Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Today's client is fed up with being ignored. They don't want to be a part
of the faceless names on the database lists used for mass email blasts, nei-
ther are they seeking to complete luxury brands' statistics for website traf-
fic. They have a face and a voice and they want brands to recognize them at
every touch-point. The days of anonymous marketing are over and the cli-
ent of today is attuned to rejecting brands that don't give them the recogni-
tion they seek. The luxury consumer's current state of mind is such that they
are likely to lose quickly patience with brands that don't deliver exceptional
products, services and experiences. Luxury brands will have to prove them-
selves to this clientele even as they continue to be spoilt for choice and as the
competition becomes more widespread.
The same set of expectations applies to the e-experience garnered from
the brands' websites. Today's client is seeking a “wow” web experience from
brands that is in line with what the brand offers in the physical world. They
desire to discover a coherent brand universe online and offline. For them, the
channel of access to a luxury brand shouldn't take away the brand experience
and the virtual world of the brand should be as stimulating and immersive as
the real world. A luxury brand's website should strike an emotional chord
with the client and build a bond of intimacy. This is what will drive them
to discuss the brand in the social web and “evangelize” the brand's positive
attributes online and offline. Achieving this goes beyond creating a pretty
website with easy navigation and usability and ensuring security of transac-
tions; it also requires interactivity in high doses and excellent client man-
agement features with real human contact. Collaborative features including
customization, personalization, dialogue and community are also important
ingredients in this mix. As repeated throughout this topic, the mass avail-
ability and wide adoption of the Internet has given rise to a new online social
order where consumers are piloting exchanges about brands through dia-
logue, debates and mass collaboration. And thousands are actively partici-
pating in these conversations. A look at the hundreds of user groups formed
around luxury brands on online communities like MySpace and Facebook
will confirm this.
The keywords required to cracking today's luxury client, both online and
offline, are:
inform, entertain, influence, empower, impact, content, partici-
pate, observe, listen, understand, update, evolve, engage, real, trust, connect,
advice, influence, opinion, customize, personalize, co-create, tantalize, court
and wow.
The brands that integrate the right mix of the online and offline elements
that reproduce these qualities are already on their way to the client's heart.
The international luxury client
The typical luxury jewelry client found on the client lists of brands such as
Bvlgari, Cartier, Boucheron, Chopard and Van Cleef & Arpels are interna-
tional jet-setters that feature two distinct groups: celebrities and socialites;
