Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
website in October 2008. This “open” show where everyone was invited not
only generated unprecedented online and offline press but also contributed
towards establishing Viktor & Rolf as a bold and innovative brand.
The content as a means of communication on a luxury website should
be extensive and uniform. I often notice a lack of consistent information on
the different language sections of the same website, which shouldn't be so.
This, of course, is frustrating for luxury clients. This approach should also be
applied to online magazines and clubs owned by luxury brands like Maserati
since the attraction is not only based on rich and extensive content, but also
on homogeneous content. The Maserati or Bentley owner in Moscow would
also wish to know what the brand is telling his fellow owner in Miami.
The second aspect of website communication is the intangible or sub-
conscious communication which enables message transmission through
influencing the mind by triggering responses to the senses of sight, sound,
touch, smell and taste. This form of sensory communication requires the
use of a specific set of elements to influence the website's atmosphere and
reproduce the desired feelings in people. These feelings are linked back
to the brand image and validated by the tangible communication elements
(this topic has been covered extensively in the previous chapter, in case you
skipped it).
For online communications to be effective on a luxury brand's website,
the tangible and intangible elements must be balanced. This means ensuring
that the visual elements validate the sensory elements and that the sensory
elements evoke the visual elements. Achieving this is quite challenging but
brands like Bottega Veneta and Van Cleef & Arpels have been able to do
so from their websites. These elements should, of course, be presented in a
form that encourages inclusion and interactivity.
How can a luxury brand foster collaboration through its own website?
Does it mean allowing consumers to discuss the brand freely and have an
input in its design and offerings. Should luxury websites allow user-generated
content to be uploaded on the website? Should luxury brands foster this
closeness or will it break the intriguing distance that ever enchants the client
to the brand? The keyword is creating an environment that projects inclusion
and collaboration which ensures that the client feels that they are recognized
and that they count while allowing the brands to have control over the web-
site content. Prada managed to achieve this through its “Trembled Blossoms”
animation competition where a competition was held for the soundtrack.
Everyone was invited to join and the brand selected the best soundtrack,
which was announced and subsequently used by the brand. Boucheron also
communicated a collaborative spirit though its “Precious Moments” initia-
tive online, where people were invited to inscribe a recap of their precious
moments on a wall on the brand's website. These initiatives ensure that a
brand builds its reputation and credibility; enhances the “desire” factor and
creates a more intimate bond with clients.
