For those who don’t know me, my name is Birkan Ulusoy. I’ve been working in digital marketing for over a decade. As a New Yorker, I firmly believe there is immense potential to leverage New York’s brand value as a powerful asset for our own brands. I wanted to share the strategies I’ve implemented for the brands I’ve worked with, complete with examples.
New York is a city that commands attention worldwide. Its iconic skyline, vibrant culture, and fast-paced energy make it instantly recognizable and aspirational for global audiences. As a digital marketer deeply rooted in this city, I’ve made it my mission to capture the essence of New York and infuse it into the brands I collaborate with.
As an e-commerce company headquartered in the iconic New York City, you have a unique opportunity to tap into the city’s unparalleled energy, diversity, and influence to drive your marketing efforts. From iconic backdrops for content creation to access to top creative talent, NYC provides a plethora of advantages that can elevate your brand and connect with customers in powerful ways. Here’s how to make the most of your New York presence for e-commerce marketing prowess:
Capitalize on NYC’s Visual Splendor
New York City’s stunning architecture, iconic landmarks, and vibrant streetscapes provide an incredibly photogenic backdrop that e-commerce brands can leverage to create visually captivating marketing content. Here are some ways to make the most of NYC’s visual splendor:
Product Photography with NYC Skylines
Showcase your products against the backdrop of New York’s famous skyline, whether it’s the soaring skyscrapers of Midtown Manhattan, the iconic Brooklyn Bridge, or the Art Deco grandeur of the Empire State Building. These instantly recognizable visuals can add a touch of aspirational glamour and urban sophistication to your product imagery.
Example: A fashion e-commerce brand could photograph their latest handbag collection with models posing in front of the stunning Manhattan skyline at locations like the High Line or Brooklyn Bridge Park.
Lifestyle Imagery in Iconic NYC Locales
Go beyond traditional product shots by creating lifestyle visuals that capture your target customers living their best lives in quintessential New York settings. From sipping coffee in charming West Village cafes to strolling through the lush greenery of Central Park, these images can transport viewers into the energy and allure of the city.
Example: An athleisure brand could showcase their activewear line through a campaign featuring yoga enthusiasts practicing in scenic NYC parks or runners conquering the city streets with the Statue of Liberty in the background.
Leverage Street Art and Urban Aesthetics
NYC’s streets are a canvas for vibrant street art, murals, and graffiti that can add an edgy, urban flair to your visuals. Incorporate these colorful backdrops into your product shots or lifestyle imagery to tap into the city’s creative pulse.
Example: A cosmetics brand targeting Gen Z and millennial audiences could create eye-catching visuals by staging product shots against the backdrop of Brooklyn’s iconic street art and murals in neighborhoods like Bushwick or Williamsburg.
Capitalize on Seasonal NYC Imagery
New York City’s distinct seasons offer a range of visual opportunities. From the twinkling lights of holiday window displays to the blooming cherry blossoms in spring, these seasonal visuals can infuse your marketing content with a sense of timeliness and relevance.
Example: A home decor e-commerce brand could capture cozy, hygge-inspired product shots during the winter months, incorporating the warm glow of New York’s holiday lights and decorations for a festive touch.
By thoughtfully incorporating NYC’s visual splendor into your marketing content, you can create imagery that resonates with a global audience captivated by the allure and energy of the Big Apple. These visuals can help establish your brand as inherently connected to the city’s vibrant culture and style.
Leverage Local Influencers and Tastemakers
As a cultural hub, New York City is home to a diverse array of influential personalities across industries like fashion, food, lifestyle, and more. Partnering with the right local influencers and tastemakers can give your e-commerce brand an authentic NYC edge and tap into highly engaged audiences.
Fashion/Beauty Influencers
NYC’s fashion influencer scene is unparalleled. Partner with stylists, models, and fashion bloggers with a strong New York aesthetic to promote your clothing, accessories or cosmetics lines. Their insider access to runway shows and industry events lends credibility.
Example: A sustainable fashion brand could collaborate with an eco-conscious NYC influencer like @beingpatriciabright to showcase their latest collection through Instagram reels and stories captured at iconic city locations.
Foodie Influencers
New Yorkers are passionate about food, making the city’s food bloggers and Instagram foodies highly influential. Consider partnering with them for product features, recipe collaborations or hosted dining experiences for relevant e-commerce brands.
Example: A specialty kitchenware store could team up with @ny.foodie to host an influencer brunch showcasing recipes prepared with their latest products against the backdrop of a trendy NYC restaurant.
Lifestyle/Mommy Bloggers
NYC mom bloggers with large local followings can be powerful ambassadors for brands targeting families. They offer relatable narratives about raising kids in the city that resonates deeply.
Example: A children’s toy e-tailer could work with @thelittlebrooklynnest to create playful content showing their products incorporated into the blogger’s family adventures around New York.
Celebrity Creators
While potentially more costly, landing an endorsement from an NYC-based actor, musician or other celebrity can instantly amplify your brand’s cool factor and tap into broad audiences drawn to their star power.
