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Yesterday, Mayor Bloomberg, Vogue magazine, the Council of Fashion Designers of America and NYC & Co. announced that Fashion’s Night Out (FNO) will return next year on September 9, 2010. This past September, FNO debuted as the kick-off event to New York Fashion Week and over 700 New York City shops participated by staying open till 11 p.m. and hosting fashion-filled parties. Women’s Wear Daily (WWD) reports that Mayor Bloomberg called the night a, “tremendous success:”

Thousands of New Yorkers attended the events in all five boroughs, supporting the city’s retail and fashion industries, and helping a worthwhile cause. It’s sure to be an even bigger event in 2010.

WWD cited a study done by ShopperTrak that said foot traffic in stores jumped 50% that night. Results from an NYC & Co. survey of 1,300 shoppers concluded that 75% bought something that night and two-thirds visited stores they’ve never been to before.

During and after FNO, we analyzed the nearly 2,500 related tweets that came in through our Fashion Week Web site, FashionTweek.com. Tweet content focused mostly on the parties and personal appearances with few mentions of FNO purchases. Out of 2,500 tweets, only 20 had a negative connotation, for example, “OLSEN BARTENDING CRISIS: Overcrowded! Security tries to clear, fans revolt: ‘I’ve been waiting for hours!’ True fans stay!”

The majority of tweets excitedly announced celebrity sightings and expressed enthusiasm for fashion, sounds like a success to us, even if there wasn’t a ton of talk about purchases. The WWD article said that despite the large turnout, retailers noticed it was more about partying and autographs than shopping, but they still saw it as a success because it put people in a shopping mindset and elevated the industry’s image.

According to FashionTweek, the most mentioned stores during FNO were Barneys with 83 mentions, Bergdorf Goodman (63), Bloomingdales (48), Prada (31) and Giuseppe Zanotti (29). The most mentioned celebrities during FNO were Anna Wintour (79), the Olsen twins (32), Rihanna (15), Kate Hudson (14) and Barbara Walters (11).

New Site Promotes French Luxury Labels in China” (AP)

A new Web site launched Thursday gives China’s 1.3 billion people a chance to ogle French luxury, from designer clothing to diamond-dripping watches and glittering gold jewelry, as part of a bid by French houses to tap into the Asian giant’s growing hunger for high-end goods.

Fashion’s Night Out to Be Repeated in 2010″ (WWD)

Fashion’s Night Out, the global shopping event that gave retail a much-needed kick last month, is due for an encore in 2010. Today, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Vogue magazine, the Council of Fashion Designers of America and NYC & Co. will unveil the return of the event on Sept. 9 — and the plan is to make the second one bigger and better than the first.

“How to Channel Your Twitter Voice” (WSJ)

While business owners across the country have glommed onto social networking as a marketing tool, there are thousands of entrepreneurs who can’t seem to “get” social networking. The main reason? For all the benefits social networking delivers — simple, inexpensive and viral — it’s also time consuming.

“Jimmy Choo Launches Line for Main Street” (CBC)

Jimmy Choo is that latest luxury retailer to launch a more affordable line in hopes of boosting sales hit hard by the recession. Choo, renowned for shoes and handbags ranging in the thousands of dollars, will produce footwear and clothing for the Sweden-based international clothing chain H&M, starting Nov. 14.

“Rosewood Hotels CEO: ‘Conspicuous Consumption is Dead’ For Now” (USA Today)

The most-expensive hotels and resorts are hurting more than the Holiday Inns of the world as they face

a double whammy – the recession coupled with the so-called AIG effect. The term was coined last fall after it was revealed that bailed-out insurance giant AIG hosted a lavish, spa-filled $400,000 corporate retreat at a St. Regis resort just days after receiving billions in federal aid. News about the trip sparked a national debate about corporate entertaining habits and, ultimately, drove an untold number of companies to cancel their five-star hotel gatherings.

“MGM Twitter Campaign Asks People To Tweet Sins” (MediaPost)

MGM Grand wants to take the guilt out of sinning. Tweet a sin on Twitter, along with #mgmsin, and enter to win a free room night at MGM Grand. The hotel will choose one winner at random each day for 30 days. MGM Grand will announce the winners on its Web site and on Twitter. The campaign kicked off on Twitter, but out-of-home wall projection systems in Los Angeles will shine the confessions from dusk until 2 a.m. on the side of buildings.

“Luxury Brand Versace Announces Crisis Cuts” (AFP)

Top Italian luxury goods firm Versace said Wednesday it will cut a quarter of its workforce and expects to report a loss for 2009 as demand for its products has shrunk in the economic crisis. It announced a cost-cutting plan to axe around 350 of its 1,300 workforce and review branches and investments as part of a “comprehensive corporate reorganization.”

