Which strategies should adopt the Luxury Brands on Social networks?

8 
 
Introduction 
Nowadays interacting on the Social Networks has become an entire task of a company’s 
communication. A brand cannot ignore the Social Media. In fact, these years many digital 
agencies and new professional figures such as digital brand manager have been created. This 
shows that communicating on SN is a real work that requires knowledge, competencies and 
experience. New social networks constantly appears and this world evolves very fast. 
However, luxury brands have long hesitated before opening to the SN. Indeed some of 
characteristics of the SN seems to be opposite to the politics of Luxury Brands towards 
communication. Indeed Luxury Brands are exclusive and usually keeps a distance with the 
final consummator whereas SN are accessible to everyone, transparent and introduce 
proximity in the interactions. However only 15% of the client think the presence of a luxury 
brand on internet has prejudiced it. Given the actual context and demand of the consumers, we 
will see why luxury brands have to be present on the SN and can do so without denying their 
values and principles. 
On another hand, we have assisted to the development of the blogger and their increased 
influence on final clients. 64% of all information about luxury brands online comes from 
1
blogs. Luxury brands have no choice but considering them. Moreover, most of the blogger 
have at least four different canals in which they promote their online activity; the most used 
SN are facebook, twitter; instagram, pinterest and google +  which reflects the spaces of 
communication to privilege for brands today. 
Moreover, the SM have influenced the whole society in its way of interacting and living. The 
consumers now wants to collect all the information about a product and get advices of other 
                                                           
1
 Source : 
http://www.brandchannel.com/images/papers/530_synthesio_wp_luxury_brands_social_media_0911.pdf
9 
 
customers before purchasing it. The internet users look for the brand on the web and like to 
follow them on the SN. If an important luxury brand does not create an account on the main 
canals, someone else will create a false one instead, as the demand is high. Thus, we 
understand that SN cannot be ignored by luxury brands. It is a canal of communication, a way 
to interact with one’s customers and to get information about one’s audience. Indeed, as the 
users share a lot of details about them on their SN, one can easily collect the data and 
elaborate profiled lists. Moreover, the SN are powerful marketing tools as they help 
estimating what would prefer the consumers.  
Burberry is one of the firm that have best understood this opportunity, its CEO says “ you 
have to create a social enterprise today. You have to be totally connected with everyone who 
touches your brand. If you don’t do that, I don’t know what your business model is in five 
years”. 
Thus, the manager of a luxury brand must wonder: which attitude to have online and where to 
be present? As it is a problem that every communication’s manager must address nowadays; I 
found it interesting to explore the topic. Indeed SN have specific rules and each SN requires a 
different attitude. So adopting the right behaviour is really important although not so easy.  I 
would try and give a guide to help finding the online strategy adapted to one’s brand. As I 
have more expertise in the fashion field, I will refer to that sector more often; however this 
guide can also be applied to other luxury industries. 
First, a study of the notion of luxury and its evolution through the time appeared necessary. 
We will explore what makes it particular, what are the recent changes and new challenges it 
has to affront. Then we will examine the Social Media’s phenomenon. We will define the 
concept and explore its story. We will see how we passed from a passive web, where the users 
just looked for the information, to an interactive one where the user himself creates the 
contents. Then we will focus on a recent and important phenomenon of the web: the
10 
 
increasing influence of the blogs. We will see that the SM represent the future of the internet 
and examine how they have affected our daily lives and behaviours. 
As the SM appear to be omnipresent, we will show that also luxury consumers are there; 
therefore it is very important for luxury brands to adopt a digital strategy.  
As Luxury brands should be on the SN, we would wonder how they can do so while 
respecting their communication’s principles. We would consider the different exigencies of 
luxury brands and examine how they can be affronted through the SN. 
Then we will wonder how can luxury brands build a coherent digital strategy that emphasize 
their values. For that matter, we will first study the expectation of SM users towards brands. 
Then we will see what are the aims of communication of the luxury brands and how can they 
meet the customers’ expectations while reaching their goals. We will first consider the 
different uses of SN by the luxury brands; then we will address the problem of digital 
advertising and finally we will see how the SN can help establishing good relations with the 
press.  
At that point, we will expose a new communication’s practise that is used on the SN: the 
brand contents. After exploring the different types of contents, we will wonder which one 
diffusing on which platform. We will analyse the most important SN one by one, studying 
their users, explaining their functionalities and providing some advices on how to use them 
for luxury brands. We will look into Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, Pinterest, 
Google Plus and Linked In. We will demonstrate that the mobile takes more and more 
importance and show how luxury brand could follow the market trend by creating application.   
Then we will present two examples of digital strategies that enhance the values of the brand: 
Louis Vuitton and its travel centred communication, and Burberry and its iconic product, the 
trench. Finally, we will provide a practical guide recommending what brands should do on the 
SN.
11 
 
I ) Luxury brands seems to have opposite characteristics to the Social 
network’s ones however their presence on the SN is essential and does not 
prejudice them if managed correctly. 
 
