April 16, 2014
Prada Journal 2013 event space
Italian fashion label Prada is hosting its second annual Prada Journal competition that asks consumers to submit short stories that use the brand’s eyewear as the starting point for approaching a topic.
For this year’s competition, again in collaboration with publishing house Giangiacomo Feltrinelli Editore, Prada gave a prompt that tells consumers to examine how the world is changing now and how it will change going forward. This adds to Prada’s growing collection of creative projects that further solidify the brand’s position in the art world, while creating a bond between fashion and literature.
"It’s not about fashion and literature," said Chris Ramey, president of Affluent Insights, Miami, FL. "It’s the storyline that Prada plays in their customer’s lives.
"There is a parallel between [Prada's] glasses and seeing the world," he said.
"Reading the stories of other clients builds engagement. Engaging prospects and clients builds loyalty.
"There’s also a sense of wonder. Allowing best customers to align their life stories with Prada. They all draw in the audience and build sales."
Mr. Ramey is not affiliated with Prada but agreed to comment as an industry expert.
Prada could not comment directly.
Writing prompt
In the instructions for entering, Prada explains its consistent devotion to young artists, and its desire to help them share their work.
Prada Journal promotional image
Prada asked consumers to use this prompt as the starting point for their writing: “What are the signs of a changing world? And what situations can we envision? Taking a good look at the details might give us the answer.”
Submissions should be between 10 and 20 pages, and can be written in any language.
The brand has a submission form on its Web site where consumers can upload their stories up until 1 p.m. on June 11. Entries will then be judged by publishing experts.
Each contest winner will receive approximately $6,900.
Prada explains that this reflects the “progressive, inquisitive spirit that Prada, Feltrinelli and Luxottica are renowned for.”
Last year, Prada’s prompt asked participants to write a short story based on the prompt: “What are the realities that our eyes give back to us? And how are these realities filtered through lenses?”
The brand says that it is looking for “artists who can see the world with a unique, rare gaze.”
This contest came after Prada’s recent promotions for its new eyewear line (see story).
Prada received 1,300 submissions for last year’s contest, from which five winners were chosen. After the winners were announced in 2013, Prada hosted an event Oct. 23 in New York that turned the Prada Epicenter on Broadway into a literary salon.
Prada Journal 2013 event
The brand also put together an ebook of both the winning stories in the writers’ native languages and English, which is still downloadable on Prada’s Web site.
Arts patron
Prada continuously aligns itself with artists to point to its own artistic flair.
The brand premiered Wes Anderson’s “Castello Cavalcanti” short film at the Rome Film Festival and on its Web site that granted supremacy to the director’s style rather than overt branding.
Prada's film features actors Jason Schwartzman and Giada Colagrande and is the latest project in the brand’s “Prada Classics” series that promotes art, architecture and film. Partnering with films is a way for luxury brands to articulate their aesthetic in another medium and gain interest among cinema aficionados (see story).
Also, Prada took editorial input for an in-store display, highlighting its ties to publishing.
The Italian fashion house showcased its editorial and artistic side by having W magazine’s fashion and style director Edward Enninful translate his vision to its Montenapoleone boutiques during Milan Fashion Week.
This store display was part of the brand’s second round of “Iconoclasts,” which had previously seen collaborations with Carine Roitfeld of French Vogue and Love magazine’s Katie Grand. These projects help Prada solidify ties to fashion magazines and also create both interesting in-store visuals and digital content (see story).
Even though Prada may see interest in this competition, there might not be enough of a branded message to have any effect on the label's perception from consumers, who may associate it with the film "The Devil Wears Prada."
Prada doesn’t have a brand strategy," said Rob Frankel, branding expert at marketing consultancy firm Frankel & Anderson, Los Angeles. "They’ve allowed popular culture to dictate what it is.
"[This contest] doesn’t promote quality, accessorization, it’s just unrelated," he said. "It’s just random. It doesn’t speak to anything.
"At the end of the day, what’s really happened? How does this affect their bottom line business? There’s no message, and there’s no tangible upside to this promotion."
Final Take
Sarah Jones, editorial assistant on Luxury Daily, New York
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