When it comes to marketing to the younger generations, traditional luxury brands have had a hard time cracking the elusive code of social media. But as more of the Gen Z population flock to new platforms like TikTok, luxury fashion finally has an opportunity to reach this highly sought after demographic. As BoF investigates, How Luxury Finally Cracked TikTok, we discover how fashion houses are navigating new territory and why they must be more creative in their approaches than ever before.
1. The Latest Trend: Luxury Brands on TikTok
Turning to Digital Platforms for Brand Promotion
Luxury brands, long standing on brick and mortar fashion runways, have entered the digital runway. Seeking to expand their reach and engage younger generations, high-end fashion houses are tapping into the trendiest of social media platforms – TikTok. With an influx of popular content, the platform capitalizes on creativity to showcase both creativity and skillset.
TikTok, already popular, is the tool of choice for many top luxury fashion labels which seek to enhance their brand equity and build a rapport with a new, younger and more diversely global audience. Think runway shows featuring an array of trends and styles, makeup tutorials with their featured products and hauls with the new designer threads. As global luxury fashion houses season to the digital stage, here are some of the top brands already in on the fun:
- Balenciaga
- Dior
- Fendi
- Gucci
- Louis Vuitton
- Saint Laurent
The engagement from luxury brands on these digital platforms creates a direct response to what their audiences want them to see. With a surge of interactions, these fashion labels are continuously gathering valuable insights to help inform their next moves to keep their audience interested, engaged, and buying their products. The future of luxury fashion brands on TikTok is here.
2. What Makes TikTok the Perfect Outlet for Luxury Brands?
TikTok is the perfect outlet for luxury brands as it offers an effective way to reach their desired demographic in an engaging and entertaining way. Brands can gain immense exposure on the platform by utilizing its unique video-based features such as:
- Eye-catching visual animations
- Revolutionary filters
- Unique playback speeds
- Trending soundtracks
Using these tools allow luxury brands to effectively convey their premium messaging using creative and captivating visuals. On TikTok, brands can create videos that demonstrate their products in an interesting and entertaining way that resonates with their target audience. This presents luxury brands with the opportunity to increase their reach and gain significant user engagement, enabling them to stand out amongst the competition.
3. Breaking Down the Benefits of Luxury Brands on TikTok
TikTok is becoming an increasingly effective platform to reach consumers who are particularly interested in luxury products and services. With luxury brands tapping into this influential and creative community, the benefits are mutual for both kinds of brands.
Here are some of the key advantages of luxury brands on TikTok:
- Flexible demographics – TikTok is used by people from all walks of life, which can be leveraged by luxury brands to reach a broad audience.
- High engagement rates – People on TikTok are usually looking to engage and explore, which provide luxury brands with a great space to build relationships with their customers.
- Innovative content – With its signature ‘short-form’ video format, luxury brands can create highly creative and memorable content.
In addition, luxury brands on TikTok can also benefit from the streaming platform’s rich array of features, such as filters and edits, to really make their content stand out.
4. How to Maximise the Benefits of Luxury on TikTok
Use Popular Hashtags
When you’re launching a luxury campaign on TikTok, the best way to get the ball rolling is to use popular hashtags. Hashtags give your content a greater reach and increase its chances of getting discovered by new audiences. It’s also beneficial to use a combination of niche and popular hashtags to widen your scope and get more engagement. For a luxury campaign, use hashtags like #luxurystyle, #lifestylegoals or #luxuryliving to get the right kind of attention.
Engage with Your Content
One of the biggest benefits of TikTok is its capacity to create instant dialogue. Therefore, the best way to take advantage of the platform is to engage with your content. Reply to comments, share user-generated content, post tutorials and incorporate your call-to-action to gain a larger reach and encourage user engagement. Make sure you create content that is relevant to the luxury audience and prompts their curiosity and attention for sustainability.
Luxury’s migration to TikTok puts it on equal footing with its followers, taking part in a just-in-time, creative culture that is all about business of fashion. While the rise of TikTok is yet to be seen, for now, the landscape of fashion consumption is changing for the better, and luxury is finally feeling connected to its fans in a new and energising way.