Example: An upscale home decor brand could hire Jerry Seinfeld as a spokesperson, leveraging his quintessential New Yorker status and humor in funny video ads touring posh city apartments styled with their furniture.
Local Artists
New York’s vibrant arts scene makes it home to incredible artistic talent. Commission photography, videos, murals or products featuring creations by local artists to weave an authentic NYC vibe into your branding.
Example: A phone case brand could release a limited-edition line of cases featuring illustrations by Brooklyn-based graffiti artists, appealing to customers drawn to the city’s street culture.
By strategically partnering with the right local influencers and tastemakers, your e-commerce brand can borrow credibility, creativity and access that resonates with customers seeking an immersive connection to New York City’s energy and culture.
Host Immersive Brand Experiences
While e-commerce thrives in the digital realm, creating real-world, immersive experiences allows customers to physically interact with your brand in memorable ways. New York City’s vibrant event scene and diverse landscape provide the perfect backdrop for innovative experiences that leave lasting impressions.
Pop-Up Stores/Exhibitions
Temporary pop-up stores or exhibitions allow you to bring your online brand into a physical space. NYC’s constant buzz and foot traffic ensure a steady flow of potential customers to experience your products firsthand.
Example: A home furnishings e-tailer could take over a vacant storefront in Soho and create an Instagram-worthy loft space showcasing their latest collections in stylized room vignettes that customers can explore.
Experiential Activations
Go beyond a traditional retail setup by crafting interactive, multi-sensory activations that engage multiple senses and facilitate hands-on engagement with your brand.
Example: A cookware brand could host a “Taste of NYC” event where customers can sample dishes prepared by local chefs using the brand’s products, complemented by ambient NYC sounds/visuals transporting them to different neighborhood atmospheres.
Brand Residencies
For a longer immersive experience, take up residency at a creative venue like a gallery, studio or event space to host programming and activations over several weeks or months.
Example: A luxury skincare e-comm brand could take over a Chelsea art gallery for a summer residency featuring expert panels, sampling areas, photoshoots and more to forge lasting connections with NYC’s beauty-obsessed crowd.
Food/Beverage Collaborations
Partner with local eateries to infuse your brand into New Yorkers’ daily dining experiences through custom menu items, tableware or branded restaurant “pop-ins.”
Example: A designer eyewear brand could team up with a trendy LES café to create a branded avocado toast dish, using the branded plates/utensils and encouraging diners to snap shareable shots.
Arts/Music Sponsorships
Sponsoring local arts, music or cultural events puts your brand at the intersection of NYC’s creative zeitgeist, facilitating organic engagement.
Example: An indie clothing line could sponsor a Brooklyn music festival, designing the event’s merch while hosting engaging sponsor spaces to connect with fashion-forward New Yorker festivalgoers.
The key is creating experiences that are highly sensory, interactive and authentically rooted in New York’s rich cultural tapestry. Done right, these immersive activations become powerful brand storytelling vehicles that foster community and turn customers into brand evangelists for life.
Tap into Local Creative Talent
As a global creative capital, New York City is brimming with world-class talent across disciplines like advertising, filmmaking, photography, art, and more. Collaborating with these local creatives allows e-commerce brands to infuse their marketing with fresh perspectives and an authentic New York edge.
Partner with Ad Agencies/Production Houses
NYC’s acclaimed ad agencies and production companies are experts at crafting impactful campaigns rooted in cultural relevance. Bringing them on board ensures a level of quality and creativity unmatched elsewhere.
Example: An activewear e-comm brand could hire a NYC agency like Droga5 to develop a high-energy video campaign capturing the intensity of the city’s fitness scene with cinematography that showcases iconic locations.
Hire Local Photographers/Filmmakers
New York’s community of photographers and filmmakers possess an unparalleled visual mastery of the city’s grit and dynamism that can elevate product/brand imagery.
Example: A luggage brand could hire a seasoned NYC photographer like Styll Ryyderz to art direct an edgy lifestyle campaign of models dashing through subway stations and city streets with their products in tow.
Commission NYC Artists
Work with local contemporary artists to create distinctive visuals, patterns or installations that add a local creative flourish to product designs, packaging or branded spaces.
Example: A cosmetics e-tailer could tap Brooklyn artist Resa Blatman to create a series of bold, illustrative makeup bag designs featuring her signature New York-inspired motifs.
Content Collaborations
Partner with local content creators, bloggers and influencers to produce branded content that authentically incorporates their NYC expertise and aesthetics.
Example: A meal delivery service could partner with NYC foodie YouTubers like Samir Reznick to create a series critiquing their meals while exploring diverse NYC food neighborhoods.
Pop-Up Experiences
For short-term activations, hire NYC’s thriving community of experiential artists, set designers and multi-media creatives to transform spaces into immersive, transportive branded worlds.
Example: A furniture brand could enlist experiential art collective Coherence X to design an eye-catching, otherworldly installation in an NYC pop-up where customers can visualize the furniture in dynamic vignettes.
