Fossil Group

Building a global social strategy designed for culture

Role: Social Strategy, Editorial Lead, Creative Copywriting, Influencer Strategy

Scope: Global Social Strategy, Consultancy, Social Campaigns

THE CHALLENGE

Fossil needed to evolve its approach to social by creating a clear global strategy that could empower local teams, strengthen brand consistency and build deeper connections with audiences across markets.

The challenge was moving beyond product-led content to create a social presence rooted in culture, community and storytelling, while providing internal teams with the tools, frameworks and guidance needed to execute at scale.

THE OPPORTUNITY

To create a global social ecosystem that balanced strategic consistency with local flexibility, giving Fossil the foundation to show up more meaningfully across platforms, communities and cultural moments.

Alongside developing the strategy, we brought the approach to life through two limited-edition launches: Fossil Pride 2022 and Maui x Madrid, demonstrating how the brand could use social to move beyond promotion and participate authentically in the communities it wanted to connect with.

THE WORK

Building Fossil’s global social operating model

Working across Editorial, Strategy and Research & Insights, we developed a comprehensive global social strategy designed to guide Fossil’s internal marketing teams.

The playbook established the foundations for a more strategic and scalable approach to social, including:

  • Brand purpose and social vision

  • Strategic approach and content pillars

  • Tone of voice and visual identity

  • Publishing models and editorial frameworks

  • Community engagement principles

  • Channel strategies

  • Influencer frameworks

  • Measurement and optimisation approaches

Rather than creating a static set of guidelines, the strategy gave teams the tools and frameworks to make smarter, more culturally relevant decisions across markets.

Putting the Strategy into Action

Fossil Pride 2022: Moving from allyship to active participation

For Fossil’s annual Pride collection, the opportunity was to move beyond a product-focused launch and create space for LGBTQ+ voices to lead the conversation.

We guided Fossil to pause regular product and sales-led content throughout June and dedicate its social channels to community storytelling through #TakeAMinute, encouraging audiences to listen, learn and engage with LGBTQ+ experiences.

The campaign centred creators, community members and Fossil employees, giving them a platform to share personal stories and perspectives on identity, allyship and what Pride means to them.

Maui x Madrid: Connecting products to passionate communities

For Fossil’s collaborative collections with Maui and Madrid, the challenge was introducing the limited-edition designs to niche surfing and skateboarding communities in an authentic way.

Rather than treating these audiences as trends, we built creator partnerships with people who genuinely lived these cultures, ensuring the storytelling reflected the unique identities of each community.

For #LiveToSurf, creators from the surf world brought the collection to life through dynamic content focused on craftsmanship, lifestyle and sustainability.

For #LiveToSkate, creators shared personal stories around their connection to skateboarding, highlighting the crews, culture and identity behind the community.

Across both launches, the strategy centred authenticity over advertising, using creators and communities to make the brand relevant within the worlds it wanted to enter.

THE IMPACT

The work established a new strategic foundation for Fossil’s global social presence, enabling internal teams to create more consistent, culturally relevant and community-driven content across markets.

The strategy playbook became a long-term resource for Fossil’s marketing teams, while the Pride and Maui x Madrid campaigns demonstrated how the framework could translate into meaningful social-first brand experiences.