Digital Luxury Digest | Timeless Tradition, Words to the Wise, Appealing to Women

by Halogen on March 30, 2010

“Classic to the Core” (Newsweek)

Rather than slash prices, follow fashion, or go downmarket, Hermès decided to focus on what it does best: produce expensive but timeless classics with unimpeachable quality that will last a lifetime.

“10 Essential Rules for Brands in Social Media” (AdAge)

These days everyone seems to have advice about how to run your social media marketing program. There are so many tips floating around, it’s hard to know what truly essential strategies you should follow to effectively use social media to build your business. Questions abound: Do Facebook fans drive sales? Why should I fund forums for consumers to pillory my products, ridicule my service and tout the competition? And, whatever I decide to do, how I will I know if it’s working?

“How Marketers Should Appeal to Women” (MarketingCharts)

Marketers targeting a female audience need to understand the critical difference between men and women, according to Dr. Bob Deutsch of marketing firm Brian Sells. Namely, women cycle and men consummate.

March 30, 2010

Digital Luxury Digest | Battling Banner Blindness, New Ways to Engage, Digital Reality, Urbanspoon Shakes To Success

by Halogen on

“Four Tricks to Battle Banner Ad Blindness” (MarketingVOX)

There are several tricks advertisers can use to attract banner-shy eyeballs.

“The Next Wave: Fashion Brands Test New Social Media Platforms” (WWD)

As the social media landscape changes faster than Lady Gaga’s wigs, fashion companies on the hunt for customers and buzz are looking beyond Facebook, Twitter and blogs to new emerging platforms.

“Luxury Brands Focus on Digital Retail Experience” (Brand Republic)

Developments such as augmented reality, which can offer users a life-sized 3D view of products, and advanced chat applications, including Google Wave, are being used to create enhanced online services.

“Urbanspoon: Half A Billion Shakes and Counting” (TechCrunch)

There’s no denying it. People love to shake their iPhones. It’s almost as if they want to see how much they can shake it before it breaks. But shaking it is half the fun, especially when apps take advantage of the built-in accelerometer to turn shaking into a feature.

March 30, 2010

Halogen Rolls Out Re-Targeting Capabilities

by Halogen on

Halogen Network is pleased to announce that it will soon be launching re-targeting capabilities. This comes on the heels of recent video capabilities that Halogen recently put into action.

Halogen clients will now enjoy the ability to cookie site visitors, track their key interactions, and ultimately serve ads to those visitors based on the same product. These re-targeted ads will be able to follow the user all across Halogen’s network of online publishers and beyond.

Now more then ever, Halogen has developed a keen understanding of the luxury goods consumer and the addition of re-targeting only confirms this notion. As the digital media business becomes more challenging and dynamic, re-targeting is a tool Halogen plans to put to great use.

March 30, 2010

Digital Luxury Digest | The Rich Back in Business, Moving Your SocNet, Location Location Location, Luxe on the Up and Up, Rethinking ROI

by Halogen on

“What the Rich are Buying Now” (StarPhoenix)

While most consumers aren’t returning to their pre-recession shopping patterns, there has been a rebound in luxury spending lately. Ultra affluent shoppers, who were never really affected by the downturn to begin with, have started to come out of hiding.

“Want to Get Your SocNet Army to Move? First Figure Out What It Likes” (MarketingVOX)

Brands have compiled an impressive army of social network fans. For the most part they have been building these communities on the blind faith that it will translate into increased sales or awareness or some other metric. But as brands learn more about what their social net workers want, engaging with them and getting them to act becomes much easier.

“Forget Foursquare: Why Location Marketing is New Point-Of-Purchase” (AdAge)

Forget Foursquare or Gowalla: Soon every website and service will be able to tell where you are, opening up the floodgates for location-based marketing and blurring the budget lines for advertisers.

“Luxury Earnings Forecasts to Rise” (Reuters)

Burberry, Richemont and Swatch Group touched a one-year peak on Thursday, but expectations about the sector’s recovery are still too low, Scilla Huang Sun, head of Julius Baer’s luxury brands fund, told Reuters. ”Luxury valuations have not peaked yet,” Huang Sun said in an interview in Zurich. “There is still a lot of potential for valuations … I expect some earnings upgrades.”

