Ted Baker to kick off entertainment-meets-marketing drive this week

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Sep 27, 2021

Ted Baker is launching an experiential marketing blitz for AW21, kicking off with Street Party Sessions, a collaboration with Eleven Studio to present “an immersive, digital-first series of performances by British musicians Jungle, Joy Crookes, Little Simz, Bastille and Alicai Harley”.

It’s part of a drive to celebrate live music's long-awaited return post-pandemic and the series will be broadcast across the brand’s digital channels over five consecutive weeks starting on Thursday. It forms part of a “wider brand innovation strategy” across TikTok, YouTube, Animal Crossing and more.

“Championing British culture and heritage, Ted Baker brings people back together through music and fashion”, it said. And of course, given that its main aim is to sell clothes, the fashion element is key here. It’s showcasing its new AW21 collections in the series  “across a diverse cast of musicians and performers”. 

So what do these sessions comprise? The company said that Street Party Sessions “reimagines the excitement of the stage under spotlight, celebrating the cultural cornerstones we’ve lived without for too long”.

They’re being filmed at London’s Printworks with each two-song session presenting “a unique and unexpected interpretation of the classic street party”. The sets were built on a backdrop of film, colour, and props plus dance concepts that were created collaboratively with the artists “to reference British cultural touchpoints that align with their personal or musical identity”.

As mentioned, the experiences start on September 30 with Jungle: Sunrise Club, to be followed every seven days by a new concept featuring Joy Crookes on October 7, then Little Simz the following Thursday, Bastille the next week, and ending with Alicai Harley.

The series is being brought to life by director Edie Amos, director of photography Natasha Duursma, stylist Harry Lambert, make-up artist Andrew Gallimore and hairstylist Lyndell Mansfield. 

The company also said that central to the Street Party Sessions “is the brand’s partnership with gender equality initiative Keychange, and support for underrepresented UK artists and innovators”. The company sponsors the Keychange programme and “champions emerging women and gender minority artists and innovators from Keychange's talent development programme, offering store space for live shows and allowing upcoming talent to share their stories with new, wider audiences”.