Story-selling is something that has been imperative in the luxury industry for a long time, and so it comes as no surprise that the process has become digitalized. “80% of all luxury sales are influenced in some way by what customers see online” so brands that are selling at a premium price point, as well as trying to attract an emerging Gen Z audience have to get it right. However, luxury brands have to strike the right balance between retaining their heritage and modernizing through digital channels, and often this is achieved through illustrative video content. In this article, we explore the power of video content and how to tell a brand story in the luxury industry, by looking at examples of brands that have nailed their story-selling strategies.
Burberry
Video storytelling in the luxury industry is all about the experience which takes place in the hands of the consumer. British heritage brand, Burberry, has been honing its Owned Media content creation for years and its YouTube channel is a testament to this. From tutorials to stories, Burberry develops their brand story through the use of longer-format video content to allow customers to understand the history of the brand, and see it as more than just an outlet, but a story in itself, with a personality and experience of its own.
One of the most famous examples of this is their 2016 film, The Tale of Thomas Burberry, which walks through a dramatic depiction of the creator’s life. The film “reimagines key events that have shaped the brand’s history” and encapsulates watchers as it feels more like a movie trailer than a campaign. This sort of art is key when it comes to luxury storytelling, as it allows consumers to forget the context they are watching the piece in.
Gucci
If there’s one brand that knows know to sell a lifestyle, it’s Gucci. Gucci practically reinvented itself in the last 5 years, with its turn in vision, voice, and values - and this trickled down into their digital marketing strategy. The brand creates consistent video content on their IGTV, frequently featuring celebrities in different scenarios, embracing the Gucci lifestyle. For their Cruise 2020 campaign, #ComeAsYouAre_RSVP, the brand celebrated its Italian heritage in a celebrity-packed video campaign, which really sold the vision that Gucci consistently emulated.
Ralph Lauren
A platform that has been an up and coming favorite with Gen Zers and now brands, is TikTok. The quick-clip video outlet has recently become a place that brands come to meet younger consumers, from Burberry to Calvin Klein, and now, Ralph Lauren. As a luxury brand with ties in sporting, Ralph Lauren created a campaign around the US Open featuring Diana Silvers. The campaign encouraged TikTok users to share stories using the #WinningRL hashtag and made use of TikTok’s shopping widget which allowed the brand to showcase their US Open collection, in-app. Using an interactive platform focused heavily on user-generated content such as TikTok allowed consumers to participate in Ralph Lauren’s digital storytelling, and become a part of the story. This is effective especially when it comes to younger audiences as they want to feel the experience of a brand more so than ever before.
Chanel
Much like Burberry, Chanel turns to their Owned Media strategy when it comes to the luxury storytelling element of their brand, however, they have created a website specifically dedicated towards it. Inside Chanel is formatted like a book, with each video representing a chapter chronicling the history of the brand. As well as a dynamic historical timeline, users can listen and watch carefully curated, animated videos on the website, in order to understand each step of the brand’s foundations. This is all part of Chanel’s voice, and pride in their heritage, communicating the established voice and exclusivity they have in a way that educates, but also subtly, sells.
Dior
Dior is a brand that consistently performs well month on month, and part of this is thanks to its marketing strategy, which relies heavily on Influencers. This use of Influencers also extends into their video storytelling, which is apparent just by visiting their Instagram page. For a recent beauty campaign, the brand leveraged some of the top voices in the industry from Winnie Harlow to Jorja Smith, to share their skin stories. This foundation promotion added a layer to the brand’s campaign, as it featured real, honest and relatable stories from a bevy of familiar faces. These voices communicated why they love their skin, and why in particular, they loved their skin in the new Dior Forever foundation, in a raw and natural video format. This type of brand story is favored by Dior with most launches, and works in their favor, as their video content receives almost double the view of their static feed posts.
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By Launchmetrics Content Team
The Launchmetrics content team is always on the lookout for new trends in the fashion and technology sector. We are geeks with style and lovers of good stories!
