How Luxury Brands like Gucci Thrive in a Digital Age
Fashion is evolving thanks to the exposure the internet gives it. Luxury brands are pressured to be innovative every season so that they don't get lost in the crowd. It is not enough to produce products you think customers would love, but it has to compete favorably with similar brands.
The first impression your brand makes is what the customer takes seriously, which is why there is a huge investment in marketing. Marketing helps you stay relevant without which your company dies.
Everyone reading this has heard of Gucci. Without trying to sound altruistic, at least 95% of readers have heard of this brand. Their products are used by elites and celebrities because they are expensive. As of 2019, Gucci generated about 9.63 billion euros.
How does Gucci make so much money in this digital age? Their marketing strategy aims at improving e-commerce experience online. You may want to check out the strategies below:
1. Website Redesign and Relaunch
A website is an online store that defines your brand. It is the first port of call for online customers. Gucci has a fantastic offline store with great customer relations experience. The brand didn't stop there; they replicated it online so that they capture the online audience. Their online store features attractive ready-to-wear dresses like the ones you see on the runway and offline stores.
The site is developed to represent a real-life Gucci woman. Customers are enticed by what they see and are drawn to the world of luxury. They are motivated to buy products even though they're costly.
The site offers find-in-store options, free returns, product information, and gift wrapping. Contacting Gucci's sales representative is seamless as there are customer service options on every product page.
2. Image Driven Content
Customers do not want to read about your content all the time. They need to see things for themselves. Gucci has a collection of luxury images with which they use to project elitism. The website is picturesque and features brand collections.
When you visit the product pages, you are greeted with high-quality images of products. To get a clearer view of the images, you can zoom in on the photos. The friendliness of the site allows users to explore every aspect of the product before they make purchases.
Gucci proves itself as a luxury brand that would not settle for less no matter what. How would prospects react to a non-responsive site or low-quality images? They get pissed off and shut the doors at them. Gucci understands this and is playing by the game.
3. Popular Culture and Brand Visibility
In this digital age, brands become more visible when they align with pop culture. Today, the most popular aspects of pop culture are music, literature, fashion, dance, film, and other activities the majority of the society enjoys doing. The industrial revolution gave rise to pop culture, and it wouldn't fade anytime soon.
Gucci products are worn by many successful artistes worldwide. It is not a mistake that the entertainment industry favors this industry and purchases the bulk of its chains, shoes, caps, tees, etc.
Lady Gaga rocked a red Gucci suit pants designed by Alessandro Michele in a live performance of the National anthem in 2016. The luxury company also featured in Beyoncé's video "Formation," where the artiste and female dancers were clad in Gucci crop tops, high-waist bum shorts, and leggings.
In the spring of 2016, Beyoncé wore a Gold Gucci suit for the launch of her album "Lemonade." These celebrity collaborations is a marketing strategy that proves that the brand supports popular culture.
To sell a product in this era, it has to align with the majority of your customers' culture to drive huge sales. Lady Gaga and Beyoncé are famous musical artists, and their fans look up to them. By rocking a Gucci dress, they are passing a subtle message encouraging supporters to patronize the brand.
Gucci has graced the front page of prominent international fashion magazines. At least ten fashion magazines are obsessed with any product that comes from Gucci. Gucci is not the only brand in the luxury industry but is far ahead of competitors and has penetrated ordinary people's minds.
4. Collaboration with Instagram's Visual Artists
If you follow this brand on Instagram, then you'd probably be familiar with the #GucciGram. The hashtag features a series of artworks created by famous Instagrammers. The art is inspired by Gucci's prints. The images are appealing and another avenue to showcase her works through visual arts.
This campaign on Instagram tells different stories creatively to push the brand forward. Artists from around the world expressed their interpretation of the brand and designs. Gucci finds a digital voice and making the best out of it. By inviting Instagram celebrity artists to recreate designs, they can sustain online visibility and hype.
5. The Use of Memes
Memes are animated gifs or images commonly used on social media sites, messaging apps, and news sites. They are usually funny and attention-grabbing, which is why they are shared across many platforms. They are a universal language, and marketing firms are struggling to cash in on the benefits.
Since memes are the latest trend on social media, this luxury brand took advantage of it to sell their wristwatches. After the launch of Le Marche des Merveilles collection (year), the company hired a team of internet artists like William Ndatila and Alec Soth to create a collection of relatable memes.
In one of the popular memes, a young man goes to his girlfriend's house to propose to her. He is wearing a sweater and a Gucci wristwatch, but the left sleeves are slightly rolled up to reveal his admirable watch. He wants his watch to be noticed first before the flowers and anything else.
There are other irresistible memes, and you can check them out on #TFWGucci.
Building a luxury brand is beyond producing an expensive product. You also need to invest in digital branding and marketing to gain a competitive advantage. A major challenge with modern businesses is gaining media visibility. When a business gets before the right audience, selling becomes effortless.