“Animal Instincts: Q&A With Geoffrey Miller” (WWD)

Geoffrey Miller believes sex is a primary basis for how consumers decide what to buy. Miller, the author of “Spent: Sex, Evolution and Consumer Behavior” (Viking), is a professor of evolutionary psychology at the University of New Mexico and a consultant to companies such as Procter & Gamble Co. and The Coca-Cola Co. He argues consumers buy and wear what they do because of their desire to attract potential mates, rather than fashion trends.

As we approach the holiday season, many luxury brands are getting into the spirit of giving by incorporating a charitable component into their game plan. People are slowly easing back into old spending habits, making it important for brands to differentiate themselves from others by offering consumers incentive to buy. Numerous studies have proven that people are looking for value in their purchases, so what better combination than a value product and the opportunity to do some charitable good. This way shoppers can leave a store with a fancy new purchase and the knowledge that they have made a positive impact on a good cause . Here are three fashion brands leading by example as they find ways to combine luxury taste with charitable giving:

1. Versace - For the last two years, Versace has participated in the “Art Unites” program promoting the use of art as therapy for children. This year, 1,400 kids participated and Versace made one-of-a-kind handbags out of each work of art. The bags are sold across the globe in all their boutique stores, selling for $250 apiece. All proceeds go to either the Starlight Children’s Foundation, helping seriously ill children in the United States or One Foundation, a charity that works on long-term recovery projects like the two Versace children’s center in the earthquake-aftermath of China’s Sichuan province.
2. Gucci – The label has joined Mary J. Blige to open up the Mary J. Blige Center for Women in Yonkers, N.Y., which Gucci helped underwrite. The goals of the center are to educate, empower and encourage women. Creative Director, Frida Giannini, is also a board member of the PPR Foundation for Women’s Dignity and says Gucci joined up with Blige to show that fashion is about more than clothes, it’s about social responsibility and getting involved with projects you believe in.
3. Jimmy Choo – Project PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) partners up Jimmy Choo and the Elton John Aids Foundation. The Project PEP collection launches this week and already had 1,000 names on the waiting list. A large portion of the profits will go to the charity – a quarter of the net sales will fund Project PEP at the Simelela Centre in Cape Town.

We’ll keep our eyes peeled for other noteworthy luxe brands with a giving heart. Let us know if you’ve heard of any great partnerships between brands and charities.

“Armani, Ferragamo Expand Online” (WWD)  

Salvatore Ferragamo SpA on Monday became the latest fashion company to launch its own online store, while Giorgio Armani went one further and unveiled plans for mobile commerce. Customers of Florence, Italy-based Ferragamo will be able to shop on its redesigned Web site ferragamo.com in Italy and the U.K. immediately, and in the U.S. and other European markets in the next few months, Ferragamo said. 

“Retailers Get Ready for Social Shopping Experience” (eMarketer)

People have long shared product opinions with friends and family through word-of-mouth. Today, social media tools enable consumers to extend their connections and conduct commerce in powerful new ways. As people spend more time on social networks, retailers feel pressure to be there as well. 

“Publicis Reports ‘Most Terrible’ Results, Claims It Is Becoming An ‘All-Digital Agency’” (MediaPost)

Paris-based Publicis Groupe, which currently boasts that 25% of its revenues are derived from digital advertising and media services, ultimately plans to become an “all-digital agency,” its Chairman-CEO Maurice Levy said in an interview following the release of its third quarter earnings this morning.

“How to Develop the Right Communications Strategy for a Conversation Economy” (AdAge)

What does the worldwide, technologically enabled drive for conversations mean for marketers? It means you’re no longer marketing products or services — you’re marketing conversations. It means marketing-communication planning should be driven by a conversation strategy.

We are happy to welcome Matador to our travel channel. Matador is a social community for travelers who wish to share their adventures, receive meaningful travel advice and find inspiration from people all around the globe. Travelers, writers, photographers, adventurers and grass-roots organizations all come to Matador to tell their stories.

We want to inspire you, give you the opportunity to share your story, meet people who love the things that you love and give you the tools to plan new adventures.

We are excited to begin this business partnership with a Web site that combines two of our passions – travel and social networking.

“Tribune Sets Its Sights on New York Times’ Luxury Ads” (AdAge)

Tribune Co. is teaming up with a larger group of newspapers it doesn’t own in a bid to attract luxury retail ads. The Tribune’s seven-paper group will sell access to all the newsprint, glossy and digital platforms its partner papers offer to make it easier for luxury advertisers to make a broad national buy. This luxury coalition aims to pave an easier, more efficient path for advertisers during a time when luxury is a priority category for the Tribune.

