Session 7: Luxury Digital Strategies

A Review of Digital Strategies for Luxury Brands

by Marci Ikeler and Phil Jackson

Luxury brands are increasingly in the need of a digital strategy as more and more traditional clients purchase or at least inform themselves online.

Marketing through digital means is paradoxical and challenging for luxury brands which should have exclusivity as a main key value.

Amongst key strategies are making the online experience exclusive by reflecting traditional services, marketing to a younger generations (a pool of potential clients) and constantly being active and updating information conveyed.

By combining both local and global strategies, integrating event-based marketing, and a high degree of (historical) story telling; an 'exclusive' digital experience for luxury brands can be developed. There are about 10 main strategies; these are applied by Louis Vuitton, an agressive digital player, and summarized in 6 main points below.

Louis Vuitton:

1. Reuniting global and local -SOMOLO: Fans who check-in at New Bond Street with four square 3 times earn a tour of London, a badge, and more...

2. Storytelling- an interactive website where a celebrity takes you through a journey in the world - reflects the dream and aura behind the brand and brings back to key values.

3. Emphasizing the cultural aspect by describing contributors to digital strategy and getting people used to that type of strategy:

Interview with Denis Dutton, web entrepreuner

4. Using history to story-tell - Biographies of Buzz Aldren or other historical figures.

5. Using elements of sports, travles and culture to emphasize competition.

This is done for example by LV by having an awards programme where internet users can vote for aspiring film producers.

6. Service differentiation: by offering means of personnalizing acquisitions to one's taste.

By combining all these points, LV has managed to be successful amongst all consumers and offers an exclusive digital experience.
A well earned digital IQ of 167!