Challenges within the luxury industry – changing media landscapes
Having worked in public relations for almost 25 years, I have witnessed a drastic change in how brands communicate. The stake of consumers has transformed from passive bystanders to active participants, especially since the emergence of social media in the mid-noughties. This inadvertently impacted how brands engage with their audience and the type of information and messages we communicate.
At the beginning of my career (ca 2000), storytelling was not a major part of an IMC campaign. It was easy for us in marketing and PR to control the narrative. After all, consumers had no direct route to brands, and we had only print media such as magazines, newspapers, and broadcast to work with. The flow of information was solely controlled by a press office, and generally speaking, most campaigns were product-centric.
Fast-forward a few years to 2006, when Facebook (now Meta) launched to the public. Within a short period, what started as an interpersonal medium was harnessed by companies to market to a large audience.
Some say the internet and social media brought on the demise of print media. I have seen countless magazines fold over the years as free websites meant content could be consumed without having to fork out to buy a magazine or newspaper. Plus, information now came multiple times daily, not just once a month, as was the norm for leading magazines.
While there is a vast amount of information on both the web and social platforms, this also means brands have had to adapt their approach. Controlling the narrative has become increasingly difficult for companies as consumers can now speak to us directly and also about us, which is beyond our control. Our audience is now part of our brands and feels they have the right to know more about us.
Who are we? What do we represent? What are our values and ethics?
In the last 15 years especially, storytelling has become a buzzword—whether in the form of CSR campaigns, archival stories, or attaching a lifestyle movement to a campaign—think gender equality, racial inclusion, body positivity, and sustainability, to name a few.
We all strive for ‘authenticity’ in campaigns, yet what is still authentic today? The challenge for marketing and press offices is to find stories with substance and actual meaning that consumers can relate to. Often, initiatives are born out of necessity by a crisis management team, following public outrage.
Remember Gucci teaming with Dapper Dan, the OG outfitter to Hip Hop musicians, following outcries of a racially insensitive rollneck on their website or Balenciaga starting to work with a charity that supports abused children following their recent campaign sexualising children? Why does H&M get attacked for their various sustainability initiatives and not Zara? Because Zara does not make it part of its campaign messages.
Consumer awareness and sentiment have changed, as has the media landscape.
But how has this impacted the life of a PR consultant? Not too long ago, my clients were featured in all key monthly magazines. The younger generation does not read much print media these days. However, luxury brands still emphasise traditional media, such as Vogue, GQ, Harper’s Bazaar, and the like, compared to online publications and influencers.
In India, publishing schedules of coveted monthly magazines have changed to bi-monthly or quarterly issues, reducing editorial opportunities. In addition, some content for global publishers is now shot in Europe or the US and syndicated in their global editions. Most editorial inclusion is driven by advertisers. It’s an unspoken rule, but a brand that advertises will usually be featured on editorial pages, such as fashion shoots and product-led shopping pages.
This is great news for big brands with deep marketing budgets who can afford extensive ad campaigns. For smaller brands, this poses a great challenge as opportunities are rare. Getting a client on the pages of a magazine has become the holy grail in the PR world.
How do you pivot and achieve visibility for your client?
With print exposure becoming more elusive and influencers charging exorbitant amounts for a piece of content—some in the region of five to 10 lakh for one Instagram post or YouTube clip—the focus for fashion brands, at least, has turned to celebrity dressing. Press samples are loaned in the hope of being worn to an event or a red carpet in return for social media credit.
Is it the most fulfilling part of a PR role that used to involve strategising and executing well-thought-out campaigns? Perhaps not. But in an ever-evolving industry, we have to adapt and do our best to spread the word for our clients through whatever medium.
About the Author:
Prof Dieter Tretter is a public relations consultant with 20+ years of international experience, having studied fashion design, tailoring and dressmaking in Vienna, Austria.
During his 15 years in London, Dieter worked for a plethora of brands, from conglomerate-owned, global luxury brands such as Kenzo (LVMH group), Tommy Hilfiger, The Body Shop (L’Oreal) to a host of start-up and independent designers such as Holly Fulton, Michael van der Ham, Roland Mouret, Orla Kiely and Nicole Farhi, managing its PR, communications strategy, launches, events and ready-to-wear shows at London and Paris Fashion Week. He has also worked with Indo-Italian designer Sanchita Ajjampur, headed the brand’s press office, and consulted on the collections. Dieter heads his own communications consultancy and teaches public relations and event management in Mumbai.
