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the online versions of mainstream magazines and newspapers like the
New York
Times
and
Architectural Digest,
the while the websites of TV stations like, BBC
and CNN now feature blogs, podcasts and communities. Each of these is now
sharing the same space online and trying to grab the attention of the same public.
The consequence is that today there is much confusion regarding the best
approach to take in representing luxury online and, until now, the criteria for
choosing media websites for luxury communications remains unclear. The cur-
rent scenario has also led luxury brands to view pure-play independent online
magazines as irrelevant for communications programs. There is also the ques-
tion of justifying the advertisement expenditure on magazines that are believed
not to wield the same level of power and influence on luxury consumers as
mainstream magazines such as the likes of
Vogue
,
InStyle
and
GQ
. The reality,
however, is that mainstream magazines are no more influential on luxury cli-
ents online than independent online magazines or social media websites for
that matter. Online consumers seek interactivity and engagement and any web-
site that is able to provide this in high doses will count in their destinations.
They are also more website loyal than brand loyal and will therefore stick to
the media websites that “deliver” irrespective of the category they belong to.
So what is a luxury brand to do in this scenario? How can all these news
and information media be assessed and filtered in order to identify those
most suitable for each luxury brand?
The answer lies in crafting an integrated online communications strat-
egy featuring multi-media channel programs and effective measurements for
the returns of advertisements (see Figure 5.7). This is what the Internet now
represents. It is not enough for luxury brands to upload the videos of the latest
advert campaign on YouTube or DailyMotion; neither is it sufficient to create
excitement through exclusive online fashion shows on e-retail websites. While
these schemes contribute to the reinforcement of the brand's online commu-
nications, they ought to form part of a feasible strategy that will guide the
brand's online presence and ensure continuous progressive returns (see Figure
5.8). The strategy should feature an assessment of the multi-media platforms,
the features on each media website irrespective of the form, the profiles of
users, the reach and traffic flow of the regular readers (not unique visitors,
please), the level of engagement and participation of the websites and how
much the website respects the luxury codes and represents the spirit of luxury.
The social web communications dilemma
I often hear people say that luxury brands should create blogs and integrate
online communities to their websites. Several of them also say that lux-
ury brands ought to have official clubs and forums on social networks like
Facebook and MySpace. Other parties have said that luxury brands have no
business on the social web. They claim that the social web is for the masses
