Five by Five, the Southampton-based digital agency, has created a viral marketing campaign for fashion retailer ‘New Look’ – the first time the label has used this marketing medium.

Moving away from the traditional e-card format New Look is using the viral to get both customers and suppliers excited about Christmas at New Look. The viral also shows the Christmas dress range and tells consumers that New Look now sell men’s clothes.

The viral, hosted on a micro site www.newlookchristmas.co.uk and also posted onto You Tube, follows a couple on a shopping trip where a terminally bored boyfriend is faced with a seemingly endless succession of outfits to comment upon. Eventually, he swops clothes with a mannequin and makes off in a gold lame dress to do a spot of shopping himself. Meanwhile, the dummy substitute provides the audience for his girlfriend’s fashion show. Boyfriend returns and discovers that the stunning little red dress was ‘the one’ all along and that he had been sitting next to a fantastic collection of men’s clothing – the last thing he expected.

The viral is being sent out to all New Look’s online database and recipients are being encouraged to nominate three friends to receive it. The sender’s name will be entered into a Christmas draw to win a Christmas gift such as a Nintendo Wii, Wii Fit or a shopping spree worth £100.

The project follows Five By Five’s development of an online format for New Look’s Autumn/Winter magazine which allows New Look customers to interact with the brand online; encourage sales through the website; and increase database registrations. It’s been so successful that Five by Five has been commissioned to produce the following Spring/Summer edition.

Patrick Mulford creative director of Five By five commented: “We developed a short video containing a funny scene between a boyfriend and his girlfriend while they shop in New Look for her Christmas party dress. We were looking for something both men and women would find amusing and the situation in the video should hopefully have a viral ‘stickiness’ to it as it will resonate with so many of new Look’s target audience.’’

Helen Walker of New Look added: “We wanted a fun and engaging viral for the festive season which has definitely been delivered. Not only have Five By Five developed an imaginative piece which complements our brand values, they have also enabled us to integrate a competition element which rewards our customer base.”

www.fivebyfivedigital.com