Publisher Spotlight:
Each month we will be featuring luxury consumer websites, ad agencies, marketing firms and the people behind their success. This month we interviewed Tanya Ryno of LIFT Magazine.
By Hibben Silvo, Editor
Tanya Ryno claims that she is in pursuit of the 25-hour day, well with several years under her belt as a producer for Saturday Night Live, a writer for Weblogs Inc., a photographer, a movie on the Sundance Channel, and a phenomenal fitness website to boot, I think it’s safe to say she has found it. Tanya is the founder of a site called LIFT Magazine; it is dedicated to those with a keen sense of adventure and a zest for fitness and the outdoors. Lift features the most up to date and top of the line fitness equipment and gadgets along with spotlights on individual athletes (both professional and amateur), fun facts, and other outside-the-box tidbits (Lingerie Football League anyone?).
Tanya took a moment out of her 25-hour day to answer some of our questions about herself and LIFT. On a second thought, she was most likely also running a marathon, cooking dinner, and scouring the web for great new articles to share with the site’s followers. Here are her answers below:
Biography: As an established film/tv producer, an entrepreneur, a photographer by hobby and a writer who is continually in search of the 25-hour day, I live by my own motto by working hard and playing harder.
Adcision: Why did you launch lift-magazine.com and what need has it fulfilled?
Tanya: I originally launched LIFT Magazine to help out my husband’s business … but it soon took on a life of its own and expanded with an audience that kept coming back for more.
My mission is to give a fresh perspective and strong voice to any product or person that brings exciting innovations to our lives and encourages us to get off our lazy asses and enjoy the luxuries that life has to offer.
LIFT quickly became a web magazine for the adventurer in all of us (not necessarily the gym goer) — urban men and women who work hard and play harder. And, LIFT readers have reached a time in their lives when they have the means, passion, health, and experience to enjoy what life has to offer. They love challenges, appreciate quality, and pursue excellence.
Adcision: Which three brands are you the most proud to have run on your site?
Virgin Charter, Johnny Walker and Diane Von Furstenberg
Adcision: If you could only have one advertiser on your site, which would it be?
Virgin Charter or any advertiser that represents a lifestyle filled with fun … a product that represents the exciting side of luxury.
Adcision: Give me an example of something your readers discovered on your site that they probably wouldn’t have known about otherwise.
I often give examples of motivation that you won’t find anywhere else … fitness isn’t about living at the gym, it’s about living at your peak, no matter what stands in your way. It’s about obeying the alarm clock, peeling yourself out of bed, and finding that extra hour most people think they’ll never have. I show you how other successful people do that, and I do it without preaching.
Adcision: Please describe a typical visitor to your site — what he/she is like, what motivates them to visit, what engages them while they are there.
I stated this above, but it most accurately describes my reader: , LIFT readers have reached a time in their lives when they have the means, passion, health, and experience to enjoy what life has to offer. They love challenges, appreciate quality, and pursue excellence.
Adcision: Does your site have any unique features that you’re proud of?
Well, LIFT TV is coming soon. But other than that, the content is what I’m most proud of.
Adcision: What do you wish more people knew about your “publication”?
That it’s not only interesting but it’s funny. I try to write with a sense of humor.
Adcision: Have you heard of any interesting transactions that have occurred as a result of your site?
A number of my readers actually purchase items that I post about. I’m always surprised to hear that someone has bought something and mainly because of the way that I wrote about it. – This shows me the power of the written word and reminds me of the pressure to be as accurate as I can when writing about something I like.
Adcision: Can you namedrop… any well-known persons engaged with your site?
Specifically I know of a few celebrities who have visited my site and I know that a number of other popular sites, constantly contact me for design advice.
In regard to celebrities, often the ones that I interview write to me stating that they enjoying reading my site … I hope that they continue to come back.
Adcision: What is the best source of traffic to your website?
Referral links. Other sites who link to my posts. Women’s Health Magazine, REAL SIMPLE Magazine, ASKMEN.com and Kineda all have LIFT Magazine listed in their “Blogs we love” section. I always receive a lot of traffic from them.
Adcision: How do you get your content?
