Hugo Boss' brand refresh is making waves across socials, as the company redefines itself for the future.
The global refresh launched on January 26 with two distinct campaigns for Boss and Hugo featuring star-studded line-ups of celebrities, social media stars and models including Kendall Jenner, Hailey Bieber, TikTok star Khaby Lame and dancer Maddy Ziegler.
And the campaigns delivered.
Together, the two global campaigns – #BeYourOwnBoss and #HowDoYouHugo – gained a coverage of 1.9 billion impressions and 75 million engagements across social media in one day – a record-breaking result for the company.
Social engagement increased by 84% on Boss Instagram, while the number of followers on the Hugo TikTok increased by 30%.
The #HowDoYouHugo challenge on TikTok has had 367 million views.
Interested to know how this refresh would manifest locally, Ragtrader sat down with Hugo Boss SEAPAC MD Matthew Keighran to find out more.
In your opinion, what are the key highlights to know about this direction?
In our journey to becoming a top 100 brand, the visual representation of Boss and Hugo as brands are the biggest highlight for the new direction.
Most notably the biggest change you will see is the the introduction of a new, modernised logo from both brands as well as easily identifiable brand codes that will encompass every aspect of this shift and allow for a 360-degree rebrand of all consumer touchpoints.
Additionally, our entire collection design, store concepts, and omnichannel brand experience will be centered on a more playful and casual aesthetic while staying true to our approach to dressing excellence.
Kendall Jenner in the new Boss campaign
How will this brand refresh manifest in Australia?
In Australia, the branding refresh will see a lot of exciting changes for Boss from all areas of our business.
We will be refocusing our marketing strategy to ensure we are still targeting Millennial and Gen Z audiences for Boss and Hugo, whilst also investing heavily in eCommerce destinations like The Iconic where we know these audiences love to visit.
Our product range will continue to strengthen as adapt to suit the needs of our customers, with a specific focus on casualisation as many are now working at home and in the office.
We will also continue to leverage the new global cast of celebrities with local significance, that will help us drive relevancy as a brand through collaboration collections and events (COVID permitting!).
What will the brand do locally to communicate this new direction? Are there plans to connect with local influencers for marketing?
Our communication strategy for this shift will take us through the next few years, where we will build upon our existing customer database and provide them with a seamless shopping experience.
We want to ensure that for the customer, this change is organic and unified.
It is no secret that influencer marketing isn’t going anywhere, and it is integral to our communication strategy for the new direction.
This refresh will see us engage talent that reflect our new brand direction to share with their audience for a mutually beneficial result.
How will product be impacted? How will stores be impacted?
We’ve always taken pride in providing high quality clothing for our customers, and that certainly won’t change.
With this refresh, we will see more youthful and exciting brand collaborations that reflect this new direction and engage consumers.
Our stores will also undergo a period of digitisation as we strive to become one of the leading tech driven fashion businesses in the world.
Digitally how will this direction impact the customer experience on the website?
I’m happy to announce that the Australian Hugo Boss website has just received a complete overhaul.
The new look of our eComm site provides a more emotional experience for shoppers, with inspirational fashion content that helps them find the right look for any occasion.
This will continue to be updated with localised stories and key brand moments such as our Milan Fashion Week show.