1) What is luxury and how has it evolved with the time? 
 
a) Although luxury can be defined in many ways and its perception 
changes with the societies, it has some fundamental characteristics. 
Luxury has different definitions and although the concept has always existed, it has evolved 
with the time. The latin luxus stands for debauchery, splendour and glory. The word luxury 
could also derives from the word lux, which means taste, lighting and elegance or luxuria, 
which signifies excess, flashy, rare. In the ancient Greece, they had some rituals, which can be 
linked to that notion. For example, Greek used to organize orgy to celebrate the God 
Dionysus. As for the Egyptians, they were big consumers of perfumes and jewellery. 
Moreover, golden masks were realised for Pharaohs. 
Historically, luxury referred to a privilege of a social class; it was everything the wealthy 
people could afford and the poor could not or the leader could get while the common people 
could not. As every society - even the primitive ones - have different classes, luxury is a 
universal idea. Although the concept can change with the evolution of the society and 
diverges from one culture to another, luxury has always existed everywhere. 
More recently, Klaus Heine – lecturer in luxury brands management at the Technical 
University of Berlin - defines the luxury brands as “images in the minds of consumers that 
comprise associations about a high level of price, quality, aesthetics, rarity, extraordinariness
12 
 
and a high degree of non-functional associations.” […] it is “the best from the best for the 
best". 
The excellent quality derives from a careful and often handmade production using the best 
raw materials and realised thanks to a specific know-how. Thus, the production is limited and 
the luxury items must be hard to get. By “aesthetics”, the author means that clients presume 
the luxury brand will procure them an elegant, chic and stylish look.  
From that definition we can easily understand that the notion of luxury is subjective; hence 
the difference of the conception of luxury according to the culture. 
Luxury defines a status in the society; it represents a social sign of distinction. As luxury 
goods are exclusive and rare; the act of purchasing them implies an effort of money or 
deployment of means to be able to get it. Because of their uniqueness, luxury goods are often 
expensive although it should not be the only criteria: there are some expensive goods that are 
not luxurious and some luxurious ones are not the most expensive of their category. More 
than the elevated price, luxurious products are characterised by their exclusivity and limited 
accessibility. 
If in the past, luxury was acquired to be seen and to demonstrate the others one’s power; 
however now the rapport with luxury has evolved. We buy luxury products less for exposing 
one’s wealth than for its intrinsic qualities and the services it brings. Luxury means 
perfection; customers want irreproachable products and services. Every detail must be cared, 
there is no room for imperfection. Clients are deeply convinced that wearing luxury brands 
will assure them a sophisticated look. Luxury is about an art of living, it is a culture more than 
an industry. It often rhymes with elegance and refinement. It is not only about the product; 
buying luxury make the consumer enter in a universe, he becomes part of a restricted 
community. Every client is treated personally with great respect and attention. The experience 
of the product has to be perfect so brands do everything to satisfy their customers by
13 
 
providing exclusive services for each of them. The relation with the client should be carefully 
built and reinforced: he wants to feel special, privileged. Few years ago, sellers in the fashion 
luxury shops had a personal relation with the client. Now it has changed because of the 
elevated turn-over of employees and the mobility of the customers but the link with the brand 
should be preserved. For example, the House would invite their biggest clients to their fashion 
shows, which are events with a very restricted access. Many persons would love to attend 
these events but only a few have the privilege to participate to it. 
As for the product itself, the clients of fashion luxury brands for example would appreciate 
the fine materials used, the perfectly executed sewing of the cloth as well as its creative style. 
The major part of the luxury products are handmade and realized by artisans with a particular 
know how which makes the piece unique and precious. Luxury goods does not have the 
characteristics of mass markets, as they cannot be produced industrially. With the 
globalisation, the apparition of internet and the development of the e-commerce, every 
product is now purchasable from everywhere. There was a time where carrying a Chanel bag 
meant having been to Paris to buy it in the unique shop rue Cambon. Now, not only we find 
Chanel’s shops furnished with a wide choice of items of the collection in all the biggest cities 
of the world; some pieces can also be found directly on the internet. The online purchase can 
be made at any time of the day, any day of the year. The internet never closes. So there is a 
quest of unicity from the actual consumers, scarcity is appreciated.  
On another part, there is a sense of eternity inherent to luxury: one buy a luxury product 
thinking it will last all his life; its good quality guarantees that it will not damage with the 
time and one will pass it on from generation to generation in his family. Moreover luxury 
House are all about the inheritance of a know-how; particular methods to realize a 
sophisticated product. For example, Thomas Burberry invented the trench, he is the one who 
found and breveted that remarkable fabric of gabardine, which resists to water while being 
comfortable.  Luxury brands have to be one step forward while maintaining the inheritance of