Research, research, research! And, now that I’ve grown, I’ve actually started to create original content by interviewing people that my readers are interested in.
Adcision: What’s the best article (or feature) that you have ever run on your site … and why do you think it was so popular (Please include a URL if possible)?
My most popular articles are articles about products.
http://www.lift-magazine.com/journal/airboard-freeride-180-forget-what-you-thought-you-knew-about.html
and
http://www.lift-magazine.com/journal/fitflops-can-a-shoe-tone-your-butt.html
I believe it’s because people are looking for honest answers about products before they decide to purchase or not.
Adcision: Please share some demographic information about your audience (i.e. average home value, average HHI, male/female ratio, etc.)
50/50 Male to Female … infact, Male readers have increased by 20 percent over the last year. In a survey that I once ran, the average reader was high income of $75,000 plus.
Adcision: What is the most vexing issue facing your business right now?
Trying to figure out how to integrate video into my format and expanding my network … I’m in the process of starting another upscale blog called CANVAS … it will be a daily look at modern beauty (i.e. plastic surgery and beauty).
Adcision: Other than your own, what are some favorite luxury oriented sites you like?
Justluxe.com
Portfolio.com
LuxuryCulture.com
Adcision: What is your definition of luxury?
It’s a lifestyle choice, something that is an indulgence rather than a necessity … something that is hard to obtain, but worth the effort.
Adcision: Where do you see the industry headed?
No matter how the economy turns, there will always be a high-class market. It’s about BRANDING.
Adcision: What are your goals for 2008?
To expand my brand and my network … to continue to provide interesting subject matter to an audience who is looking for it.
By Adam Broitman, Director of Emerging and Creative Strategy, Morpheus Media
There is no doubt that over the past 10 years the world of media has gotten a facelift. The question I have been asking myself is–while the world of media was changing–did the definition of luxury change?
The definition of luxury has always been centered on certain core attributes–elegance, refinement, indulgence, comfort, service, quality and extravagance (to name just a few). Technology may have changed the way that certain luxuries are experienced but there is no substitution for the aforementioned qualities. In a phrase; luxury is timeless.
Given that the core attributes of luxury are timeless it is imperative that brand marketers keep up with the changing media landscape in order to present their brands in a way that highlights these attributes; the alternative is the decimation of a brand’s image and the relegation of products associated with these brands to becoming toys of the hoi polloi.
Many luxury retailers are doing a good job of replicating in store experience in the online space. On the flip side, a disturbingly large percent of luxury brands are doing an inadequate job of replicating their luxury image online. The disconnect lies in the fact that many luxury brand marketers simply don’t understand what luxury means in an interactive world. Some brand marketers do well with the surface level presentation of their brand online but completely gloss over the idea that the medium is the message. If online communications are treated like a digital magazine, a brand message can be completely distorted.
Let’s step away from the notion of luxury for a moment and think about how people access and find information online. According to the research center at the Pew Internet and American Life project, search engine usage has become the second most prevalent activity online (second only to email). 49% of internet users interact with a search engine on a daily basis (this is up from about 33% of internet users in 2002). It should come as no surprise that in an age where “google” is used as a verb, searching is the second most important online activity. What may come as a surprise to some is that higher income households are more likely to use a search engine on a given day. 62% of Internet users with a HHI $75k+ (this highest HHI bracket in this study) interact with search engines on a typical day. In light of this information brand managers that are not paying close attention to how their brand is found online have some catching up to do.
If you do a search for “Prada” on Google, the first natural ranking is from Prada. While I have a lot to say about how Prada’s site is optimized for search on the term “Prada”, I will save that for another time (or you can download the presentation I gave at the Luxury Interactive conference this year where I explore this topic further). If you do another, more focused search for “Prada sunglasses” you get the following results:
Natural Search Result Number One
Paid Search Result Number One (paid search varies)
According to a study done by iProspect 68% of searchers will click on a result on the first page. Prada is nowhere to be found on the first page of results for the term “Prada sunglasses”. Furthermore, 39% of search users equate a company’s prominence with their position in a search engine. The sites that show up on SERP’s (search engine results pages) for the term “prada sunglasses” are not reflective of the way that most people think of the brand, and I imagine brand managers at Prada would not be happy with some of the associations that are being made through the sites found in these search results.
