Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
those in the know of fashion and luxury to publish their commentary and influ-
ence thousands of enthusiasts worldwide while changing perceptions, ideas and
values linked to luxury brands and fashion in general. It will also not be surpris-
ing to see advertisements from major luxury brands on this website in the near
future. Mark this page and we will come back to this topic in the near future.
Blogging is, however, not about stalking first ladies or celebrities, neither is
it about endless conversations among people who have little to do. It is, rather,
an important phenomenon of the social web that is proving to be one of the
most influential marketing channels in the history of modern business. It is a
revolution that is transforming the way companies and clients relate to each
other and how their communication pattern is evolving. It is a powerful tool
that has altered the traditional rules of marketing and has contributed to rein-
forcing the client's position as the “king” of the world of consumerism. The
blogging phenomenon has crept into every sphere of business and its level of
impact on different sectors remains substantial. Blogs have given consumers
a voice and an outlet to make themselves heard and recognized. Blogs have
ensured that companies are no longer able to ignore clients at will or diffuse
unwanted messages to them but must observe, inform, converse and listen to
them always. The luxury segment is not excluded from this revolution and,
although luxury brands have traditionally dictated tastes to clients and have
always controlled the communications with the public, blogs are challenging
this position because the client is now firmly seated on the throne of power in
the relationship with companies, including those in the luxury segment.
You most likely know the meaning of blogs and perhaps you are even one
of the moderators of the more than 70 million blogs that exist in cyberspace,
so I may not need to define a blog to you. However, it may be useful to jog
your memory a bit before we get to the core of the blogging phenomenon
and its place in the luxury sector. Blogs, which derive the name from web
logs, are essentially web journals mostly created and controlled by independ-
ent users who offer principally genuine and non-judgmental views on spe-
cific topics, which are frequently updated and debated. Blogs are designed
to offer authentic viewpoints on several issues and foster participation and
exchanges among interested parties with frequent updates featuring relevant
information. Wikipedia defines a blog as “a website, usually maintained by
an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or
other material such as graphics or video”. A typical blog uses text, images,
links and sometimes videos to send their message to the public. The entries
made on blogs are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order.
But blogs are nothing new. They have existed as online diaries and journals
since 1994 and the first real blog was created in 1999. Contrary to the wide-
spread viewpoint in the early days of the social web that blogs are personal dia-
ries published by clueless people and therefore are not worth any attention from
luxury companies, blogs have become congregation and reference points for
most luxury categories. It draws both luxury clients and those aspiring towards
luxury. In fact, the word 'blogger' is now an official job title and currently
