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New York Fashion Week wrapped up this weekend, and through all the sponsored events, product placements, and in-your-face advertising, one brand really stood out: Cole Haan.  They stole the show (marketing-wise) with their #SubwayStyle campaign.  It all started last spring when Cole Haan introduced their new collection known as “CQLE HAAN” using NYC subway lines (C, Q, A, etc.) to designate each line of clothing in the spring collection.  Almost a year later, Cole Haan revived this NYC-centric strategy to really capitalize on the marketing opportunities of New York Fashion Week.

Fashion fans flock to New York from all over the world to see the latest on the runways, yet the street styles of bloggers, models, and fashion show regulars share the spotlight.  Pictures of the fashion week attendees regularly pop up across the internet, cover magazines, and fill newsfeeds.  Cole Haan saw an opportunity here, an opportunity to leverage this behavior into a branded experience.

Cole Haan launched #SubwayStyle, a hashtag meant to capture the underground (and literally underground) fashion world of NYC.  And to ensure this campaign went viral, the brand teamed up with Tumblr, the platform nearest and dearest to the hearts of fashion bloggers everywhere.  Using #SubwayStyle, bloggers, tweeters, and instagrammers across the city could tag their favorite styles.  Cole Haan’s own Tumblr page lets visitors sort the collected photos by neighborhood, train line, and trends, as well as vote for their favorite style between two photos (“this or that”).

To quote the eloquent Dan Buczaczer, “The great promise in digital has always been about engagement, not just exposure.”  Cole Haan created a digital fashion destination that, aside from the brand label at the top, seems to be devoid of product promotion all together.  Instead, the success of this campaign lies in the bridging of unique styles and brands, all crowdsourced from the brand’s target audience.  And it’s this engaging content that has been shared virally, ultimately spreading the culture and message of Cole Haan.