The new media landscape is more complex than ever before. In an era where you are how you are found, luxury brand marketers really need to take stock of how their brand is being presented to consumers. While search engine marketing may not seem like the most luxurious practice, one things is certain—findability is luxury.
Each month we will be featuring luxury consumer websites, ad agencies, marketing firms and the people behind their success. This month we interviewed Janet Kraus and Suzanne Aaronson, Co-founders of Spire.
By Hibben Silvo, Editor
Trust is the most crucial part of any relationship, and Spire is built on just that. Whether you’re renovating your bathroom, planning a safari or simply want to purchase an elegant wedding gift you can rest assured that the tips and suggestions on Spire will lead you to nothing short of the best. The site’s ‘about us’ section describes them as “the leading social resource for affluent people.” With a long history of good taste and an insistence for quality, the co-founders, Janet Kraus and Suzanne Aaronson, search the world for high-end goods and services for their members to reference.
Janet and Suzanne took some time away from their quest for the best to answer some questions about their site and how they perceive luxury. Check out the interview below:
Co-Founders:
Janet Kraus (left): As CEO, Janet drives Spire’s vision and culture. She came to Spire by way of Circles (the leading provider of concierge services), the company she co-founded with Kathy Sherbrooke and recently sold to Sodexho Alliance. While at Circles, Janet oversaw the company’s growth strategy, including the creation and ultimate spin-off of Spire as a stand-alone company and simultaneous purchase of Suzanne’s Files.
Suzanne Aaronson (right): As Curator, Suzanne leads Spire’s editorial team and countless unpaid international contributors in skimming the world for quality lifestyle finds. Suzanne’s passion for “finding the best and leaving the rest” began in her early twenties. Over the years, tips from savvy friends and notes from international hotspots grew into a prolific, in-demand knowledge base and eventually evolved into Suzanne’s Files, a successful business with an impressive international following.
Adcision: Why did you launch spire.com and what need has it fulfilled?
Suzanne: We felt that the highly affluent who are time starved and deeply value in-the-know insight were not being well served in the lifestyle arena. Although there are some one-way static print resources, before we started there were not any on-line resources that combined highly vetted and culled recommendations with the social elements that make the web so powerful – people tapping into people. There was no resource like this that could be tapped anytime/ anywhere.
Janet: Also, it was clear that while many premium and luxury brands were beginning to realize that their customers were on-line; very few had really made the big leap into the world of online marketing beyond search. We felt that we could create an online media property where premium and luxury brands could really feel safe testing and learning with real customer engagement. Although there has been a lot of talk about this, we believe the techniques for doing this are in the infancy and there is so much more room to help brands really connect with their customers – current and future.
Adcision: Which three brands are you the most proud to have run on your site?
Janet: We are really very new – our new site has been live since June – and frankly we are very excited by the breadth, quality and variation in size of the partners we have engaged with – from Ritz Carlton Club, Amex and Forbes, to the Adventure Collection and Luggage Forward, to Mutual Art, Black Tomato and Vivre, we are excited by all of them because part of our value proposition is that we can help drive engagement for premium, upscale companies of any size.
Adcision: Give me an example of something your readers discovered on your site that they probably wouldn’t have known about otherwise.
Suzanne: Every day consumers will discover something new on Spire to resonates with their passions or answer a burning question.
From a perfect day in Mallorca, a perennial summer hot spot and the largest of Spain’s Balearic Islands … to the world’s best Hot Air Ballooning outfitters and experience. From the world-leading kids’ museums- wonderlands for art, innovation, adventure and imagination to choice custom home wine cellar designers for the connoisseur wine collector. And from eco-intelligent appliances for home and garden to a 5-Star hotel with an innovative holistic wellness center for those with chronic back pain in Aspen.
Adcision: Please describe a typical visitor to your site — what he/she is like, what motivates them to visit, what engages them while they are there.
Suzanne: Spire.com subscribers & members have one thing in common across their ages, sexes and nationalities: They care about what is high quality and unique.
