How Nude Project used branded content to create the fastest-growing brand in Spanish fashion.
It’s Tuesday night after a hard day's work. You came to Instagram with a free invite, on the house, and at the expense of brands paying a pretty penny for your attention. You came here to be entertained, and not much else.
So who will have the privilege to take your precious time?
Will it be the greasy salesperson with the latest “insights” on how AI will save you money if you follow these 3 simple steps? Or will it be the group with a scene around it, effortlessly stylish, and almost annoyingly laissez-faire about what you do? They are on here, seemingly just like you, to have a good time.
Branded Content
The fastest-growing brands on the internet understand that the song and dance between the consumer and the purchase is an intricate waltz. Faced with a plethora of scrolling options, consumers. i.e, we (why talk about it in the third person?) hate the feeling of advertisement.
So these brands choose instead to make branded content.
Branded content is a marketing technique that involves creating content that is directly linked to a brand. Most importantly, it's focused on brand values, not on its products or services.
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One brand that has mastered branded content is NUDE PROJECT. In the country that birthed ZARA SA, Nude Project is Spain’s fastest-growing fashion brand.
Their clothing is a staple in every Spanish GenZ’s closet, Joe Biden’s granddaughter’s favorite shopping spot in Madrid, and worn by the likes of Harry Styles and Billie Eilish.
And across their Insta grid, you will find countless examples of branded content.
Nude Project loves candid footage and storytelling. The brand lets followers into their meteoric rise to stardom. Yes, true to Instagram fashion they show them the parties, the press, the celebrity collabs, and, the work hard, play hard. But they also show the stress, the online hate, and the production nightmares.
And they do it all looking gorgeous, dressed in Nude.
One of my favorite Nude Project campaign launches is a stellar example of branded content. Nude’s art director Mateo gets given 100 Euros to buy whatever shooting materials are necessary, but instead the guy goes and spends the money to go on a date with his latest conquest. The video is a dynamic collage cut of these two lovebirds riding a tuk-tuk on the coast, enjoying a boozy picnic on the beach, skinny dipping, and going clubbing.
And they do it all, you guessed it, looking gorgeous, dressed in Nude.
You can watch that, here.
The Playboy Collection is cohesive and aspirational, yes, but it feels like it was made by your mate with the sick editing skills. There's the magic.
The song and dance between the consumer and the purchase is an intricate waltz
Nude Project Podcast
But perhaps their most outside-the-box branded content feat is the Nude Project Podcast. Each Sunday, Nude Project founders Bruno and Alex sit with Spanish influencers, artists, and businesspeople for half-hour chats. They merch these guests up in the latest Nude gear, and talk about life, business, and fashion.
Not only is this an opportunity for the founders to network with Spain’s loudest voices, but it's also a covert strategy to pollinate new audiences and associate Spain’s Gen Z zeitgeist with their brand. It’s a 30-minute ad, but it never attempts to sell you anything. Instead, it feels like you’re a fly on the wall in get-togethers featuring Spain's coolest people.
The podcast averages 100K views each week and in just 11 months, has cashed in 145K subscribers.
Our hot take
Like you, Nude Project is here to live and learn. Not to preach and sell. It’s never pushy, or even directly asks for the sale. Instead, their marketing funnels are front front-row to the brand’s journey. Flaws and all. Nude Project creates a scene around its product with cool, attractive, and interesting people. The projected image is aspirational, yes, but it's also cheeky, human, and deeply imperfect. If you want, the only way you can really be part of it is by buying a piece of clothing.
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