“Fashion Brands and Social Media ROI” (Interbrand)

When it comes to measuring activity on the web, only one thing is certain: traditional analytic measures will never give you the full picture. For these brands that are trying constantly to stay ahead, typical brand tracking becomes relatively difficult to apply to marketing and retail activities.

March 30, 2010

Digital Luxury Digest | Luxe Watches Are E-Tailing, “Friends” With Benefits, Managing Twitter, A New Kind of Car Phone

by Halogen on

“Watch Brands Signing on, Uneasily, for E-Tailing” (NY Times)

The luxury watch business is committed to offering a deluxe, tactile shopping experience. But as latecomers to Web 2.0, most brands have struggled with translating that to the Internet. Recent developments, however, suggest that the industry’s entrenched views on distribution, and the Internet’s place in it, are changing.

“Study Shows Brand ‘Friending’ means Brand Buying” (BrandChannel)

It has recently been established that Facebook is the most popular online brand in the world. If a new study is to be believed, Facebook’s popularity also rubs off on brands. Which ones? Well, all of them.

“Retweets, Mentions and Followers: Managing Twitter, Part 2″ (MarketingVOX)

As Twitter begins roll out tools and services for its site – such as @anywhere – it is increasingly important that marketers have a handle on what is and isn’t working with their campaigns right now before they incorporate these new options. There are several reasons why this is not easy to capture, but it is possible.

“Drive a Porsche? Up Your Status with a Phone” (NY Times)

As if a Porsche isn’t enough of a status symbol, the German luxury sports car company’s subsidiary, Porsche Design, is marketing a mobile phone that’s exclusive to Porsche owners.

March 30, 2010

Digital Luxury Digest | Small Luxe Hotels Get Big Results, Cyber Shoppers Stay Home, Multi-Channel Marketing, The Social Media Budget

by Halogen on

“Independent Hotels and Resorts Attract Guests, Increase Revenue Using Social Media and E-Marketing To Promote Direct Website Bookings, Loyalty” (Hospitality.Net)

For independent hotels and resorts, the era of social media, internet marketing, and fully-integrated direct website online booking software are providing new revenue generating strategies that reach travelers with a message of unique guest experiences and personal service. Independent properties are more effective with social media strategies than large chains burdened with corporate guidelines.

“Study: Top Luxury Shoppers May Never Visit Stores” (NationalJeweler)

Some of today’s best prospects for buying luxury brands spend more time shopping online and actually turn their noses up at the idea of going to a store, a new study reveals.

“Online Marketing Needs to be Multi-Channel” (EquiMedia)

According to the Tribune Business Weekly, firms need to keep on top of the latest developments in online marketing – such as the use of social media and viral video marketing. Speaking to the news provider, marketing expert Troy Rumfelt said: “The day when just having a Web site was good enough is no longer.”

“Making Social Media Connections, Budgets and ROI” (MediaPost)

Today, technology gives us the ability to connect. So when you hear the words social and media, it’s important to remember the pathway that creates an emotional connection from the brand to the consumer. Lang says marketers who think of social media as another channel for advertising are already out of the game. Think about this: 25% of the top links in a search query return user-generated content.

March 30, 2010

Digital Luxury Digest: Ralph Lauren’s Virtual Fashion Show, The Digital Marketing Mix, Internet Ads Booming, Video Leads Growth

by Greg Shove on

“Ralph Lauren Takes Online Marketing to the Next Level With Lauren Fashion Show” (NBC)

Right now on Ralph Lauren’s website, anyone can watch a virtual presentation of the Lauren by Ralph Lauren collection, and — here’s the kicker — buy anything you like straight off the runway. Overall, pretty slick.

“Social, Mobile and Email Integration: Maximizing Your Digital Marketing Mix” (SmartBiz)

Today’s businesses should be using all of these complementary media outlets – email, social networks and mobile marketing – to most effectively connect and communicate with their current and prospective customers.

“Internet Ads Booming; Poised to Pass Radio, Magazines” (NBR)

Of the nine major advertising categories, online or “interactive” was the only one to enjoy growth during 2009, according to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) figures released today.

“Digital Publishers Expect Video to Lead Growth In Display Ads” (Brand Republic)

The main areas for growth are expected to be in display ads, with video particularly expected to show significant growth this year, while a range of other revenue streams will increasingly contribute to turnover.

March 30, 2010