Whether a 32 year old professional on the rise, a 38 year old stay-at-home mother with two children, or a 52 year old hedge fund manager – every one of our customers seeks “the best” and has his or her own definition of “best.” Every loyal customer of Spire is seeking a shortcut to quality information. Everyone wants the inside scoop. Everyone wants the information that a friend — who went there, did that or researched that — has to offer. The Spire customer most values opinion and recommendations from those s/he can relate to. People like them. The Spire customer DOES NOT want to spend endless hours figuring it out him- or herself.
Our customer is uniquely engaged on Spire.com with both the in-the-know InsightTM provided from other members AND the vetted, authoritative pithy files that we curate.
Adcision: Does your site have any unique features that you’re proud of?
Suzanne: We are proud of the way that we blend vetted lifestyle content (our Files) with members’ perspectives. This “blended approach” is simple and authentic in its concept as it mimics the everyday behavior that the “Cultivated Consumer” – someone who both “researches” for third parties AND relies on the insights of people they trust.
Adcision: What do you wish more people knew about Spire.com?
Suzanne: The more active target audience members, the more useful Spire.com becomes! If a member invites his/ her friends and they do the same, and those friends do the same and so on and so on … you trigger the “network effect” and tap your 6 degrees of separation. Once this starts to happen, you truly are able to “get to’ any piece of info that will help you to live life well.
Suzanne’s Files are highly differentiated from any other lifestyle content available in the published world. They are 15+ years of collecting tid bits and discerning people’s insights to present this basket of only the great stuff – leaving out the rest, that is the noise . . . and even telling you the little things – good and bad that help you to make the final decision.
Adcision: Can you namedrop… any well-known persons engaged with your site?
Suzanne: We value the privacy of our members but feel comfortable saying that there are several business “celebs” who are members of Spire.com – real leaders in their sectors, be it Finance, Fashion, Arts, Design. They value that they can be anonymous and yet tap “people like them”.
Adcision: How do you get your content?
Suzanne: I tap my own personal experience, trusted worldly friends and increasingly our growing “International Collective” of professional experts and insiders (all unpaid “passionistas”) who provide personal feedback/insights as well commentary and ideas for future Suzanne’s Files. Our contributors live & travel in various small and large markets keep us abreast on their finds, opinions and feedback of companies, products & services we cover for SFiles
Adcision: Please share some demographic information about your audience (i.e. average home value, average HHI, male/female ratio, etc.)
Spire:
• Age: early 40s
• Income: of 60% $200k+, 27% over $400k
• Assets of $1 million+
• Degree Educated
• 55%/45% — Female/Male Ratio
Adcision: What is your definition of luxury?
Suzanne: Luxury is an over-used, over-hyped, all-over-the-map word — what is Luxury anymore and to whom? Logically the word means different things to different people, at various life stages.
Personally, I find it a silly word now – but it used to mean so much, and sound so good. So, it begs the question: What is Luxury to you? I can tell you what it means to me — and many YAWNS* out there, (Young & Wealthy But Normal) (source: Robert Frank, WSJ Wealth Reporter/ Richistan Author) “Luxury” is truly high quality, craftmanship and/or artisanal, simple beauty, those things that I don’t get or have daily…it is an experience I remember with color, a way my body felt or reacted to a physical challenge or a new depth of relaxation; it’s the freshest of air, and the most perfect summer peach or bright winter sun in a snowy place. A child falling asleep on you is a Luxury, to me. YAWNs are down-to-earth, have integrity; they are less interested in the what and more in the how and why. Read the rest of this entry
by Sandie Currie, Manager, Media Relations and Communications, Online Revealed
A Couple of Chicks e-Marketing brings its unique concept of educating hospitality professionals to market tourism online to the Caribbean tourism and travel industry this Fall, 2008.
Tourism marketers must now more than ever rely on the Internet to reach their consumers. Even in tougher economic times, there continues to be rapid growth in consumers researching and buying travel online.
Attendees of the first ever Online Revealed Caribbean Conference will hear straight talk about how to reach customers directly through tactics like Search Engine Optimization, Paid Search Advertising, Online PR, Social Media Marketing and more in a fun, interactive and non- intimidating environment.
