In the booming digital age, luxury retailers have had the challenge of keeping their exclusivity while increasing the accessibility of their brand via digital marketing. Here are some examples of luxury retailers that have managed to maintain this balance very well!
Georgio Armani: #ATribute Microsite
To celebrate its 40th anniversary, Italian fashion label Armani created a website that includes serialized content that tributes the 40 years of Armani. A new post is added every week for 40 weeks with the hashtag #ATribute.
By adding heritage content and catwalk appearances to the website, customers delve into the brands past and feel a sense of closeness to it, rather than someone who has just purchased their goods. Armani have cleverly used this as a tool of promoting new products, such as the Le Sac 11 handbag, with a picture of just the straps shown as a teaser, which allowed the consumer to ponder what the design would be.
By using this innovative digital marketing initiative, Armani have created a bond with their customers on a more personal level. The customer can feel as though the brand is making the effort to involve them in current and past trends.
Dior: ‘One Look’ short video
French fashion house Dior has used their creative ideas to create a short video that documents the creation of one of its couture pieces from the SS15 collection. The video, titled “One Look. Christian Dior Haute Couture SS15” shows how the dress is constructed to being pleated, cut, sewn and finally displayed on the runway.
By showing the whole process of how this couture piece is created, Dior are providing their customers sneak peak information and behind the scenes footage which allows the customer to be ‘emotionally investing in the process’, as mentioned by an industry expert.
The short video includes the seamstresses and professional pleaters in the workshop, which creates a sense of reality that there is a real person behind these beautiful creations. The use of music and ambience of the video creates a sense of emotion for the audience that is eager to see the end result. The video reaches its climax when it finally shows the Spring/Summer catwalk.
The video tells a beautiful story that kept the audience engaged and wandering about the end result. After watching it myself, I certainly felt as though I had some sort of connection with them, even though I’m not a frequent Dior shopper.
Longchamp: Le Pliage Personalisation
French handbag and accessories label Longchamp has used their initiative to create a more personalized touch for their customers. Customers can pick the colour of each part of the handbag (handle, main part, lining) and the texture of them along with having the option of adding initials to parts of the bag.
The Le Pliage handbag is one of the top three searched for bags on Google (World Handbag Report, 2014), and adding this personalized touch can make the customer feel as though they are dominant because the product was made with them in mind and totally designed for them.
Burberry: Snapchat
It is safe to say that Burberry has blown people’s minds with their recent developments in digital marketing. One that I think has worked impeccably well is the live stream of the Spring/Summer 16 fashion campaign on Snapchat, taken by famous photographer Mario Testino.
The fact that it was only for 24 hours and would be deleted and go into thin air there after added a sense of urgency to want to watch the entire video. This is a first for the luxury retail industry and Burberry has successfully captured their products and campaigns in an innovative and creative way.
The behind the scenes shoots and interviews by all the famous faces within the show are exciting to watch for the audience as it gives an insight into what really goes on behind closed doors.
Since the campaign, Burberry has released similar snaps for Mens Fashion Week 2016, and has just announced that Brooklyn Beckham will be shooting their next fragrance campaign on Instagram and Snapchat. Brooklyn Beckham- celebrity offspring-turned-model-turned-photographer– is a key celebrity endorsement that Burberry is using for their advantage as he is a key player in connecting to the millennial’s in the audience, which was clearly stated in Burberry’s strategy for 2016.
Mobile phones are ALL AROUND us! Burberry has cleverly used Snapchat, which can only be used on a mobile phone device to capture their campaigns and keep the audience on their feet. This event gets everything right and shines a spotlight to a future of how brands will be communicating over the next three years.
Some theory behind it all…
As the use of video and Snapchat is connected with social media, I decided to find out if social media is the symbol that is connecting the consumer with the brand.
Social exchange theory (Emerson, 1976) explores the exchange between brands and individuals, it states that individuals engage in behaviors they find rewarding and avoid behaviors that have too high a cost. This could mean that many watch the videos that are posted by the luxury retailers, as it has no cost effect on the consumer. The video’s on social media work as an influencer and rewards the customer for being so loyal by giving them backstage sneak peak exclusive videos.
To end off, it is obvious that luxury retailers are using innovative ideas like video and social media to attract their current and new customers. Using historical information about the brand and showing that real life people create the products they are purchasing allows the customer to have a deeper bond with the brand. However, many retailers have used video and it’s important for brands to adopt newer innovative ideas, just like Burberry has done with Snapchat, in order to keep up with the ever-growing digital marketing sector.
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