After a few days of recovery, we asked Carsten Hendrich, Vice President Brand Marketing at Zalando, about the motivation, target group and cost of Bread & Butter by Zalando and whether there will be a third edition next year.
You are correct: For us, a mix of both commercial and niche was important. The younger generation doesn’t think in categories. They mix and match all kinds of styles and brands to express their personality. Subcultures are dissolving for them. They easily combine niche streetwear with mainstream sportswear and a punk T-shirt.
And of course the result of our approach was that we were able to attract a broader audience who is interested in fashion and lifestyle trends as well as the small group of early adopters and influencers.
The music offer was truly impressive. Does Zalando want to interact more in a music context in the future (like, hosting more concerts or music festivals)?
[…] Music is one part we’ve always put lots of effort into, because it is so closely related with fashion. Last year A$AP Rocky performed at B&&B, which lead to a collaborative season start campaign “Remix Fashion” with him. I cannot tell what the future holds but music will stay an important aspect of Bread & Butter and Zalando.
Do you have any idea of the total cost of this massive event?
Please understand that we do not disclose any financial details here but it is part of our marketing activities in 2017. B&&B is not a profit center for us, but great marketing and a way to directly connect with consumers. Thus, B&&B is more of a digital live campaign than an event only.
What was your main motivation for Bread & Butter (as it is obviously not a money maker)?
Zalando’s vision is to connect people and fashion. With Bread & Butter we follow that vision having a younger generation, that grew up with the internet, in mind. Commonly known as Gen-Z and Gen-Y.
A generation that is connected to the world with their phones and as such consumes differently. With B&&B we want to reflect that. Bread & Butter gives this younger generation direct access to the fashion world, which was once limited to an exclusive circle. […]
Our motivation was also to give those consumers access to B&&B who couldn’t attend personally, by offering live-streams to the fashion shows and panels as well as giving them access to exclusive products online. By doing so we were able to reach more than 30 million customers across 15 markets.
Where do you see improvement options, what could have gone better? Will there be a third Bread & Butter by Zalando?
In the next few weeks we will have a detailed evaluation and decide what Bread & Butter 2018 could look like. It is a constant process of test and learning, but I can already say that the second edition of Bread & Butter was beyond our expectations.
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