Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
woman who can easily slip it into her Birkin or Kelly bag, unlike a laptop,
which takes too much space no matter how small the dimensions. Designed
by Alexandre Fourn, this digital product perfectly combines technology with
the elegance of the e-paper and external design. E-paper, by the way, is a dis-
play technology designed to portray the appearance of ordinary ink on paper.
Unlike a conventional flat panel display, which uses a backlight to illuminate
its pixels, electronic paper reflects light like ordinary paper and is capable
of holding text and images indefinitely without drawing electricity. E-paper
is not the same as digital paper, which is a pad to create handwritten digital
documents with a digital pen.
The launch of the Contre-Temps will mark the first time that a tangible
digital product will be created by a luxury brand - that is, if we stop count-
ing the number of co-branded mobile phones created by luxury brands and
mobile companies in the recent past. This could herald a new age for luxury
product extension based on technology.
What client needs or expectations do products like the Vivienne Tam-HP
or the Louis Vuitton's Soundwalk fulfill? Are these product types suitable for
luxury brands? These products have emerged as a result of the progression of the
luxury market and as a response to the changing needs and expectations of lux-
ury clients. Before the arrival of the Internet and its supporting digital media
technologies including mobile, luxury consumer needs were simply based
on the scope of traditional luxury products like clothing, handbags, shoes,
jewelry and watches; and services like hospitality, gastronomy and transport.
Today, the story is different because consumer mind-sets have evolved fol-
lowing two decades of interacting with digital technology. Expectations have
moved beyond the placid acceptance of the output of luxury creative machi-
nations solely within the traditional product range. A digital-based hole has
been created that needs to be filled and luxury brands who are proactive
enough to view this as an opportunity can fill this gap through tangible
digital-based products (for instance, the Vivienne Tam-HP) or intangible
digital-based products (such as the Louis Vuitton Soundwalk) (see Figure
8.3). Luxury consumers also expect luxury services companies to go the dig-
ital way through providing unique devices that complement the services or
launching new services entirely based on digital technology or media. It is
time for luxury brands to challenge themselves in ways that will ensure their
place in the world of a generation of consumers whose references are drawn
from their interactions with the Internet, digital media and mobile technol-
ogy. This generation of global millennials know no other way of thinking
and the impact of their collective experiences transferred from the technol-
ogy world will continue to be felt on a worldwide level. Luxury brands will
need to think in a different way and adopt digital technology not only as a
business support, but also as an extension of products and services.
Brands that provide paper versions of topics - such as Louis Vuitton's
City Guides - will have to assess the need for an e-book version or a branded
