Join us Sept. 24 in NYC to connect with execs from Digitas, Claire's, Marriott, Havas and others
Thanks to social media, everyone can have a voice, everyone can take part in the conversation, everyone can pass along information and spread opinions. That can be a problem if, like luxury brands, your whole mojo is based on being somewhat aloof.
Luxury brands are a little like old-school movie stars. They’re beautiful, unattainable and a bit indifferent. They carefully cultivate their images as being for a select group who want exquisitely designed and impeccably made things and can afford the jaw-dropping price tags that such luxuries command. This puts luxury brands in a tough spot when it comes to succeeding in the digital age. Most industries have been pushed online in one way or another; most companies and brands have gone online to engage with their customers. But what good would Twitter accounts for Chanel or Balenciaga do? Twitter is used by hundreds of millions of people; a $3,995 Chloé python tote, on the other hand, is not.
Luxury brands don’t want overexposure; they want the right exposure, which is a hard thing to accomplish on the leveled playing field that is social media. Look at what social media and blogs have done to celebrities. We know so much about celebrities, both because they share their thoughts and personal pictures on their Twitter accounts, and because gossip blogs post all of their intimate details and embarrassing, no makeup, sloppy sweatpants, “celebs are just like us!” photos, which then get spread all over the Web through social sharing. There are mercifully some, like George Clooney, who don’t play along with this.
Fashion is caught in a bind. On the one hand, it’s about being aware of the times and defining new aesthetic tastes accordingly. And obviously for our times, that means incorporating some kind of digital into the mix. It seems the key for luxury brands is finding the appropriate digital contexts for carefully designed and curated branded content, and many brands are doing just that. For example Chanel put on a fashion show in ritzy Saint-Tropez last year and streamed online only on a French social media fashion site Ykone. That all sounds in keeping with Mlle. Coco’s luxe brand.
No luxury brand wants to be the next Charlie Sheen or Linsay Lohan, or Justin Bieber. If they play their well-designed digital cards right, they won’t be.
More in Media
Walmart adds marketplace data, deeper AI features to Scintilla insights platform
The upgrade includes access to marketplace data, customizable dashboards, custom alerts, a deeper version of its Marty agent and a closer link with the Scintilla data platform.
How women athletes are betting on the creator playbook
Women athletes are increasingly leaning on content creation to build their brand, grow their sports’ fandom, and help close salary gaps.
Axios preps new Axios Direct feeds for AI models, agents as revenue tops 2026 goal
Axios has reached its revenue goal for 2026. Now the news publisher is building a new revenue stream to keep up the pace in 2027 and beyond.