Correspondingly, Balenciaga has also changed its marketing strategy over the past year from its previous focus on social media topics, shifting towards restraint and quietness.
The Winter 23 series, released in Paris in March this year, was the first offline fashion show after the crisis. Creative Director Demna made a statement that Balenciaga’s next creative direction is to return to the clothing itself. At that time, apart from critics such as Cathy Horyn, many media outlets were still hesitant to attend and report on this show.
Afterwards, the Spring 24 Series Capital B, which also belongs to this bath towel series, was released online in May in the form of a short film, showcasing Paris in the rain. The Summer 24 Series fashion show will be held in October, and Demna invites many friends from the fashion industry to stand on its platform. Inviting his friends, family, and colleagues on stage for a runway show may be interpreted as Demna’s manifestation of gaining strength and support for himself under public pressure.
The addition of IKEA has added another spark to this topic. The home furnishing retailer has released a targeted set of advertisements imitating Balenciaga, featuring models wearing black hoodies and sunglasses, but with genuine VINARN bath towels at their waist, priced at only $10.
It seems that this is IKEA’s counterattack and irony towards Balenciaga. In one of the photos, the model is holding an IKEA Frakta shopping bag, and if people still remember Balenciaga launching a $2000 leather version of the Frakta shopping bag in 2017, they will find this move meaningful.
In terms of towel marketing itself, this may just be another successful but not innovative event marketing. But if viewed in a larger context, this public opinion peak may be a key turning point.
Setting the clock back to half a year ago, the discussion of Balenciaga in European and American media at that time contrasted sharply with the current lively scene. After the controversial advertising incident at the end of November last year, Balenciaga was more or less shrouded in a shadow, with media and social media opinion leaders reducing their discussion of the brand to some extent.
