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Does Calvin Klein know PR? Part Two

By Aman Judge

Calvin Klein officially kicked off its CK One campaign on March 1, but has it really utilized the campaign to its full advantage?

CK One is a campaign meant to attract the younger consumer to the Calvin Klein brand. Although there has been an increase in sales, Calvin Klein has yet to really engage its public to build a better relationship with the consumer.

As noted in my previous blog post, CK One is trying to engage its consumers by interacting with them through different social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter and the company’s website. This engagement allows for Calvin Klein to create more of a two-way communication with consumers, especially those of the younger generation.

Calvin Klein set its goals high. With a campaign such as CK One, social media does play a big role, but how you utilize social media plays an even bigger role. #CKOne is Calvin Klein’s source of feedback for the CK One brand on Twitter. CK One also has its own page on Facebook, but it’s hosted through the Calvin Klein page. On both sites Calvin Klein doesn’t take full advantage of this use of social media.

Setting up these accounts is one thing, but utilizing them correctly is another. On the Twitter feed for #CKOne, Calvin Klein has its own CK One models promoting the brand. Although there is reaction from the public, it is usually comments on the brand itself. There are no probing questions that allow for consumers to reply with tweets, nor are there really any ways for its staff to engage with consumers. Rather, the CKOne hashtag consists of people talking about the campaign and prompting consumers to visit the website without real engagement between consumer and company. There is a lack of two-way communication.

The Facebook page is even worse. The Calvin Klein Facebook page has all of the posts for the CK One brand. I wasn’t sure if this was on purpose because Calvin Klein is still the parent brand, and CK One is a new, but separate, brand. The CK One Facebook app page has posts on it, but they are posted sparingly, so sparingly that there are only five posts.

One form of engagement between the consumer and CK One is through the CK One website. CK One posts statuses on Facebook and Twitter that direct you back to the website. For example, one post prompts younger consumers to post a video telling about their secret crush.

This seems too regulatory, but it is still engaging with the consumer. There are two drawbacks to this. 1.) You must sign in to post or view videos and 2.) There is no real feedback. While providing a way for consumers to engage, the website doesn’t offer two-way communication with the brand itself.

If you go through the effort of utilizing social media platforms, remember to be strategic. CK One’s failure to establish two-way communication serves as a lesson to PR practitioners.

*Edited version of a blog orginally posted on PROpenMic.

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