Dive Brief:

• Calvin Klein is expanding on its #MYCALVINS call to action with a new global multimedia advertising campaign that puts a heavy focus on digital channels, "Our Family. #MYCALVINS," as announced in a press release.
• The effort stars the music recording artist Solange along with a cast of singer-songwriters she personally curated, including Kelela, Dev Hynes, Caroline Polachek and Adam Bainbridge of Kindness. They wear the brand's underwear and jeans in a visual campaign shot by photographer Willy Vanderperre and appear as a "chosen" musical family that intends to illustrate the overarching message of the effort: celebrating the things that unite people. 
• This marks the first time the brand has fully embraced a digital- and social media-first approach to marketing #MYCALVINS since the platform's introduction three years ago, the release said. The full campaign will deploy influencers as well as leverage what it calls the "cultural selfie," where people share their outfits with the hashtag in what's become a viral phenomenon.

Dive Insight:

Calvin Klein is in the midst of a revamp even as it performs well in what's an otherwise dire U.S. retail category, with sales growing 7% in 2016, per Quartz. This year, the brand has brought on the high fashion designer Raf Simons to switch-up creative direction, something that's clearly translated to its marketing strategy with the new digital-first mindest for #MYCALVINS. 

While there's still value in traditional print and outdoor media for fashion brands, the industry has increasingly figured out that some of its most engaged — and young — audience can be found on social channels, especially visually-oriented apps like Instagram. Recent research from benchmarking company L2 found that luxury fashion brands increased Instagram followers by an average of 53% this year, a trend Calvin Klein is clearly trying to ride for the holidays.

Tapping influencers and critically-acclaimed artists like Solange is another bid by the label to attract the young shoppers that can preserve the aura or hipness that makes or breaks fashion brands. The messaging's focus on inclusion and unity echoes recent efforts by other retailers like the Gap, whose holiday campaign this year stars Janelle Monáe and is about bringing people from different backgrounds together.   

Despite the campaign being named after a hashtag, #MYCALVINS is a little late to capitalize on its social media clout. Consumers have been more than happy to share their own experiences and outfits with the call to action, building a well of user-generated content that Calvin Klein can draw on for the crucial holiday sales period.