Its roots are as a military outfitter, but in recent years heritage American outerwear brand Alpha Industries has emerged as a power player in the fashion world. Worn by celebrities, influencers and artists alike, Alpha is sweeping the streets in style with its timeless MA-1 Flight Jacket, and has become one of this season’s biggest trends.
TURNER set out to capitalize on Alpha’s moment by launching the brand’s #AlphaMission social media campaign at Austin, Texas’ South By Southwest (SXSW) — one of the world’s biggest (and most influential) music, film and interactive media festivals.
In an effort to expand Alpha Industries’ social following and promote the #AlphaMission hashtag (which encouraged users to share photos of how they explore with their Alpha gear), TURNER implemented a social street style and influencer activation program during SXSW. The brand created a presence at SXSW producing rich, captivating content in collaboration with musicians, and covering street style and performance showcases.
Alpha Industries’ SWXW presence was centered on a VIP gifting suite that targeted top tier artists, as well as local emerging bands. More than 35 performing artists were gifted with MA-1 Flight Jackets prior to the festival, while top line artists such as DNCE and Kacy Hill were given custom pieces.
Meanwhile, TURNER team members were on the ground during the festival capturing SXSW street style, spotting Alpha Industries gear, and trend spotting via Instagram, Twitter and Periscope. In additional to covering the festival, we were able to execute consumer-facing activation for attendees offering discounts via stickers passed out throughout the festival.
The activation program generated buzz among influencers and increased social engagement organically across Alpha Industries’ social platforms. The gifting suite reached artists Kacy Hill and Prince Fox, who posted on their social platforms and tagged the brand, whileJoe Jonas was seen out and about wearing his custom jacket. With this program we were able to foster new relationships with artists and labels for future collaborations and expose the brand to a new audience.