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Breaking Down the Social Media at the Club e-Luxe Breakfast Seminar

Taka Okazaki-Leblanc | March/April 2010

It’s no longer news that until recently the luxury sector was so apprehensive about embracing the Internet in its business practices that shopping for luxury online was something inconceivable.  Back in 2005, major French and Italian luxury brands went as far as declaring that they would never sell their products online. Also any remote talks linked to the social media were dismissed as “geeky” and “so not luxury”. This was the period that  Club e-Luxe was created, precisely out of the acknowledgement of the urgent need to address the challenges that luxury companies are facing in the context of Internet, digital media, technology and innovation. Since then, we have been pleased to witness a commendable level of progress and strides that luxury has made in adopting technology particularly with the obvious change in mentality and orientation that have led to renewed attitudes among luxury executives. At last luxury brands seem to be finally thinking and acting differently, and in the process of embracing the change that the digital revolution has brought. On visible sign is the recent excitement being generated in the luxury sector in the area of the social media. Nearly all the major brand have adopted social media websites like Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Second Life and Youtube, and most have become adept bloggers and micro bloggers. Chanel’s ‘Chanel News’ and Sonia Rykiel’s blog ‘Rykielles’ come quickly to mind, while brands like Burberry and the mysterious luxury brand behind the website Is-She-You, have gone the way of creating their own social media platforms.  

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