Van Heusen scouts for 'Fashionable Professionals' through LinkedIn

Using LinkedIn's API, the campaign intends to identify the 10 most fashionable professionals out of LinkedIn's India member base of 20 million professionals.

Professionals who love to dress it up for work are in for a treat from professional fashion wear brand Van Heusen. The brand has launched a campaign in India which searches for the most fashionable professional in the country. Using LinkedIn's API, the campaign aims to identify the 10 most fashionable professionals out of LinkedIn's India member base of 20 million professionals.

Incidentally, India is LinkedIn's second biggest market after the United States. Through this contest, LinkedIn members can nominate up to 10 of the most fashionable professionals from their network. Of all the nominations received, Van Heusen and its panel of judges will pick 10 winners (five male and five female), each of whom will receive wardrobe upgrades of Rs 25,000. Besides, every person who nominates will receive a Van Heusen discount voucher worth Rs 500.

To participate in the contest, one needs to visit the 'Fashionable Professionals' website (www.fashionableprofessionals.com) and sign in with their LinkedIn account to begin nominations. Users can select 10 of the most fashionable professionals amongst their connections. They can also define the nominees' sense of fashion one by one.

Speaking on why the brand chose to partner LinkedIn for this campaign, Vinay Bhopatkar, brand head, Van Heusen, says, "The brand looks at the digital medium very seriously and is constantly looking at newer and exciting ways to connect with its consumers. We feel that a platform like LinkedIn has a lot of untapped potential for brands like us. The LinkedIn audience comprises serious professionals and making professionals fashionable is a serious business for us. We intend to do a number of activities around this space going forward."

The campaign specifically promotes X-Lifestyle, the range of formals launched last season. According to Bhopatkar, this season the brand wants to take this to the next level and thought LinkedIn would be a good fit.

A few months ago, the Australian Tourism Board had also launched a similar campaign in India for LinkedIn professionals. The campaign was called 'Who deserves a break in Oz?' and was similar to Van Heusen's current campaign, where members needed to nominate 10 connections who they believe deserved a break. The grand prize was a holiday in Australia.

Commenting on the campaign, Nishant Rao, country manager, LinkedIn India, states, "We are excited to work with Van Heusen for this interesting activity for professionals. LinkedIn's member base of over 20 million professionals will allow Van Heusen to connect with the right kind of audience for its products. This customised solution for Van Heusen is designed to drive relevant engagement with members by tapping into their professional networks, which in turn leads to higher virality."