The Battle of Luxury Brands for Fans on Facebook
November 29, 2010On Monday, November 22, Gucci hit the 3 million fan mark on Facebook. The Italian label may soon surpass Burberry, which boasts 3.2 million fans, as the most widely followed fashion brand on the social networking site.
Gucci’s Facebook milestone follows hot on the heels of the announcement made by Burberry on November 19 that it had broken the 3-million-fan mark. Just this past weekend, Facebook EMEA Vice President Joanna Shields had proclaimed the UK luxury label as the “most widely followed brand on Facebook.”
“Burberry is no longer just a fashion company – today they are a thriving media enterprise,” Shields said. “[Burberry’s] successful not just because it makes great clothes but because it understands the importance of sparking interest in the community and using social media to engage and delight their consumers.”
But Burberry is facing stiff competition from Gucci. Both brands hit the 2-million-fan mark on Facebook this past October and both are equally aggressive when it comes to engaging their respective online communities. They each regularly post product announcements, photos, videos and lookbooks of their upcoming collections on their Facebook walls. Additionally, Gucci launched the “Eye Want You” Facebook application earlier this month, which features eyewear from the new Gucci Eyeweb Collection designed by Creative Director Frida Giannini. The viral video application allows Facebook users to create and deliver their own personal messages to friends.
And last month, both brands were included in the Digital IQ Index of Luxury Brands published by the marketing think tank Luxury Lab. The study quantified the digital competence of 72 global luxury brands by accessing brand websites, digital marketing strategies, social media initiatives and mobile applications. Gucci, ranked fourth, won accolades for the launch of its digital flagship GucciConnect this past fall, as well as for live-streaming its Spring/Summer 2011 show in Milan. Burberry, ranked sixth, garnered praise for its social networking fashion blog, artofthetrench.com, which it launched in fall 2009.
Social networking for Luxury brands and companies is no longer a thing of the past.