“With three successful Online Revealed Conferences in Canada behind us, we saw the potential to reach out to the Caribbean tourism community with a similar format for learning best practices in marketing to a worldwide audience online,” says Patricia Brusha, Co-Founder of A Couple of Chicks, and Online Revealed. “Online Revealed focuses on real case studies and practical application workshops to teach attendees how to set up campaigns online, how to measure success and return on investment and how to determine your mix of online and offline marketing dollars,” states Patricia Brusha, Co-Founder of A Couple of Chicks and Online Revealed.
A talented group of industry experts have been retained to present keynote presentations, lead workshops and participate in lively panel discussions. Cal Simmons, The Luxury Letter publisher, will be among the panellists presenting at the conference. Other prominent speakers include Richard Kunz, Principal Consultant, T4G Limited, Paolo Boni, President and CEO VFM Interactive and Ed Radonic, Managing Partner, radonicrodgers design+marketing, all who will deliver keynote addresses.
Representatives from A Couple of Chicks e-Marketing, Expedia, Travelzoo, Marketwire, Poweri, WorldHotels, and Idea Market will share their expertise on topics from how to work effectively with OTAs to online PR initiatives, from website effectiveness and analysis to social media.
150 Caribbean travel industry professionals from Destination Marketing organizations, Tourism Operators, Hoteliers, Attractions, Media and Marketing Agencies, Programmers, Designers and Tourism Suppliers are expected to attend. A highlight of the conference is the B2B Marketplace where attending companies can register for a one on one private consultation with industry experts on the topic of their choice as it relates to website effectiveness and online marketing strategies.
Caribbean travel industry professionals can register for the two day one of a kind opportunity at www.onlinerevealed.com and take advantage of the early bird registration fee of only $299.
Online Revealed is produced by A Couple of Chicks e-Marketing, one of Canada’s most successful online marketing firms for the tourism and travel industry. Learn more about the “chicks” at www.acoupleof chicks.com or contact Co-Founders Patricia Brusha at pbrusha@acoupleofchicks.com or Alicia Whalen at awhalen@acoupleofchicks.com to discover how to maximize your online marketing dollars to increase your online revenues and profile on the world wide web.
The goal of the website re-launch was to provide our core audience, such as high-net worth collectors, with one-stop resource for arts and culture information in it’s many forms. We have exclusive features that cater to their needs. We know this is important—we have a strong user base with a high percentage of repeat visits.
The re-launch was also a new brand direction, with a completely new look and feel. We sought to address the changing needs of our audience. And through user research discovered that we could build a better product that more directly suits current arts and the art market on the internet. ARTINFO is as dynamic and global as the cultural scene it covers.
Give me an example of something your readers discovered on your site that they probably wouldn’t have known otherwise.
At the Sotheby’s Contemporary Auction sales last month, the two and a half hour sale generated a total of £94,701,550 ($188,853,831), just short of the £96.6 million pre-sale high estimate. Ten records for highest lots sold at auction for individual artists were set. All of these records are searchable in our Art Sales Index, ARTINFO’s auction lots database tool, which is free to anyone who visits ARTINFO.
The Art Sales Index is a tool that allows individuals to search lots at auction dating back to the 1920’s. Unlike some of our competitors, ARTINFO offers our database free to the public. And although used predominantly by collectors and auctions world professionals, the tool itself provides a wealth of information about artists their works of art; about historical market data, documenting the creative practice over a broad period of time.
ARTINFO is part of Louise Blouin Media—the international art publisher with strong titles such as Art+Auction, Modern Painters, Culture+Travel, Gallery Guide and the Art Sales Index and Gordon’s Data Publications. The strength of our offering is that ARTINFO reaches into all of these areas through our extensive editorial coverage, breadth of categories and depth of insider knowledge within the areas of arts and culture.
The other unique characteristic of ARTINFO and Louise Blouin Media products is the lifestyle component —there’s an awareness that important media shapes markets mindsets.
What are your goals in 2008?
Our goals for 2008 are to continue to build on the strengths of Louise Blouin Media print products, further expanding our online platform. We are extending the reach of our core online offerings to provide focal points for travel and auctions content, as well as meaningful contextual links amongst the depth of content we already have online. New and ongoing efforts to develop podcasts, video, and other new channels will provide a new means of delivering our content to our audience. ARTINFO is a content matrix and the possibilities for delivery are infinite.
A new energy has changed the world of art. There are record levels of investment; a heightened interest, especially from the affluent market; and a consumer mindset that prizes meaning over material. As art becomes more deeply integrated into fashion, society, and popular culture, our challenge becomes harnessing this energy into a meaningful experience for our visitors. And the internet is quickly becoming THE platform of communication.
Who is your audience?
The strength of the ARTINFO audience is that we have high-net worth individuals who are not only collectors driven by the analytical aspects of the market like indices and trends, participating in the auctions world and global art fairs; but who are also passionate about the arts and the way that the arts impact humanity.
ARTINFO has a strong base in the US and the UK but reaches an international clientele with representation in all parts of the world: Asia, Europe, the Americas, the Middle East; and Africa.
Filed under: Uncategorized
Written by Hibben Silvo, editor
It’s not so much that we’re afraid of change, but more so of the unknown. There is a growing concern about how the luxury industry will be affected by the weak economy, leading to a vast unknown. Fortunately, it seems that the luxury market isn’t going anywhere; it’s simply changing and adjusting to the times. For example, fashion is shifting towards a more conservative style, private jets are marketing themselves as a tool, and people are seeking vacations that both entertain and educate.
The fashion industry is especially likely to remain relatively unchanged. Suze Yalof Schwartz, Glamour’s fashion editor at large was quoted in an msnbc article saying,“ of course, women will shop for clothes even in hard times, but they might choose one or two new-but-classic dresses instead of a closet full of trendier items.” The luxury travel industry is also seeing little change. Those who want to travel and make it a priority in their lives save for it and set aside part of their budget towards it. James Currie, Conservation Corporation Africa’s public ambassador quoted to USA Today’s David Sharp that “certainly the economic events have affected travel. There’s no doubt about that. But it has not affected the luxury sector of the market as much as the middle-of-the-road market.” Even real estate for the ultra wealthy seems to be staying afloat. Once someone has reached a certain tier of wealth they are no longer affected by fluctuating interest rates and can pay up front and in cash. Laurie Moore-Moore, founder of the Institute for Luxury Home Marketing in Dallas said in Businessweek that, “the top 5% of the market is strong not just because the rich in the U.S. are getting richer. Wealthy foreign buyers are also coming in to take advantage of the weak dollar and relatively bargain prices.” For the most part, individuals who have become accustomed to a certain lifestyle are likely to want to maintain it. Suki Larson, chief executive of Keep, a luxury market consulting firm based in London, was quoted in the Atlanta Journal Constitution as saying, “individuals are still looking for the niceties in life, they have acquired a taste for luxury and aren’t giving it up.” Milton Pedraza, chief executive of the Luxury Institute was also quoted in the AJC reminding us that, “most of the wealthiest people are above the age of 50, and these people have been through recessions and downturns before, so they aren’t so bothered by them. Many are conservative and patient investors who know that things are cyclical.” The point is that the affluent are always going to have the funds to afford the most high-end goods and amenities that the market has to offer. Their purchasing trends may vary but there will also always be adjustments on the part of the industry to accommodate these fluctuations. Whether it be adjusting their advertising and marketing strategies or changing their products to reflect the current trends, the luxury market has all the economic security money can buy. However, as secure as the luxury market is, it’s unwise to take it for granted. What I have learned working at Adcision Luxury Media is that you have to move with the change. This can be done in many ways, but here are three I suggest: • Try new channels and think outside the box when placing and targeting your advertising, those who are most receptive to change are the ones most likely to prosper when times get tough • Test and optimize your campaigns, there’s no sense in continuing something that isn’t working, it’s only a waste of time and precious resources • Consider sponsored E-mails, they’re efficient and targeted to a specific audience. So instead of worrying about how the weakened economy will affect your business focus your energy in directions that will keep it relevant to the needs and outlook of the moment. Even Andy Warhol once stated, “they always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.” So be proactive, don’t look at it as a crisis but rather an opportunity for something new and possibly even better.References for this article:
Even the Rich Feel Pinched, Await New Presidential Leadership, Marketing DailyIs Luxury Becoming a Fashion Faux Pas?, msnbc
Study: Online Spending Unaffected By Slumping Economy, Online Media Daily
Luxury Travel Less Affected by Poor Economy, USA Today
Luxury Homes Buck the Trend, Businessweek
“The Difference Between Giving a Speech and Having a Conversation.”
