Luxe label relies on shoppers to promote its new sunglasses

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Amid the social networking trend in beauty and fashion companies' promotion strategies, Italian brand Gucci has launched a new interactive platform called Eyeweb on October 15.

Labels such as Sean John, Calvin Klein or Victoria's Secret have recruited or will recruit 'citizen models' to star in their ads, but Gucci's website takes the populist approach one step further: users can upload their own party snapshots to promote the brand's new sunglasses to fellow shoppers.

Eyeweb is divided into seven communities -- London, New York, Berlin, Paris, Milan, Barcelona, and Tokyo -- and lets you submit your photos as well as comment on those already online. Its concept resembles other social networking sites, apart from one crucial difference: the images appear inside Gucci's new eyewear models.

"I designed these sunglasses and the accompanying social networking site with today's digital generation in mind," designer Frida Giannini said in a statement.

It is indeed a clever marketing idea to use the Facebook generation's hunger for exposure for promotion purposes -- malicious tongues might say it's a cheap one, too.

Site: www.guccieyeweb.com