Louis Vuitton
Fashion Language: Louis Vuitton
Introduction
Louis Vuitton (LV) had consistently been part of the list of the most luxurious brands in the world. It has successfully established itself as one brand people buy not just for its quality, durability and timelessness, but also to pronounce social status. It is one of those few brands that are legitimately associated with the rich, the elite, and the few.
Target Market
While their target markets may have changed and expanded, LV remains to be at the higher tier of luxury brands. Their target market is the rich and the elite, both men and women from the age of 18 to 60 and from all ethnicities, but those who value and can afford timeless, functional, and high-quality leather goods. They mostly consist of business people who have a high yearly and disposable income. They target consumers who like prestige and who need to feel a sense of high status and for whom the products serve as a reminder that they belong to an exclusive group of a chosen few. In this regard, the company uses psychographic segmentations such as motives and lifestyle in identifying its target market. Another market segment they target are the fashionistas and the trendsetters. As well, the company has a market segment to cater to the lifestyle preferences of consumers, particularly those who travel a lot. In this regard, traveling is portrayed as an art in the same manner that the LV products are also considered works of art. Finally, the company targets heavy users, as determined through the data collected at the point-of-sale. These customers are sent invitations to purchase and seasonal catalogues that promote exclusive product collections.
Creating the Image
A quick visit to LV’s stores will let you understand the brand they are trying to create and protect. Luxury is at the forefront of their branding efforts and as such their stores have beautiful interiors and tasteful furniture inside their stores. The dark panels of wood and muted lighting all speak of luxury and sophistication. The displays are few and far between and allow a certain amount of spotlight and space for each item, in turn allowing customers to marvel at the craftsmanship of each item on display. Each person manning the store is trained to be courteous, to be knowledgeable about the products, and to have service-oriented mindsets. There is a room for VIPs where they have comfortable, lush seats and a sofa where clients can get really comfortable as they look on the available merchandise. They also have available services for customized items where clients can choose the kind of leather, color and design they want. They can even have their names or initials etched on their bags. LV is also huge in after-purchase service. A number of clients in the store are not actually buying new products but are having their wallets and their bag’s leather restored.
Their ad campaigns had always been elaborate, but still scream of luxury and also of functionality. They have tapped Hollywood stars to carry their brand. These include Uma Thurman, Angelina Jolie, and Jennifer Lopez. However, they never necessarily got the brightest star of the moment. They have always gone for timeless beauties, A-listers, more or less the kind of image they want to build; timeless, functional, exclusive, and luxurious. Their ad campaigns take into account the language of the magazine, ensuring that the brand’s representation is translated the way it was intended to be.
Their website is clean-looking with clear product organization, and it is easy to navigate. It provides ample viewing discretion and allows one to explore their basic products like their handbags, luggage, and wallets. The website is comprehensive enough and less intimidating than their stores, so people can really just look around here instead. Just like their products, their website is highly functional and may actually cater to a wider demographic.
In all these media – visual display in their stores, their ad campaigns, and their websites, LV clearly goes for function, and they understated luxury and exclusivity. The undertones are clearly discriminating, and it does well for the brand as it automatically filters out their desired target market. It actually gives this segmented market the exclusivity they are after, One can go as far as saying they created this world on purpose – “(Advertising) succeeds by creating mythology – often so subtle and private that it can be understood only by a small fraction of the audience for which it is ostensibly intended.”
While LV may not seem as aggressive as their ad campaigns, if one looks closer, their ad campaigns are really elaborate. They may seem understated but really, LV also works extensively on their ad campaigns. The company also banks on the mythology of advertising where it’s believed that ad campaigns are effective if the “hero” is put up in a pedestal, given the spotlight and is simply glorified. LV does this with their bags in their stores; they’re given all the elaborate set ups. Premium prices are maintained and the store never conducts sales. Keeping the high prices and still having the people come back for more is one of LV’s key strategies and what has kept them afloat all these years.
In addition, LV has successfully merged high fashion with the traditional elite and infused this in their collection and merchandise offerings. This also adds premium to the brand. They continuously create collaborations with high-end artists, and had even hired Marc Jacobs in the late 1990’s as the brand’s creative director.
At the end of the day, LV knows what it wants to do. It has its own vision, and it works really hard to drive that vision. It is the vision of understated elegance, uncompromising quality, and luxury living. They have effectively captured a market that has been very receptive of all the changes they have introduced, all the while keeping their dedication and commitment to stay true in maintaining the uncompromising quality of the handbags and wallets they produce, among other things.
LV can indeed be selective and has an inclination to stay exclusive. This has won them a solid client base that will keep coming back for more. And if one thinks about it, this is what they did to actually stay relevant in the lives’ of their loyal clients. They created a brand that people not only buy but actually aspire for.
Bibliography
Rocamora, Agnes. “High Fashion and Pop Fashion: The symbolic production of Fashion in Le
Monde and the Guardian.”
McLoughlin, Linda. “Representations of women and men Constructing femininity, masculinity
and sexuality.” 200.
Rothenberg, Randall. “The Mythology of Advertising.”