“Luxe Market Faces Wealth of Challenges” (Brandweek)

Before the current recession, people thought the affluent would continue purchasing high-end products and services no matter what happened to the economy. But even the wealthy are cutting back and luxury brands will have to face a wealth of challenges before they recover – including finding a balance between luxury and practicality, and the rise and fall of the aspirational consumer who previously relied on credit to indulge in the luxe life.

“New Bells & Whistles Take Email Social” (MarketingVOX)

Email marketers are asking for better behavioral targeting and other advanced capabilities, which has prompted the creation of new and upgraded email tools which increase the use of social media and analytics to better understand and target sales prospects. One example, is a tool that enables marketers to select content from an email and incorporate it into a Tweet.  

“Travelocity Offers Hope in Evolution of Display Advertising” (AdAge)

Those in the ad industry are always looking for a way to make advertising more relevant to consumers and advertisers. Travelocity has led by example with targeted audience and real-time campaign updates. Last year, they ditched traditional online display ads and now send targeted messages in real-time based on visitors’ most recent search activities.

“The Fourth Estate Meets The Fourth Screen” (MediaPost)

Allegedly, The Times, as well as other magazine and textbook publishers met with Apple earlier this year to discuss content partnerships for the release of Apple’s tablet. Rather than the static layout of a paper and unlike anything done by Kindle or E-Ink, Apple may have publishers create “hybridized” content that uses audio, video and interactive graphics in books, magazines and newspapers.

This set of slides created by David Armano of Dachis Group, tells us what it really takes to turn social media into a social business and why we need to do it. Soon, social business will not be something a brand can opt in for, it will be the way business is done. As work, society and technology transform from distinct entities to overlapping forces, businesses must adapt. That means making the brand experience social for the consumer – shareable, open, distributed, dynamic and collective. While some of these slides lose a little meaning without narration, they will still jog your social media memory and inspire you to pursue a social business.

“Gucci Spotlights Mary J Blige Charity and Pop-Up Shop” (WWD)

At a time when luxury sales are approaching revival, Gucci is getting their name out there in all the right ways. They have partnered up with Mary J. Blige’s charity and were present on Thursday at the opening of the Mary J. Blige Center for Women in Yonkers, NY. The center  aims to educate, empower and encourage women. Gucci is also opening up a pop-up store in SoHo to showcase the Gucci-icon collection, complete with sold out DJ Mark Ronson sneakers.

“Top Brands Tap iPhone as Personal Shopper” (MarketingVOX)

A growing number of consumer fashion brands are creating mobile applications that promote the ease and social benefits of personal shopping. This is part of the latest efforts by fashion brands to bring consumers personalized shopping experiences onto mobile devices and social networking platforms.

“Many Big Marketers Go on the Hunt for New Agencies” (WSJ)

A long list of major marketers are shopping for new advertising firms, a sign that the ad recession may be easing. Switching to a new ad agency can cost $50,000 to $100,000 (or more), a price tag most companies held off on during the economic downturn. But, one of the biggest things companies are looking for in a new ad agency are an effort to keep ad agency fees down.

“Coke Ambassadors Taking Social Media Old School With Around The World Trip” (MediaPost)

Coca-cola is enlisting three brand ambassadors to visit all 206 countries where the company’s products are sold. Over 365 days and 150,000 miles, these brand ambassadors are supposed to seek out what makes people happy at each location and share their happiness and enthusiasm with the rest of the world. Their adventures will play out like a year-long reality TV series (sans television) on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Flickr and other social networking sites.

Earlier this week, we included an article from AdAge in our Digital Luxury Digest entitled, “Online Ads Not Working for You? Blame the Creative.” Basically, it said a recent study by Dynamic Logic determined that ad effectiveness hinged on good creative, with targeting and placement as secondary factors.

Currently we are running an ad campaign on our network for Mandarin Oriental that has especially enticing creative. As we approach the holiday season, the ad proclaims, “Mandarin Oriental Perfect for Celebrations and Festive Breaks” with a popper full of colorful confetti that transforms into the hotel group’s signature fan and a link to special offers.

While ad creative may be paramount to an ad’s success, we know targeting and placement are still imperative aspects to an ad’s effectiveness. We’ve placed this campaign on some great sites; Snooth, JamesList, CitySpur, Luxury Travel Magazine, NileGuide and Private Islands Online.

Mandarin Oriental on Luxury Travel Magazine:

Mandarin Oriental on NileGuide: