How Chanel is enchanting luxury customers to recommend
I point out now this is not just an excuse to share a video of Keira Knightly - after all who needs an excuse? But rather this is to show you just how well Chanel, one of the world's most premium and carefully guarded brands, gets that it is all about enchanting it's customers into recommendation.
Premium brands need premium content
One of the criticisms I have heard from luxury brand managers is that using social media cheapens the consumer experience of the brand. By being too available, or too friendly through social channels, the allure and exclusivity of the brand is somehow degraded. This comment well may be valid, however Chanel clearly understand that there are ways of generating online recommendations and interest in the brand, through social channels, without detracting from the brand's premium feel. If the content is premium enough and the feedback loop to the brand is directing people back to the brand, then you can indeed do premium social comms.
Enchanting brands need enchanting stories
If you have bothered to watch through the full video above (or any other of the Chanel short films - emphasis on films there) then you already know that the reason these are so captivating is the narrative that they paint about the brand. Soft focus pulls, pastel hues and inventive audio motifs give us not only a visual story but a subtext of sexuality, playfulness and premium that Chanel own so well.
Facilitating premium recommendations
The trifecta here is how Chanel not only give you a great piece of content to direct others to, that tells a great brand narrative, but completes the DNA with a premium way of facilitating association and recommendation. The Chanel Facebook presence for Coco Madmoiselle (a part of the main Chanel Facebook page) is one of the most slickly produced brand pages I have seen recently, and to that end makes it a pleasure to "Like" it - giving users a very premium association and ability, through behind the scenes photos and video, to share premium recommendations too.
Over to you...
Have you been enchanted by any brands recently? Does Chanel's quality content guard the brand or cheapen it?