DKNY (G III Apparel Group) x Team Laird | Social Content Director (Project) | 2024
2024
DKNY (G III Apparel Group) x Team Laird
Social Content Director (Project)
DKNY (G III Apparel Group) x Team Laird | Social Content Director (Project) | 2024
From consulting brief to executive production on a global celebrity campaign
From consulting brief to executive production on a global celebrity campaign
Engaged as Social Content Director to lead owned and earned social creative against an approved hero campaign. DKNY's multimillion-dollar global Fall 2024 production featuring Kaia Gerber, led by Trey Laird, photography by Mikael Jansson, and styling by Alastair McKimm.
16.9M
Tik Tok views and #1 campaign video, produced end-to-end
26.3M
TikTok Views, across the 11 posts within my creative scope
60%
Of campaign views, within my creative scope
16.9M
Tik Tok views and #1 campaign video, produced end-to-end
60%
Of campaign views, within my creative scope
26.3M
TikTok Views, across the 11 posts within my creative scope
Overview
With under 12 hours notice, the approved playbook collapsed. Budget cuts reduced the crew to a single BTS photographer, shifting full end-to-end production ownership to me. Shoot start pushed four hours, compressing an already restricted capture window and requiring real-time strategic pivots that escalated to the talent manager and agency CEO for oversight and rapid alignment.
Overview
With under 12 hours notice, the approved playbook collapsed. Budget cuts reduced the crew to a single BTS photographer, shifting full end-to-end production ownership to me. Shoot start pushed four hours, compressing an already restricted capture window and requiring real-time strategic pivots that escalated to the talent manager and agency CEO for oversight and rapid alignment.
Challenge
Spring social underperformed with Gen Z, creating pressure for Fall to deliver stronger cultural relevance and deeper narrative resonance within the New York Stories platform.
Polished hero campaign assets were insufficient for social, requiring platform-native creative capable of driving engagement without compromising brand equity.
Less than 24 hours before production, approved concept, locations, budget, and run of show required a complete strategic and production reset while preserving launch objectives.
Compressed capture windows and hero production protocols limited access, requiring seamless execution across tease, launch, and sustain phases without disrupting talent, hero photography, or brand standards.
Challenge
Spring social underperformed with Gen Z, creating pressure for Fall to deliver stronger cultural relevance and deeper narrative resonance within the New York Stories platform.
Polished hero campaign assets were insufficient for social, requiring platform-native creative capable of driving engagement without compromising brand equity.
Less than 24 hours before production, approved concept, locations, budget, and run of show required a complete strategic and production reset while preserving launch objectives.
Compressed capture windows and hero production protocols limited access, requiring seamless execution across tease, launch, and sustain phases without disrupting talent, hero photography, or brand standards.
Strategy
Shifted social from campaign amplification to platform-native storytelling, recognizing that Gen Z values authenticity, behind-the-scenes access, and cultural relevance over traditional hero assets.
Reframed production constraints as a strategic advantage, positioning iPhone-captured behind-the-scenes content as a deliberate storytelling layer rather than contingency output.
Aligned every capture decision to platform behavior, campaign objectives, and performance goals, enabling rapid creative pivots without compromising narrative cohesion, brand standards, or launch impact.
Audited the complete photo and video deliverable set to identify optimization opportunities, informing social-first creative mockups built to maximize performance across tease, launch, and sustain phases.
Strategy
Shifted social from campaign amplification to platform-native storytelling, recognizing that Gen Z values authenticity, behind-the-scenes access, and cultural relevance over traditional hero assets.
Reframed production constraints as a strategic advantage, positioning iPhone-captured behind-the-scenes content as a deliberate storytelling layer rather than contingency output.
Aligned every capture decision to platform behavior, campaign objectives, and performance goals, enabling rapid creative pivots without compromising narrative cohesion, brand standards, or launch impact.
Audited the complete photo and video deliverable set to identify optimization opportunities, informing social-first creative mockups built to maximize performance across tease, launch, and sustain phases.
Strategy
Shifted social from campaign amplification to platform-native storytelling, recognizing that Gen Z values authenticity, behind-the-scenes access, and cultural relevance over traditional hero assets.
Reframed production constraints as a strategic advantage, positioning iPhone-captured behind-the-scenes content as a deliberate storytelling layer rather than contingency output.
Audited the complete photo and video deliverable set to identify optimization opportunities, informing social-first creative mockups built to maximize performance across tease, launch, and sustain phases.
Aligned every capture decision to platform behavior, campaign objectives, and performance goals, enabling rapid creative pivots without compromising narrative cohesion, brand standards, or launch impact.
Extended the creative approach beyond personal capture through original concepts and capture briefs, directing execution by Team Laird and creator partners across twelve additional reels once my own production window closed.
Execution
Served as primary liaison between DKNY, Team Laird, and Kaia Gerber's talent team, aligning stakeholders and preserving campaign objectives as production conditions shifted in real time.
Led real-time strategy, creative direction, content planning, and production decisions, adapting to shifting constraints without compromising launch objectives or brand standards.
Captured, edited, and delivered on-set BTS and social-first reels personally, while ensuring the photographer's deliverables stayed on track under the same restrictions.
Directed twelve additional reels through original concepts and capture briefs, executed by Team Laird and creator partners, extending the campaign's social presence beyond what I personally captured on set.
Execution
Served as primary liaison between DKNY, Team Laird, and Kaia Gerber's talent team, aligning stakeholders and preserving campaign objectives as production conditions shifted in real time.
Led real-time strategy, creative direction, content planning, and production decisions, adapting to shifting constraints without compromising launch objectives or brand standards.
Captured, edited, and delivered on-set BTS and social-first reels personally, while ensuring the photographer's deliverables stayed on track under the same restrictions.
Directed twelve additional reels through original concepts and capture briefs, executed by Team Laird and creator partners, extending the campaign's social presence beyond what I personally captured on set.
Business Impact
Delivered 80% of planned campaign assets (40 of 50) despite last-minute changes to the approved concept, locations, budget, production schedule, and capture window.
Produced five reels end to end, leading creative direction, capture, editing, and final delivery, and directed twelve additional reels through original concepts and briefs executed by Team Laird and creator partners.
Transformed contingency BTS content into the campaign's #1 TikTok, a 16.9M-view asset accounting for 39% of total campaign reach, proving platform-native creative could outperform traditional luxury campaign assets under production constraints.
Extended campaign ROI by selecting the final social campaign track and repurposing unused launch concepts for subsequent seasonal campaigns, maximizing the long-term value of creative investment.
Business Impact
Delivered 80% of planned campaign assets (40 of 50) despite last-minute changes to the approved concept, locations, budget, production schedule, and capture window.
Produced five reels end to end, leading creative direction, capture, editing, and final delivery, and directed twelve additional reels through original concepts and briefs executed by Team Laird and creator partners.
Transformed contingency BTS content into the campaign's #1 TikTok, a 16.9M-view asset accounting for 39% of total campaign reach, proving platform-native creative could outperform traditional luxury campaign assets under production constraints.
Extended campaign ROI by selecting the final social campaign track and repurposing unused launch concepts for subsequent seasonal campaigns, maximizing the long-term value of creative investment.