Renowned French luxury brands Chanel and Hermès are leaders in adapting to social trends and the spirit of the times. Having both been founded over a century ago, their communications strategies play a vital role in maintaining their relevance and desirability today. Fundamental differences in their brand identities have shaped these strategies. On one hand, Chanel’s brand DNA is rooted in the belief that women can liberate themselves through fashion – feminine with a masculine edge, glamourous yet wearable, the brand and its garments are synonymous with modern female ambition and romantic indulgence. Coco Chanel herself symbolises female strength, passion and elegance. On the other hand, Hermès epitomises refinement and effortless sophistication, not least because Thierry Hermès disapproved of the term ‘luxury’ for its arrogance, and preferred the word ‘refinement’ instead (Jacobs, 2007). Its heritage in the carriage trade has rooted the concept of ‘less is more’ in its brand DNA: time itself should not be fought, but transcended – any lasting value derives from mystique, scarcity and true craftsmanship, rather than accordance with trends or instant gratification. Both brands aim to leverage creativity, innovation and surprise to enchant customers (Ahmed, 2012).
Chanel and Hermès’s communications strategies most clearly contrast with regards to the imagery and tone of their advertising campaigns. Their different brand identities are stark – Hermès prefers campaig
ns that reflect its discretion, philosophy, and tradition, while Chanel’s embody modernity, empowerment and youth. For instance, Hermès campaigns typically depict mystery through dreamlike scenarios set against subtle nature-inspired backdrops. Its strategy involves rousing curiosity and romanticising its offering. The Fall 2009 print campaign featured an igloo made of printed scarves in the snowy wilderness, while that of Spring 2012 featured a model hiding behind a tree with scarves as fairy wings. The mystery an romance of such imagery, which invokes curiosity and seems frozen in time, highlights the brand’s exclusivity and timeless appeal. It invites viewers to linger upon the image and ensures that products take centre stage, so that the brand’s unparalleled quality and experience in creating products that withstand the test of time are clearly communicated. Indeed, Hermès campaigns maintain similar aesthetics and do not change frequently according to the seasonal fashion calendar, further emphasising its products’ lasting value. These factors are aligned with Hermès’s mysterious identity and supports its principle of creating products that endure, rather than simply seduce.
Conversely, Chanel’s communications strategy is driven by exposure to the masses and appealing to customer aspiration. In particular, its conspicuous and fast-changing campaigns arouse viewers to aspire towards the sophisticated lifestyles that its stylised models embody. Its audacious urban-inspired SS16 campaign, for example, feature
s vibrant clothing and cool-looking models who seem aloof due to sheer trendiness, and whose confident femininity reflects Chanel’s association with women’s liberation. This explains why the brand is renowned for featuring popular celebrities that e
mbody ambition and transcend conventional conceptions of woman- or manhood in campaigns. Kristen Stewart for instance, Chanel’s brand ambassador and campaign star, reflects the brand’s DNA through her boyish femininity, cool-girl appeal, and success as a young actress. Chanel, therefore, strategically appeals to target customers by communicating its own personality through those of well-known celebrities. By featuring celebrities, dramatic imagery, and audacious styling, Chanel’s communications strategy involves highlighting boldness to distance itself from consumers, whilst seducing them with aspiration.
The brands’ contrasting identities are also notable from the regularity and volume of their communications, offline and online. The seasonal changes of Chanel’s conspicuous campaigns, excluding those of non-seasonal items such as perfume, reflects its popular appeal. Hermès, instead, prefers to tease customers into discovering its world. It only advertises via select channels targeting affluent individuals such as Vogue or New York Magazine’s The Cut (Shea, 2013). Product-specific microsites promote certain accessories, it posts irregularly on public mediums such as Youtube, and uses its content-rich website to attract customers with graphics and videos of its products or heritage. Its communications strategy is therefore driven by precision instead of volume. Chanel, on the other hand, advertises worldwide across print, television, billboard, and digital channels. It relies on multiple channels to generate online traffic, unlike Hermès, which only uses a few. It communicates with fans and customers through its mobile app, social media accounts, core website and microsites including Inside Chanel, which describes the brand’s heritage. This strategy of aggressive communication through multiple channels appeals to the fans worldwide, in accordance with its brand DNA. Hermès’s more restrained strategy in deploying communications reflects its principles of refinement and minimalism.
The brands’ different approaches towards communications, which reflect their unique brand DNA, also applies to below the line activity. Hermès’s public relations activity is discreet in order to maintain an aura of elusiveness, unlike Chanel. For instance, although neither brand ‘follows’ others on social media, emphasising their exclusivity, Hermès only posts once or twice a month to promote events or news to its 25,000 Twitter followers. Conversely, Chanel regularly promotes new campaigns and products to its 12.1 million Twitter followers and 12.9 million Instagram followers. Indeed, although it publishes newsletters for members, Hermès does neither boasts a dedicated newsreel on its website nor a news microsite, like Chanel. Chanel News provides publically available information about collections, knowhow and campaigns, enabling journalists and fans to discover more (Chanel, 2016). Hermès is not inactive with regards to public relations, often sponsoring events related to its traditions, but its restraint in providing information publically highlights that its strategy involves preserving mystery to enhance its exclusiveness, instead of imposing communications that raise awareness on a large scale. Indeed, its media coverage is limited to select high-end publications such as The Financial Times’s How to Spend It magazine. Chanel’s coverage, meanwhile, is both ubiquitous and prevalent – its bridal beauty service in London was covered in publications ranging from The Telegraph newspaper to Elle UK (Young, 2014; Ross, 2014). Essentially, Hermès’s restrained provision of information reflects its strategy of scarcity and brand identity as a uniquely exclusive player in the luxury industry. In contrast, Chanel’s thorough communications and robust press coverage underscore its strategy of appearing accessible to increase demand.
The brands’ contrasting approaches to PR and advertising ultimately emphasise their differing business models. Although both generate revenue from high margins and brand equity, Hermès creates demand by limiting supply and Chanel does so by communicating desirability. As the latter offers a larger product range than Hermès, from cosmetics to haute couture, it must appeal to many types of customers with different purchasing power. Moreover, as a fashion business with pressure to produce many new items per season, it must raise more awareness on a regular basis to consistently create demand and maintain high price points, whilst supporting the costs of production. Both its above the line and below the line activities are therefore more frequent, ubiquitous and attention grabbing than that of Hermès. Unlike Chanel, it employs strategic subtlety in communications to reflect the products’ rarity and exceptionality, which justifies high price points.
Chanel and Hermès’s communications strategies are similar to the extent that they employ the same channels to disseminate information or engage with customers. They both use digital and non-digital communications to raise brand awareness. However, their key differences derive from contrasting approaches towards communications, namely their accessibility, precision and ubiquity. Staying true to its principle of scarcity, Hermès pursues a notably more restrained and targeted strategy. Its elusive and subtle communications accord with its brand identity, rooted in mystery and luxurious refinement that is only attainable by a few. This relates to its business model, which is driven by scarcity and extremely high margins. On the other hand, in accordance with its pursuit of cultural relevance and mass appeal to women in particular, Chanel executes a high-profile, high-volume communications strategy. Its audacious and conspicuous communications accord with female ambition and liberation, reflecting its brand DNA. Ultimately, the brands’ differences reflect the alignment of their business models with their respective DNA. Both stay true to their business strategies and target customers through the appropriate tone and approach, regardless of the channels they employ.
Luxuria 