French fashion house Louis Vuitton is encouraging aspirational shoppers to gift in gratitude.
In honor of Mother’s Day, the brand has delivered a digital gift guide, making recommendations for caregivers and their children. The campaign’s product highlights — trunks, city guides and other such accessories — have been featured in a few recent marketing bids from Louis Vuitton, signaling that its lifestyle and travel collections remain among its sales priorities.
“At first glance, this Mother’s Day campaign content from Louis Vuitton seems to be a pretty standard marketing effort for an annual event celebrated by most of their audience base,” said Daymon Bruck, chief creative officer at The O Group, New York.
“A curated mix of gifts are presented in an easy-to-digest format with a range of price points and product types, appealing to the widest range of consumers possible,” Mr. Bruck said. “The brand did not choose to actually say anything new, authentic or even sentimental however about a day dedicated to the celebration of women and mothers everywhere, which is a miss in terms of connecting on a deeper level with their audience beyond the need to purchase a gift.”
Mr. Bruck is not affiliated with Louis Vuitton, but agreed to comment as an industry expert.
Maternal Instincts
This year, handbags and small leather goods, fragrances, jewelry and other accessories such as scarves and sunglasses lead the luxury label’s Mother’s Day edit.
Weekend Escapes, the first of three themed gift guide sections, pushes on-the-go essentials, from cardholders to toiletry pouches to luggage and backpacks.
Greater emphasis is placed on purses, footwear and eyewear, as well as various homewares, in the second gift guide category, titled “A Touch of Elegance.”
The items are split between three themed categories, including “Weekend Escapes,” in a nod to Louis Vuitton’s travel roots. Image courtesy of Louis Vuitton
A section called “Feminine Allure” rounds out the online catalog. Some of the highest price points across the entire curation can be found within this final section.
The bulk of the products listed here feature classic and contemporary displays of the house’s signature monogram canvas print. That includes select Louis Vuitton Speedy Bandoulière bags.
Created in the 1930s for travelers, it sells for between $1,550 and $2,030, available in a variety of sizes.
The Malle Fleurs flowerbox also appears under Feminine Allure. Retailing for $7,450, the unit reinterprets the design of a mini-trunk of the same name from the 1910s.
It is water-resistant, allowing its owners to plant flowers purchased for the occasion.
Options for “fur babies” are included in the brand’s Mother’s Day shots. Image courtesy of Louis Vuitton
Across the board, a diverse cast of mothers, daughters, sons and furry friends model for Mother’s Day. A campaign film unveiled alongside the photoshoot sees children present matriarchs with an item from a bespoke trunk, each picking a different novelty for their respective loved one.
Jubilant music plays in the background, setting a fun and relaxed scene. The entire initiative went live in late April, with shoppable pages now live on the brand’s website.
“The Mother’s Day gift categories presented on the Louis Vuitton homepage are also not especially specific to the actual spirit of the holiday, choosing instead to guide the viewer towards product groupings that reinforce the Maison’s brand characteristics more than anything else,” The O Group’s Mr. Bruck said.
“By using language such as ‘springtime selection,’ ‘statement allure’ and ‘reflecting the maison’s spirit of travel,’ this campaign performs closer to a seasonal product marketing push than an actual brand acknowledgment of a holiday dedicated to honoring and celebrating a loved one.”
Celebrating Parenthood
Louis Vuitton’s familial exercise follows a blueprint set by its previous Mother’s Day and Father’s Day (see story) drops.
Last year, the maison took a similar approach with casting, though assets carried a different tone, utilizing a neutral color palette and focusing on simpler photographic concepts.
Its current creative appears lighthearted and playful in comparison, spotlighting more products as LVMH looks to keep its flagship brand growing.
Childrenswear, including the house’s newly-introduced Baby collections, is taking center stage in 2024. Image courtesy of Louis Vuitton
Other high-end names such as Swiss jeweler Chopard and Italian fashion house Gucci have also unveiled marketing campaigns that ode motherhood. Collections from the two luxury brands also re-platform previously released merchandise.
“Louis Vuitton is not alone in this attempt to appeal to luxury audiences through the narrow lens of consumerism within the context of a holiday brand campaign such as Mother’s Day,” said Mr. Bruck.
“Many luxury brands fall short in making the attempt to connect with their audiences beyond a transaction when they have the potential and permission to communicate with so much more authentic personality and genuine feeling,” he said. “Looking at other luxury brands that have changed their marketing focus around Mother’s Day, Tiffany & Co. seems to be one of the only brands touching on the emotional drivers to give gifts during this holiday.
“Using Mother’s Day campaign language like ‘some bonds are forever’ and ‘Celebrating Mother’s Since 1837,’ Tiffany & Co. is (unfortunately) one of the few luxury brands that actually understood the assignment in my opinion.”
Original article published in Luxury Daily, May 1, 2024
