What does luxury mean to you? It can be a bigger price tag or a designer watch, a must-have handbag, or a top of the range performance car. If it’s not a topshelf product, maybe it’s a once in a lifetime experience, like a private sunny escape to a far away destination.
Whatever you prefer, luxury is a state of mind for many consumers and brands. And when it comes to spelling out what luxury means, brands need to get it right so their customers know what they’re getting for the valuable price tag.
Wearable luxury items like watches and diamonds are more popular than ever, and in 2021, the most popular luxury brands in the UK are Rolex, Chanel, Ralph Lauren, Swarovski and Ted Baker. These household names have become modern classics synonymous with good taste, high style and luxury living. But how have consumers been seduced by luxury brands? The answer lies in confident branding, desirable ambassadors and aspirational products.
How to get luxury
branding right
A luxury brand needs the right image, and that comes from slick advertising campaigns styled with the best photography, motion graphics, video and music. Brands are selling the feeling: the lifestyle that comes with owning a product and the ways it will improve your life. That brand messaging is crucial, after all, few luxury brands have ever run campaigns that simply sell a product based on its features alone. Take diamonds as an example: on the face of it, diamonds are sparkly gemstones with a hefty price tag. But the benefits are huge: a diamond can be a gift, a promise, a proposal, or they can perfectly finish an outfit to make you look and feel fantastic.
There are wonderful storytelling opportunities for brands to tap into where they can tell customers where the diamond is from and really sell the brand’s ethics. The history of prestige brands like Tiffany’s often do most of the talking – everyone knows the name and the iconic ‘Tiffany Blue’. When it comes to messaging, it needs to be spot on for luxury brands to sell the lifestyle and benefits that come with owning something luxurious.
It’s all Gucci:
spotting great brand assets
1. Photography
High quality, artistic photography is a must. Style, framing and colour choices all have a huge influence on a brand’s photography. Ted Baker launched its first ever ad campaign in 2018 to celebrate 30 years since the start of the brand. It created joyful and bright photos overlaid with illustrations to capture the spirit of Ted Baker.
2. Motion Graphics
Great motion graphics and animation seamlessly enhances an advert with a modern feel. A series by Cyrille Smaha for Chanel is tying motion and video together for an eye-catching and dynamic short story on the history of the brand and Coco Chanel herself.
3. Packaging
Good things come in small packages. Luxury brands have some of the most recognisable and iconic packaging around. From Tiffany & Co’s little blue boxes to the classic Chanel No. 5 scent bottle, packages are as much a part of the experience as the products themselves. Slick designs and iconic style help to make packaging a collector’s item – even an empty Rolex box can be worth over £150 by itself!
Who’s who
in branding
The aspirational tone a brand sets is crucial in its positioning. The brands you wear and buy say a lot about your own personality, which is why ambassadors are a perfect way for brands to reach their customers. From Hollywood actors to sportspeople, luxury brands have always been promoted by well-known ambassadors to bring a glamorous touch. In the 1950s, film star Audrey Hepburn was an ambassador for Givenchy, and today, it’s K-pop group aespa helping to promote the brand and boost sales to a younger, international audience.
Ambassadors are nothing new, and responsible for helping to set the aspirational tone and give a recognisable voice to any brand. Other famous faces include Lily-Rose Depp for Chanel and Roger Federer for Rolex, helping to attract an audience that’s elite, not elitist and have a taste for the finer things in life.
When luxury
branding goes wrong
The last thing a luxury brand wants is for its products to look cheap. The entire concept of luxury items is elastic demand – the phenomenon of sales only increasing when consumer’s expendable income increases too. If luxury products are let down by bad marketing assets, they’ll look tacky and damage sales as well as reputations.
Bad press is another area luxury brands don’t want to find themselves caught up in. Whether it’s animal products without a clear cruelty-free source, or bad mining practices for precious stones or metals, luxury brands owe it to their customers to be transparent, fair, and run ethical businesses free from controversies.
Drinks and destinations:
our luxury brand portfolio
At Awesome Creative, we’re proud to create and launch some really special brands. Two luxury brands we’ve launched include Hygge Rum and White & Blue Holidays. Hygge Rum had our help in creating a cosy, high-end brand for its deliciously spiced drink, and White & Blue Holidays had us craving a luxurious getaway with its range of private sunsoaked villas complete with concierges, chefs and every personal touch possible. When it comes to luxury, we know our stuff. If you have a brand you want to elevate with some truly awesome creative, get in touch with us today and let’s make you the next name in luxury.
