“BottgaVenetaWallpaper 1920＊1200” by SimonQ錫濛譙 is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
The recent dumping of Trump by social media platforms combined with Harry and Meghan cancelling their social media feeds has rightly prompted another feverish reassessment of its use.
Not before time many think.
Most interestingly however, without warning and with no explanation, Bottega Veneta closed its Instagram, Facebook and Twitter accounts earlier this week.
Its abrupt halt to social media promotion has apparently left the luxury fashion world stunned.
Back to Analogue for luxury
Are we seeing the stirrings of a tech backlash? Luxury came into tech late. It struggled to make it work properly since it self-evidently lacked the personal service and attention luxury is famous for – the heft, the engagement of the five senses, the actual experience of buying it. And the brag-value pleasure of being able to talk about it afterwards.
It is the intimate exchange that is so important. In luxury marketing, of course, it is a key dynamic.
We’re all sick and tired with the flat deadness of Screen and Zoom.
We are desperate for something real to hold, touch, feel.
Revealingly, analogue products such as pen, paper, books and vinyl records are all reporting increased sales.
As echoed in London's yearly fireworks and drone display to welcome in 2021 - four words you never want to hear again:
"Can you hear me?"
The numbers
Social media over-promises, but under-delivers – read it from Forbes here
“With e-commerce doubling its share of the personal luxury goods market in 2020, from 12% in 2019 to 23%, and with its share expected to reach 30% by 2025 when it will become the primary channel of distribution for luxury goods, social media has become an essential part of every luxury brand’s online strategy, until now.
For the last three years our survey shows social media is grossly underperforming luxury companies’ expectations”
In essence, the article says given all the money, resources and effort that goes into social media, you’d expect it to perform better for luxury companies.
The facts support Bottega Veneta’s decision, to exit social media because it doesn’t work to attract the right people to a luxury brand.
The article goes on to quote Vogue, who are underwhelmed by the presentation of luxury on the internet:
“I look at Instagram and social media sometimes, but I think too much can be quite dangerous and detrimental to the creative process. Everyone seeing the same thing is not healthy or productive. It doesn’t breed individuality.
Social media isn't travelling luxury class
What to say that’s new? From cess pit of hatred and rants, depending on your point of view, to a helpful mix of anything and everything from small to large, insignificant to significant, from recipes, kids school projects, s'leb brand building etc.
Luxury does not easily fit into that world.
Turns out that the people who can afford luxury brands are most likely not the heavy users of social media you might have thought.
The implications of leaving social media?
We wonder if other luxury brands that will leave social media.
It could be good news for print media with more ads. It could herald the return of the marketing materials of old such as books, brochures, print material…
We think these are still powerful channels to communicate captivating luxury craft stories.
Does a screen really do full justice to the craftmanship, thought and attention put into luxury products?
Does a screen get across the artisans in their studios, their ateliers, at their benches, in the vineyards, sketching, colouring, sewing, finishing, enamelling, smelling, touching, moulding, soldering…
Luxury brand marketing - old school still matters
Here’s to more conversations with words like idea, craft skills, ‘thud factor’, cover design, design style, page layout, colour, typography, size, binding, pale tints, metallics, keylines, binding options, thread sewn, casebound book, rigid board box, coated paper stock, lay-flat casebound, soft bound…..
Anew is well placed for these conversations, having in-depth experience of all types of marketing and communications media – on and yes – offline. From luxury coffee table books, to brochures, to press and posters ads, and of course to websites. See more here
We are brand development and marketing specialists for ambitious businesses of excellence.
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Drop us an email. Based in the heart of London, we'd be delighted to meet for a coffee, either face-to-face or virtually to discuss your brief.
