FCUK Plays with Chat Roulette, and "The Man" Wins

What's a fashion brand to do to win back customers -- and appeal to new ones -- in the midst of recessionary woes and waning relevance? Be provocative, of course. It's something that hasn't been a problem in the past for French Connection, the British-based fashion group best known for its eye-catching, play-on-letters advertising (think back to those billboards with giant block letters spelling out FCUK).

So now the company's turning to social media -â€" including a contest based on the latest fad, Chat Roulette (the site that allows users to videochat with random strangers around the world) â€"- to pull itself away from the pack of mid-priced brands and position itself as a leader. Potential weirdness of Chat Roulette aside, the company's move is smart, and timely.

In a virtual realm filled with soft- and hard-core porn, the old FCUK campaign seems quaint. And competing brands rendered French Connection's apparel for both men and women less able to carry the High Street cachet to profitability. Indeed the company's numbers (profits, margins, and earnings) have been in a steady decline since 2005. In an effort to trim costs, French Connection also shuttered all its Japanese outlets. Consequently, the small, bright spot is the company's balance sheet, which continues to look good thanks to tightly controlled inventory and no borrowing.

While it continues to challenge convention with its latest "Kick Ass" t-shirts, French Connection's best investment is its presence on social media platforms as Facebook, Twitter, and a proprietary blog, Manifesto. Manifesto, in particular, is a vehicle that serves to further the brand's tongue-in-cheek approach to men's fashion, as introduced on the e-commerce part of the French Connection site. "The Man," complete with unkempt full beard, wild hair, and intense gaze is featured in art-house-type video clips and black and white photos. And he's clad head-to-toe in cool clothes courtesy of French Connection.

Now FCUK is taking "The Man" one step further via Chat Roulette. Though the Manifesto blog declared it "a world of spotty Brazilians and middle-aged exhibitionists," the company seems bent on broadening its appeal to target "The Man" who comes in all degrees of scruffiness (and has shady Internet pursuits to boot).

In the same post as the aforementioned jab, French Connection introduces a contest for users of Chat Roulette. Available to residents of the UK, one lucky Lothario who manages to lure a live woman into a real conversation will win £250 worth of French Connection clothes.

Et voila: an "old school" giveaway promotion in a 2.0 world. The buzz is already audible on Manifesto, and French Connection Man's Facebook page. What's next? Why click to buy the clothes, of course. You never know when you might meet that virtual hottie in real life.