beverly Hills, Chicago, Boston and Las Vegas. The company also has 75 international stores, 14 international shop-in-shops, and e-commerce sites in the United States, Canada, Europe and Hong Kong. Stuart Weitzman footwear and accessories are sold in more than 70 countries.