I’ve just returned from Luxury Interactive 2008 in New York. Having attended this show in NY a year ago and in London six months ago, I was very curious to see how the mood of the crowd may have shifted. And the shift was significant.
The show features attendees from many of the world’s best known luxury brands. Gucci, Bvlgari, Conrad Hotels, Sub-Zero, Frette, Ritz Carlton, Net Jets,Tumi, Estee Lauder, Sony, IBM, Lacoste
and Coach just to name a few. Total attendance was somewhere around 400 – easily double last years gathering. And it was the “right” people. Most participants were senior executives with an emphasis on marketing – but also included strategic planners, product developers and others from the executive suite.
A year ago most attendees were “studying the online marketplace.” Six months later, in London, the group seemed to have moved on to “testing small budgets online.” By this years show, much larger budgets seemed to be committed and attendees were sharing success stories and talking about how they intended to dramatically expand their online presence in the coming months.
In an effort to provide a broad perspective, I thought it might be fun to share with you the thoughts from a few of the folks I talked with at the show. While their backgrounds varied dramatically – the consensus seems to be that everyone recognizes how important it is for their companies to be represented online – and they were all eager to hear real life experiences from their counterparts in
attendance. The speakers for the most part were excellent this year, but for me, the most exciting conversations were being held during the breaks and on the trade show floor where attendees were sharing successes (and a few failures) and talking about “what comes next.”
Roberta Rinker Ludloff, VP Brand Performance for Conrad Hotels, gave a great presentation outlining many of the opportunities available to luxury marketers today. She spoke about “an explosion of choices.” And that really was one of the most persistent themes throughout the show.
Christopher Parr of Sub-Zero and Wolf offered the following summary:
“This was my second year attending Luxury Interactive. With the downturn in the economy and affluent consumers spending less, the conference was more relevant and targeted compared to the previous year.
The conference reinforced what we know and I experience firsthand everyday; the affluent are online, they’re doing their homework. We’re seeing this shift away from TV and print, the Internet is becoming the most important channel for the luxury consumer. Is print dead? Not today. In 5-10 years, we’ll see a change. The affluent are not just seeking expensive labels or badges, they’re seeking value. It’s beyond just status — it’s all about an experience. If a luxury brand isn’t dedicated 100% to creating an
effective online destination, that’s a brand that’s on the verge of becoming instinct. We need to add value throughout their entire interaction with us, pre and post sales.
We, as marketers, need to be more relevant to the affluent customer.”
This year, social networking sites seemed to be part of every conversation. And along with that there was a lot of talk about blogs and whether the luxury brands should be engaged in these dialogs. Perhaps the best quote I heard the entire show came from Brian Sugar, the founder of PopSugar, when he said “blogging is the difference between giving a speech and having a conversation.” Wow. Well said, Brian.
Janet Krause, the CEO of Spire.com, continued on that theme when she drew the analogy of a great social community site being like a good cocktail party. You need “in the know insights” to really create some Jazz. “Of course, just like a cocktail party, you also need a great host, a good venue and the “right” people attending,” she said.
I asked Olivier Stip, the SVP of Marketing and Communications of Cartier, how he had been able to convince the folks in control of the ad budgets to commit so strongly to online as part of their recent campaigns. His answer was simple and elegant, just like the brand. He said ” small successes. We took small steps at first and then built on those successes.”
Larry Promisel from Barneys gave a very interesting presentation in which she explained how she was “always looking around the store trying to figure out who our customer is.” And she takes it a step further noting that she also shops other stores and tries to figure out – “are these my customers too?” Noting that her customers can be found in lots of places, she stressed how important it is for Barneys to be advertising on a variety of sites. And to be participating in the blog dialog.
