The presence of luxury brands on TikTok: a winning strategy

The world of luxury is a world where communication must be perfectly targeted to reach a very restricted clientele. Luxury brands have understood that to remain competitive, they must also seduce average consumers. That's where social media comes in, for connect with a young and growing audience. Among these networks, the TikTok platform stands out as one of the most popular and big brands need to seize this opportunity to reach a rapidly growing consumer base.

According to a Bain & Company report, Generation Y and Generation Z have become a new force for the luxury sector, declaring that they will contribute to 130% of market growth by 2025. For luxury brands, attracting the attention of this new wave of global buyers is essential to ensure their sustainability. By launching on TikTok, they can connect with a growing audience and retain them from the start of their buying journey.

However, in order to win this cohort, it is essential toadhere to a growing evolution to marketing expenses and strategies adapted to the expectations of this activist generation. Indeed, Generation Z values positive social and environmental impact and expects businesses to be in line with its values and aspirations.

So in this article, we are going to focus on the approach that the luxury sector can adopt to engage this new, younger audience. We will be inspired by examples of luxury houses that have managed to make a place for themselves on TikTok by adapting their communication to the codes of this platform.

Luxury brands and TikTok

To reach Generation Z, it is essential to turn to their preferred platform: TikTok.

With more than 40% of its users belong to this generation, the Chinese platform is a must.

However, the communication codes are there radically different of those on other social networks, such as Meta. Unlike Instagram, where a refined and organized aesthetic is the order of the day, TikTok favors content that is authentic, relevant and in line with the latest trends. This characteristic can be difficult for luxury brands to harmonize.

Commonly used to planning their advertising campaigns well in advance, luxury brands are often confronted to the challenge of participating in the latest trends (often ephemeral) or to regularly create video content. However, some of them have succeeded in find a TikTok marketing strategy that convinces their audience, such as Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Versace and Chanel, such as Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Versace and Chanel, who joined the platform between 2020 and 2021 and took the time to think before posting their first videos.

Since then, in 2023, things changed radically. The luxury sector is experiencing phenomenal growth on TikTok, with brands realizing the importance of the platform in connecting with tomorrow's consumers, who are crucial for their future growth.

How can they benefit from the advantages of capturing Generation Z?

In 2035, Generation Z should represent 40% of the global luxury market, a figure that highlights the importance of this cohort for luxury brands looking to position themselves for the future on the platform. Not engaging this generation right now is take the risk of it turning to the competition, and therefore losing market shares.

Businesses that successfully engage with Gen Z on TikTok can not only benefit from huge short-term visibility potential, but also become recognized brands and appreciated in the long term. Indeed, this generation is known to become more loyal to brands as they age, offering the potential for long-term brand awareness and growth for businesses that can effectively capture this consumer group. In addition, with 85% of luxury goods purchases influenced by digital content, big brands with a strong online presence will be the ones that succeed in the future. Indeed, according to a study conducted by Vogue Business, 68% of luxury consumers say that content on TikTok encouraged them to buy products from luxury brands.

How to succeed with your luxury marketing strategy on TikTok?

Luxury marketing is governed by very specific codes. It's not just about sell products, but also to offer aesthetics and a lifestyle. Luxury houses aim above all to retain their customers by focusing on exclusivity and trust in the quality of their articles.

Unlike other brands, companies in the luxury sector consider Internet users as targets rather than members of an affinitarian community. Social networks are used as a listening and monitoring laboratory for improve CSR communication and re-establish convincing communication with buyers and followers. Their communication on social networks is not focused on the quantity of sales or reaching a large audience, but rather to work on their image and their reputation among demanding consumers who are looking for a prestigious and respectful advertiser.

The real challenge for these big brands is to find a new approach to their content creation, unique to TikTok, without losing its universe, traditions and inaccessibility.

Here are some strategic axes to use to succeed in your luxury marketing campaign on TikTok:

• Focus on the experience they offer on TikTok. Gen Z values brands that create real proximity and interact with them. Luxury players can thus ask their community to imagine new products or guide their future campaigns. The creation of UGC is also an excellent tool for strengthening the connection between TikTok users and the brand. We have also seen many major brands innovate in terms of digital experience by creating their own NFTs or organizing parades in the metaverse.
• Offer privileged access to your brand. Users don't just want to have exclusive access to a quality product. Above all, they want to have privileged access to the universe of the brand and its creators. Backstage fashion show videos or live streams are perfect examples of exclusive and ephemeral content that the community is looking for on the social network.
• Embodying strong values: Gen Z's relationship with brands is deeper than its predecessors. She expects them to embody their values. TikTok users will therefore prefer companies that are committed to more diversity, sustainable production and that respects human rights.

The best examples of luxury brands on TikTok

With the evolution that the TikTok platform has undergone in recent years, some luxury accounts knew how to make their nest. The social network is now full of inspiring examples of how to adapt luxury marketing to Gen Z codes.

Estée Lauder

Skincare brand Estee Lauder launched on TikTok in 2021. In An interview with Digiday, the social media manager said that the platform allowed the brand of reaching new audiences in the highly competitive beauty market, and to position itself with a very popular demographic group: GenZ.

For example, Estée Lauder launched the “My Shade, My Story” campaign, which, in just the first two weeks, reached 58 million views.

‍A winning strategy because Estée Lauder's account was elected TikTok account of the year in 2023.

Valentino

In 2021, the high fashion house Valentino teamed up with singer Lady Gaga for a TikTok campaign. The challenge encouraged users of the platform to sing and dance to a Lady Gaga song to win tickets to her concert. The brand was therefore able to surf on musical trends to grow its community and boost its engagement, since participants also had to follow Valentino's account and tag the brand.

FentyBeauty

The artist Rihanna's beauty brand was one of the first to create an account on TikTok, as early as 2017. In 2020, she even launched her #fentybeautyhouse content creation channel through which influencers and users can share their tutorials and participate in brand challenges.

Jacquemus

The French fashion brand knew perfectly well. Get inspired by content that already works on the platform before sharing her first TikTok. It was thus able to take advantage of trends on the platform from the start of the hype cycle and therefore boost the virality of its content. One of the best examples is the video in which the brand recreated a concert by singer Adèle with her handbags, and in particular her best seller (and incidentally the brand's most accessible product), the Chiquito!

Vestiaire Collective

The luxury clothing resale platform was able to federate a great community on TikTok by insisting on its more sustainable approach to fashion and environmentally friendly. The brand also collaborated with influencers to share inspiration with its followers. The items worn by the content creators were then resold on the application, perfectly illustrating its two main characteristics (the ease with which it is possible to buy and then resell luxury pieces).

TikTok to connect with the new generation

By reworking their image and TikTok communication strategy, major luxury brands can resonate with Gen Z and win over enthusiastic and loyal customers. Those who seize this opportunity will make a place in the heart of this generation, while remaining relevant to consumers in line with current market trends.

If you want to market your luxury brand to Generation Z, you've come to the right place! At Sleeq we create large-scale campaigns to capture the attention of new generations. Contact us to find out how we can help you today.