The Annex88, formerly known as The 88, was founded by Harry Bernstein and has become a creative agency that drives change and innovation in our ever-changing digital landscape. The mission statement is: “We are innovators, creators and culture hackers. We make bold new things for the internet and beyond.” For the 2017 CFDA Fashion Awards, Bernstein and his team at The Annex88 lent their creative minds and assisted with the execution of our social strategy. We checked in with him to talk inspiration, best social media practices, and more.

Let’s start with the basics: Tell us a little about Annex88.

We are a creative agency that focuses on social media and emerging technologies. We work with icon brands like Bloomingdales, adidas Originals, Joseph Abboud, Y3, L’Oréal, Nars, and Louis Vuitton.

What inspired you to start Annex88?

When I started in advertising I didn’t really want to work in advertising. But I liked it and I was good at it, so I decided I had to change it. So eight years ago, I wanted to try doing things differently. After 12 years working in advertising, I saw that the way people communicated was changing. With people starting to blog and everyone taking to Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr, I wanted to see how brands could get involved. So I started an agency that explored how to do that.

What makes a social media campaign successful?

I usually focus on the social part more than the media part – meaning I try to create a conversation that a brand can lead, or become part of an existing conversation that a brand has the authority to engage in, then create content with a point of view that has value.

What are your top three social media tips for fashion designers?

1. Instagram is a wonderful servant but terrible master.
2. Have something to say. Say it regularly and make it look cool.
3. Don’t ever buy followers.

How can brands keep up with the continuous changes across the social media landscape?

You can email harry@annex88.com and me or someone from my agency can help you out.

What’s the biggest mistake people make on social media?

I hate when people upload a photo across multiple posts to make their feed look cool and spam their followers. The balance between a single post and a feed is delicate.

Favorite social media moment of 2017?

The launch of SpaceX. @elonmusk releasing all SpaceX and Tesla updates on social is brilliant.