Speaking on a panel, Halogen Guides founder and CEO, Greg Shove, said “Blogging is the greatest marketing tool invented since television.” I believe Greg is a visionary in the online marketing industry and while this statement could certainly be argued with – there was no one present who wanted to dispute the possibilities.
Dennis Syracuse of SONY spoke persuasively about their “100% multi channel effort that facilitates the sale in EVERY channel.” He showed an incredible video which demonstrated their new focus on the SONY-style channel and their new online efforts to promote the brand.
But not everyone was talking about successes. One of the most interesting speeches of the show was given by Guy Salter of Walpole. In explaining why so many luxury brands had been slow to embrace online marketing, Guy made the observation that “luxury is largely about looking back. It’s about heritage and an earned reputation of excellence. It’s not about leading edge technology.” Although he lamented the fact that we do not have enough leadership coming from the luxury brands today he challenged us to think differently and noted that this has not always been the case. “Louis Vuitton” was the Steve Jobs of his day” said Salter.
And that gave us all something to think about.
Cal Simmons
Publisher, The Luxury Letter
Founder & CEO, Adcision Luxury Media
*A special thanks to Worldwide Business Research for contributing Luxury Interactive 08 photos
Filed under: Publisher Spotlight
The World’s First Ever Search Engine For Online Media Professionals — Free Service Enables Real Time Competitive Analysis of Online Advertising By Devin Herbers, Editor
It’s true, time IS money. (!)Yureekah, the world’s first search engine for the online media industry, allows you to identify where all your competitors are advertising, thus saving you time AND money. Why didn’t someone come up with this before?
Fortunately for us, Vishal Sharma and Devaraj Southworth came to the rescue by founding (!)Yureekah in April of this year. The site allows you to search through ads that run on millions of portals hourly and use that information to decide how to advertise in the portals that best fit your brand — irrespective of geography, language, and time zone.
(!)Yureekah’s mission is to organize the world’s online advertising information and make it universally accessible and useful. More
specifically (!)Yureekah will serve as a single gateway for all online advertising, and as a real-time
information resource for the millions of online media professionals, advertisers, and
small business owners.
I had the opportunity to ask Vishal a few questions. Check out his answers below:
What is your definition of Luxury?
I believe that luxury is a piece of perpetuity here on earth. This is a aspiration, a dream to which we are always striving. Since perpetuity on this earth is not actually possible, it is a dream that we pursue even though – or perhaps because – it is unreachable or never enough.
However the day you realize “I’m worth it”, it becomes accessible and it’s a whole new world. You seem to live in a world of reality and enjoy yourself and luxury would be habit versus a necessity.
What advice do you have for Luxury Marketers?
It is an interesting time for luxury marketers as the consumer today believes that he is worth a life which he wants and hence there is potentially a huge market for them than ever before. The Web2.0 propels this mood as well. I suggest luxury marketers must see this as a great opportunity and allow
consumers to talk amongst themselves . A lot of brands today are getting into corporate blogging which I think might be good as it allows your consumers to share their views and this allows them what I call “spiral marketing.”
The future will also see a lot of social media behavior and this is where Luxury Marketers need to device mass strategy versus individual consumer acquisition strategies. The future also calls for a lot continued viral branding efforts which would include carrying the same message across online, out of home(OOH) & mobile platforms.
Filed under: Uncategorized
By Courtney W. May, Publisher, The Informed Traveler
Something that is an indulgence rather than a necessity, sumptuous or expensive, abundance or great ease and comfort – these are all definitions of luxury. In the past we have tried to help define luxury in terms of hotels and resorts at Five Star Alliance – but overall, there no longer seems to be one standard definition to help determine what is or is not luxury. No longer can something be considered luxury just based on cost, marketing campaigns, or desires. The Google Images “luxury” image results include a shower head, Phantom Rolls Royce, palm tree, a sleeping pod, and a villa exterior – just to name a few. After we asked hundreds of people for their definition of luxury, read quotes both online and off, we found a wide range of varied responses. Do you agree with the ones below? Disagree? What is your definition of luxury?
