Luxury brands are discovering the full scope of customer relationships they can develop through new communication media. Three recent examples prove that luxury is clearly opening up to the Internet:
- In September, Ralph Lauren launched an iPhone application that allows customers of the new Rugby brand to customize their purchases: clients can visualized themselves wearing any of the garments, customize shirts, share their "look" with their friends on Facebook or by e-mail and purchase the corresponding items.
- Burberry is creating its own social networking site this month www.artofthetrench.com: the brand already boasts of 660 000 fans on Facebook…
- Louis Vuitton launched an ephemeral mobile game in Japan, accessible from the community and games site Mobage Town. The game, called "Precious Cargo", lasted from June 25th to July 7th (exclusivity management oblige...)!
It was created as part of the inauguration of the new "Underground" concept store of the brand in Ikebukuro.
These initiatives (like those I mentioned before such as those of Dior and Van Cleef) are proof that luxury has finally stepped into the modern era in terms of communication with its clients. When will a real dialogue begin?
