Anne Lueck
An interview about full cv implementation for bonprix
bonprix is an international fashion company with its headquarters in Hamburg. They take up the latest trends and transform them into inspiring fashions for many occasions, in various styles and sizes. Every month, a new collection is offered worldwide for the five in-house brands via the bonprix channels.
The concept delivers: for example, bonprix is one of the Top 10 highest-selling online shops in Germany (Study „E-commerce market Germany 2018“ by the EHI Retail Institute / Statista). By now, bonprix is active in 30 countries as one of the highest-selling companies in the Otto Group.
It’s not hard to imagine the complex challenges involved in developing a new collection each month for each of the five brands, arranging production and selling products above all. That’s why product communication plays an important role. A large number of images and texts need to be created to increase brand awareness, motivate customers and trigger the impulse to buy. This is only possible if creative minds and process specialists work together. Like our bonprix teams. We asked Kirsten, Head of Art Direction at the Hamburg Studio, and Dirk, our long-term Key Account Manager and Consultant for bonprix, about the collaboration.
Editors: During each production, you truly work independently. Employees from bonprix only attend select shoots. How do you ensure optimal implementation of the relevant brand identity?
Kirsten: We keep very close contact. Regular review deadlines and mutual exchange with the brands involved allow us to work even more independently in the future. We continually develop our instinct to reliably bring out the brand identity of the individual brands. We also let our trend scouting influence regular creative shoots. This generates new ideas for even stronger support of the brand and content team in the future for ongoing development of the visual language.
Editors: So you have some freedom within a defined margin?
Kirsten: The defined margin particularly concerns the number and type of images for the individual product groups. The rest is a fine-tuned sense of the brand identity in question.
Here we benefit from experienced teams made up almost exclusively of permanent employees. We have to always maintain a unified overall image for the product overview pages in the shop. For instance, this is why the lighting setup is clearly defined. When it comes to poses and creative cuts, known as cropping, we take more liberties. The same goes for styling. Using the LaudertContentFlow® app, we scan products from our bonprix portfolio that we selected for the outfit in question. This allows bonprix to sell the displayed products in the online shop using cross-selling. For the sake of security, every evening we upload overview pages of images from the shoot into the virtual team room that we use together with bonprix. This allows Advertising and Sales to take a look the next morning and request image substitutions if necessary.
Editors: ContentFlow is a good keyword. You’re only able to work so freely and concentrate on the creative results because the entire process runs almost automatically using LaudertContentFlow® (LCF), isn’t that right?
Dirk: Yes, bonprix is one customer who recognized the advantages of the system years ago. Our collaboration resulted in valuable input that has made LCF one of the most in-demand studio process systems worldwide. Starting from ordering a given shoot to checking in the goods using barcodes to delivering the finished data, the system controls the entire process along with appropriate visual and technical image data processing that is fully automated in some steps. Another advantage is that employees and bonprix project representatives can check the status of a product at any time. And for online campaigns that are planned at short notice, images can be put on the express track in an emergency.
Editors: Does full CV really mean that every version of a product is photographed on set?
Kirsten: Almost every version. There are a few exceptions where the color variations or different decors cannot be recorded separately. In some cases we also work with recoloring. This involves recoloring shots with a suitable starting color. We collect digital fabric samples of the desired version to achieve perfect results. In this way, the customer can get a perfect impression of all product versions from still shots, usually on an invisible mannequin, as well as four or five model shots. This persuades customers and optimizes return rates.
Editors: But e-commerce photography is not the only service you provide for bonprix, is it?!
Dirk: No, we also do creative shots that are used in teasers, the catalog or other media. We also are involved in media production and provide consulting for bonprix. The media asset management system d.Frog, which serves as an interface to the in-house PIM system, is also based on the process system for our LaudertMediaPort. All images generated in our studios and other studios that also work with LaudertContentFlow® are stored in that system.
Editors: To watch you work on set, there’s a general sense of a very good atmosphere. Is it all smooth sailing?
Kirsten: Well the job definitely takes our full concentration. But the good atmosphere on set is the foundation for creative ideas that develop during on-set work, and this is reflected in the images: We achieve the best results when our professional, well-coordinated team works with models who are in a good mood. This is what it takes to accomplish our daily workload and produce creative product images that sell.
Editors: So bonprix is satisfied with the collaboration?
Dirk: bonprix and Laudert are committed to working as strategic partners in all divisions and at all levels. We have developed together over the last years. Bonprix continues to drive us forward, and that’s a good thing. Feedback such as „Processes run fantastically and ambitious schedules are achieved with a great deal of commitment“ from Valerie Heimerl, Senior Project Manager, demonstrate the appreciation that the company regularly shows us.
Kirsten: Collaboration with bonprix is also highly enjoyable because the company is continually developing and has developed high fashion standards. For that reason, positive feedback such as „Thanks for the overview. It looks great and you and the team did a great job“ from Lone Løth Christensen, Senior Creative Director, are always directly accompanied by motivation to keep improving. Regular trend scouting to further develop the visual language and styling is a task that makes my work a dream job.
Editors: Thank you very much!
