Faraway countries and big names – that’s how luxury brands score points

Creative productions, shows in all countries around the world and top-class front row casts ensured numerous fashion events that attracted media attention last year. Influencers and celebrities guaranteed a high level of engagement and interactions on social media, which kept the brands’ coffers ringing. A new report by Karla Otto shows how successful the marketing strategies of luxury fashion houses were in 2023 and who performed particularly well.

The PR and image agency, together with the influencer marketing platform Lefty, analyzed the ten most media and commercially strongest fashion moments of 2023 on Instagram in a joint report.

In 2023, one red carpet event followed the next. Last year there was the Cannes Film Festival the Media highlight and particularly stood out on Instagram. The country best reached by the festival’s contributions was India, thanks in part to the presence of Indian celebrities such as actress Anushka Sharma. She generated $17.9 million (€16.5 million) in EMV and increased the visibility of brands such as Chopard, Cartier, Richard Quinn, Prada and L’Oréal through her appearance and accompanying Instagram posts.

Bulgari in particular has understood the relevance of influencers for brand success and is relying on top-class guests at its ‘Mediterranea High Jewelery’ event in Venice. Thanks to global brand ambassadors Anne Hathaway, Zendaya and Priyanka Chopra, the event generated EMV of $36.9 million (€34 million).

In terms of interaction rates, the luxury labels Bottega Veneta and Ottolinger particularly stood out. Although Bottega Veneta doesn’t have its own Instagram account, the label’s SS24 collection achieved a 1,048 percent increase in engagement rate. According to the analysis of the report, the Berlin label Ottolinger counts as one the Emerging brand with EMV growth of 1450 percent.

New places and new faces are success factors

The past year was marked by numerous Changes and new appointments on the creative floors big luxury brands. One new line-up in particular caused a stir: the debut of Peter Hawkings as Tom Ford’s new creative director achieved an EMV of 2.9 million US dollars (2.6 million euros).

But also the eagerly awaited debut of Pharrell Williams for Louis Vuitton achieved the desired success and generated an EMV of almost $50 million. In total, the event received 2,275 Instagram posts, making it the most media-covered men’s fashion show of last season.

The most successful women’s fashion show of the SS24 season brought in similar numbers: Stars like Charlize Theron, Jennifer Lawrence and Jenna Ortega ensured the enormous media impact of the runway show, which generated around 46 million US dollars with 2,248 Instagram posts.

With the Pre and Cruise collections The fashion houses traveled across the globe and one spectacular show followed the next. From LA to Seoul to Mexico – the labels showed their designs across three continents. Gucci and Louis Vuitton were ahead, with their shows in Seoul generating almost twice the advertising value compared to their regular shows.