The new year is here, and as marketers, we are all deep in the trenches planning for the digital luxury trends of 2022. Keeping significant luxury digital marketing trends for the new year in mind, staying ahead of the curve, and responding to audience behaviors and technological improvements are all important parts of effective planning. We are pleased to provide our top five luxury digital trends for 2022 for your consideration in your 2022 planning.
The most recent luxury marketing trends emphasize the need for marketers being ahead of the game and strategically bringing their expertise and customer knowledge to the table. Luxury brand marketers can guarantee that their firm is set for success in 2022 by partnering with product teams, advising the board on what customers want, assisting their business in understanding the passion points of their audience, and declaring where they are falling short.
NFTs
Collins English Dictionary named NFT the word of the year! We aren’t surprised. NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, have been a hot topic this year, with a few companies dabbling in the realm of NFTs, such as “game skins” (Louis Vuitton), digital/virtual merchandise (Gucci), and digital assets (Adidas). We anticipate that NFTs will not only become a significant element of a brand’s product line but will also become the heart of how luxury will begin to function digitally.
NFTs, by definition, establish exclusivity since they are one-of-a-kind digital assets with a single owner. We anticipate that physical objects will be issued an NFT asset so that they can be traced when resold, with blockchain technology documenting that product’s ownership history. We also believe that NFTs, along with POAP NFTs, will be at the center of Luxury events. Protocol for Proof of Attendance We’ll have more to say about this in the new year, so keep an eye on this place.
Ephemeral content
Ephemeral media is having a big moment right now. What we mean by ephemeral material is that it is only available for a brief period. This trend began several years ago with the introduction of Snapchat, followed by Instagram Stories — material with a 24-hour duration. The reason we’re paying greater attention to this material is that Instagram Stories’ usership has surpassed that of the Instagram feed this year. There is a sense of urgency to consume this material, and it is often content delivered in real-time. Something that contributes to another trend: lo-fi (low-production) content.
Furthermore, in a few cases, material is being addressed in the same way that a special limited product release is. Balenciaga has just begun taking the brave step of publishing campaign content on their Instagram profile, and once the campaign is over, the footage is archived. This builds anticipation and excitement for the next content (and product) “drop.”
Influencers will become the life force of social media content
We are putting influencers and creators at the center of our social strategy now more than ever. Lo-fi material showcasing individuals is what is generating engagement and audience connection with the advent of TikTok. We encourage businesses to offer influencers more creative freedom. Previously, influencers were hired to raise awareness; now, more than ever, content is at the heart of influencer collaboration. Influencers (or creators, as the talent is more generally referred to) provide marketers with access to a new and engaged audience in addition to providing intriguing content. Win-win
Shoppable social
TikTok announced their collaboration with Shopify earlier this year, offering TikTok Shop. This, like Instagram, allows companies to have a separate in-app store on the site, as well as allow items to be tagged in TikTok videos. So yet, the shop is still in the testing stage and has only been launched in the United Kingdom and the United States. According to one of our TikTok contacts, TikTok Shop will be expanded to additional markets in 2022, making the digital environment that much more shoppable in the near future. Brands will employ more shoppable live video as part of this strategy. Post-pandemic customers are much more accustomed to shopping online, and social e-commerce will only increase in popularity.
Content strategy will dominate Search
We know that 46 percent of affluent buyers conduct “pre-sale” product/brand/service analysis on Search. As Google is frequently the first port of contact, SEO is an extremely useful instrument when attempting to attract the rich demographic. Technical SEO (optimizing one’s website technically so that it is readable and searchable by Google) will continue to be extremely essential, but in 2022, content will truly control how one’s Search scores and will set companies apart. Clever and daring campaigns that generate brand buzz and talkability will be essential, but so will on-site material that corresponds to the ever-changing customer search behavior. Brands who understand how to provide content that is relevant to their target consumers will prosper.
