By Marco Passoni
New research released last week from The Business of Fashion and Quilt.AI made for very interesting reading on the subject of luxury brands and their digital engagement. The first ever Brand Magic Index uses 12 personality archetypes to define what sort of consumers luxury brands are directing their social media output towards – and compares that with the personalities of those who are reading and interacting with them.
It is a fascinating metric and sheds a very important light on how social media is being used by both the biggest players and the digitally-focused brands. The truth is that we hear a lot about brands unveiling social media campaigns, but there is very little about how effective these campaigns really are. Sure, they reach a few million people, but is that a few million shoppers? Are they reaching the right people? Or are they just adding to the light and noise online?
Despite much talk about digital, its potential, and the efforts brands are making in this ecosystem, it is still important to remind ourselves that putting up a big LED screen and launching a livestream is not necessarily effective digital engagement.
As always, the key here is to know your shoppers. Brands all claim to do so, but as the Brand Magic Index shows us, often the customers brands think they are speaking to are not the ones picking up their digital output.
In a store, these things are easier to measure. Results and interactions from shoppers are instant and, mostly, visible. While immediate purchase is no longer the goal of many true luxury stores, where experience rules, you can see whether shoppers have been attracted and engaged by the offer. Online, this is harder, as there are factors which can muddy results and make a lacklustre campaign seem like a success. A campaign which reaches millions of people may not speak to them and therefore will not drive penetration or long-term engagement. If we are not using our space – digital or physical – for that, then what is the point?
The key here is to know your shoppers. Brands all claim to do so, but as the Brand Magic Index shows us, often the customers brands think they are speaking to are not the ones picking up their digital output
The simple fact is that, like in-store messaging and experience, the online experience must be tailored to those who are seeing it. Otherwise we are not making the most of our digital real estate. In the current climate, that would be insanity. Digital is evolving and it is requiring more investment of time and money, so we must make sure we are getting the most for our investment.
It all comes back, for me, to the key message of everything in our industry: Know your consumer. Not just the consumer you want to speak to, but the exact person who will engage with your brand on every platform and in every location, and each message must be tailored specifically to that person. Anything else is a waste of time.
Each message must be tailored specifically to the right person. Anything else is a waste of time.
Our team at 2.0 & Partners understand this better than anyone. We spend much of our time working alongside brand partners in the travel retail space, analysing the shoppers who are passing by each store – from age and nationality, to purchase drivers and intentions. And we use that information to tailor the offer and experience in every location – it is the perfect brand experience, crafted to the specific demands of that consumers, with the right products, the right presentation and the right message.
Brands operating online must do the same. Special markets need a special approach and digital real estate is a very special space. If you do not know exactly who you are talking to, and make sure you are speaking their language, then you are wasting time, space and money.
