Kickstarting Day 2, Creative agency Studio Black Tomato's Tom Marchant, Adam Larter and Sophia Kay presented the findings from their research into the existence and nature of the 'language of luxury'. The presentation explored some of the most pertinent issues raised within the research, including the disparity between the language used by brands and the language used by their consumers, the danger of a lack of differentiation that comes with a shared rhetoric and how this language is shifting in reaction to COVID-19.
Following the presentation we delved deeper into the topic with a panel of luxury marketing experts including Samantha Strawford, Brand Communications Director of Belmond, Carla Filmer, CMO of Manolo Blahnik and Colleen Caslin, CEO of Jessica McCormack.
After an initial flood of "here's what we're doing for COVID-19" messages, businesses and consumers settled into a strange new normal. Now, the challenge has become creating relevant and effective campaigns in a crowded landscape. In the second session of the day, The Fifth Agency's Olly Lewis, Facebook's Isabelle Quevilly, Consultant Scott Guthrie and influencer Kate Hutchins discussed the different ways in which to tell your story most effectively, using data and insights, working with influencers, reaching and converting new audiences, and how to integrate this all through social media and PR.
A new approach to storytelling is required by luxury brands following seismic global events. Conscious consumers are demanding a positive contribution to the issues shaping society where timing, tone and relevance is paramount. Success can earn a new level of trust and loyalty, but failure can be fatal, such is the importance of the matters at hand. Inactivity is simply not an option. With all of this in mind, how can brands contemporise their storytelling? Exploring this in our final session was BBC presenter Lucy Hockings, Al MacCuish from Sunshine, VICTOR Jet's Clive Jackson, journalist Dolly Jones and Harrods' Caitlin Innes.