Beyond infusing talent, leveraging local creatives allows brands to tell richer, more nuanced stories about their products’ role within New York culture and lifestyles. These collaborations facilitate a two-way dialogue – brands get inspired by the city’s creative energy while creatives get a canvas to flex their talents and express their unique NYC voices.
Embrace NYC’s Unmatched Cultural Diversity
One of New York’s greatest strengths is its incredible diversity across ethnicities, backgrounds, and communities. For e-commerce brands, authentically representing and resonating with this diversity can cultivate deeper connections and brand loyalty.
Multicultural Campaign Representation
Ensure your marketing visuals, influencer partnerships, and overall branding represents the faces, styles, and perspectives reflective of NYC’s diverse makeup.
Example: A skincare line could feature campaign imagery showcasing models from diverse backgrounds styled in ways that celebrate their unique cultural aesthetics – from a Bronx Latina with glowing natural makeup to a hijabi beauty influencer rocking a vibrant head wrap.
Community-Focused Content
Produce content that provides an inside look at different NYC communities and subcultures, facilitated by trusted voices and creators embedded within those spaces.
Example: A streetwear brand could partner with Jamel Shabazz, the legendary NYC photographer, on a video series diving into the style, music, and lifestyle within communities like Jamaica, Queens or the Brooklyn West Indian day parade.
Localized Product Offerings/Editions
Tap into niche audiences by creating special product drops, editions or curated collections that cater to the cultural specificity of NYC’s diverse communities.
Example: A jewelry e-tailer could release a limited “City of Immigrants” line featuring customizable pieces that allows customers to incorporate charms/symbols representing their heritage, like the Puerto Rican flag or a Moroccan hand.
Multilingual/Transcreation Marketing
Ensure your marketing transcends language barriers by investing in multilingual strategies, culturally-nuanced messaging, and transcreation (adapting vs. just translating) for key campaigns.
Example: A meal delivery service could launch social ads in English, Spanish, Chinese, and Arabic – each ad transcreated to incorporate relevant cultural cues, humor, and culinary aesthetics that resonate with those linguistic audiences.
Celebration of Cultural Festivals/Events
Align your brand with the cultural festivals, holidays and events that matter to NYC’s diverse communities through engaging sponsorships, hosted experiences or product launches.
Example: During Lunar New Year, an e-commerce brand could host a themed product launch in collaboration with the Better Chinatown USA initiative, showcasing their latest lines while spotlighting local Chinese-American businesses and culture bearers.
By making cultural diversity a core tenet, e-commerce brands can forge deeper trust and loyalty with the myriad communities that make NYC one of the most vibrant cultural capitals of the world.
Sponsor Local Events and Causes
Beyond just marketing, aligning your e-commerce brand with local events, festivals, and causes strengthens your connection to the New York community. It demonstrates your brand’s investment in the city and can foster goodwill, positive associations, and long-term customer loyalty.
Arts/Cultural Festivals
New York is home to a vibrant arts scene with festivals celebrating film, music, theater, and more. Sponsoring these allows brands to reach engaged audiences while supporting the arts.
Example: A high-end audio brand could sponsor the Tribeca Film Festival, creating an experiential soundscape installation and hosting filmmaker talks as the official headphone partner.
Community Celebrations/Street Fairs
Get hyper-local by sponsoring the countless neighborhood street fairs and celebrations that bring New Yorkers together, like San Gennaro in Little Italy or the Mermaid Parade in Coney Island.
Example: A children’s clothing e-tailer could sponsor a family fun zone at the Queens County Fair, creating an engaging activation with games and giveaways featuring their products.
Sports/Athletic Events
From massively attended events like the NYC Marathon to local youth sports leagues, sports sponsorships provide high-visibility while promoting active lifestyles.
Example: An athleisure brand could sponsor a local Brooklyn road runner’s club, outfit members with branded gear, and host nutrition workshops after group runs.
Social Impact Initiatives
Partnering with impactful local non-profits or community initiatives strengthens brand affinity and societal ties by taking a stand on important issues.
Example: A sustainable furniture brand could sponsor the annual Brooklyn Greenway Initiative block party, donating eco-friendly outdoor furnishings and hosting educational workshops on low-impact living.
College/University Programs
Connect with NYC’s student populations by sponsoring programs, clubs, and events at local universities that align with your brand’s identity.
Example: A snack food e-commerce brand could sponsor health/wellness programs at NYU, providing product samples while giving student peer health educators a platform to share tips.
The key is finding authentic ways for your brand’s sponsorships to add value and create positive change. This transcends just logo placements – it’s about facilitating engaging experiences, giving back resources, and being an active community partner. Done right, local sponsorships become powerful relationship marketing tools.
From the bright lights of Broadway to the trendy enclaves of Brooklyn, New York City’s essence is one of creativity, energy, and possibility. As a New York-based e-commerce brand, leveraging the city’s advantages can elevate your marketing game, cultivate brand authenticity, and tap into global audiences drawn to the infectious allure of the Big Apple.
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