Luxury Online

How do you market luxury items, which by definition are exclusive, on the internet, which by definition is accessible to the masses? This is the conundrum facing the luxury products industry, explains high-end marketing strategist Uché Okonkwo, and most deluxe brands have failed to find a solution – so far. Prada didn’t even have a website until 2007. Today, countless blogs, forums and websites are dedicated to exchanging information that once belonged exclusively to the elite. For instance, in 2009, online “fashionistas” saw Madonna’s Louis Vuitton ad campaign months before the images appeared in Vogue. Thousands of savvy observers congregated on the web, talked about the ads, pronounced judgment and moved on to the next big thing. Okonkwo explores how the web has revolutionized the way people perceive, view and purchase luxury goods. She explains why the industry must do a better job of responding to and participating in the digital world. Her exposition is thorough, solid and relevant, with abundant helpful pictures, though wordiness and repetition somewhat impede smooth sailing. Still, getAbstract believes it is a landmark resource for the luxury sector and of interest to anyone in e-commerce.