C É L I N E p r o m o t i o n a l s t r a t e g y

It is no secret that the luxury fashion house, Céline has

produced incomparable results for the previous financial years.

These results could be attributed to many factors but overall, Céline has a loyal following gained by the clothes and

branding.

Céline’s most valued message is ‘less is always more’. A message

that is very evident within their promotional strategy. With no

Facebook, twitter or Instagram, Céline’s strategy taps into

the private, more reserved consumer by relying on the

brand aesthetics and element of surprise to conquer the attention

of the media and therefore, the customer. This technique

is refreshing in today’s culture of bombarded consumers with advertising, which reflected in

Céline’s sales.

b r a n d i m a g e r yFor Céline, brand image is paramount. Maintaining a low profile on social media, means companies like Céline have to make brand personality at the forefront of their promotional strategy. Having a relatable and strong brand image has created a loyal following for Céline.

Another element to Céline’s success is the Creative Director, Phoebe Philo. Philo said in an interview with British Vogue after taking up the role “I felt it was time for a more back-to-reality approach to fashion, clothes that are beautiful, strong and have ideas, but with real life driving them.” As well as her vision for the brand, Phoebe was a well-known figure within the fashion industry already, which added to the following she gained from moving to Céline.

Ukrainian born, Daria, acts as a double to creative director, Phoebe Philo which adds an err of mystery to the campaign.

Whilst the campaign targets the ideal consumer, special attention was directed

at accessories like necklaces in bags.

Everything that consumes Céline’s brand imagery or identity is carefully planned

and coherent which explains the detail on leather goods as Céline profit highly off

their shapely leather goods. This particular campaign has more colour than the

average Céline campaign.

Céline’s 2015 campaign starring Daria Werbowy, fresh faced, in structured

garments really encapsulates Céline as a whole. Model Daria, is known for minimalist and androgynous shoots but Céline adds a

structured and feminine flair.

r e s o r t s s / / 1 5 c a m p a i g n

C o u n t e r f e i t

Whilst Céline is regarded as one of the biggest luxury brands in the world alongside Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and Fendi there are still a number of competitors and other issues threatening The Céline brand.Firstly, Céline is one of the largest super brands to have its goods copied across different market levels. For example, the Mini Luggage Handbag retailing at £2,150 is one of the most copied handbags in the world. From value retailers to high-end retailers, everyone was copying the shape and flairs of the bag and became a massive trend of 2013, which meant Céline lost a lot of money. For those consumers that wanted the designer but could not afford it, many Céline bags were copyrighted as well. These counterfeit goods are still available online today. As Céline, solely uses their brand imagery and products to sell rather than advertising and promotion, being counterfeited is a huge problem for Céline.

In the Luxury market, many people invest money into designer goods like bags, sunglasses; scarves, etc. because the brand label is clear for everyone to see. The most recent collection of Céline bags do not boast the expensive brand logo, sometimes the logo is displayed very small or does not appear on the bag at all. This strategy is quite risky, as many consumers will not pay £2,000 for a bag that is not clearly designer. However, Céline is a very calculated brand and are very aware of this. Their target market does not include the brand-focused individual that enjoys showing off new expensive goods. Céline’s niche market group is the fashion and comfort focused person that enjoys good quality and is willing to spend more to get it.

For most other retailers, having no social media would be the demise of the brand but due to Céline’s reserved target market the lack of promotion for social medias makes sense. However, are they missing a lot of profit by not exploring other markets? Some of the biggest brands in the luxury market are making the best profit of small, branded items like purses, keyrings, sunglasses, etc. The customers purchasing these types of goods are brand focused and want to own something designer. These type of consumers make a lot of money for luxury market giants like Louis Vuitton and Hermes. In addition, these consumers are likely to be swayed into purchasing by social media. So could Céline be missing a very lucrative consumer?

S o c i a l M e d i a

In general, Céline’s business plan is very outmoded, which begs the question of sustainability. Céline are currently

appealing to a slightly older market and one of Céline’s biggest threats is the

current customers will pass on and the brand will not be suitable for the new

age, affluent shopper. The generation growing up now that could potentially

purchase at Céline later are using social media and seeking retailers other

promotional strategies so they are not necessarily connecting with Céline. S u s t a i n a b i l i t y

F u t u r e S t r a t e g y / / P h o e b e P h i l o

When thinking about Céline’s future strategy, one must analyse how profitable their previous strategy has been. Céline has over €172.2 million in revenue, which increased dramatically from 2008 when Phoebe Philo was designated as Creative Director. Before Phoebe

took over from many famous designer like; Michael Kors, Italian designer and Croatian designer Ivana Omazic,

Philo turned Céline around which makes her triumph with the brand very important to analyze. What did previous

designers do that failed? What did Phoebe do different?

I n t e r a c t i v e W e b s i t eCéline is still one of the few luxury retailers that refuse to

sell online. In Céline, they want customers to test the products

by seeing them in the flesh, feeling the material and also trying the garment on, which

in the luxury market is very important as you’re spending a lot of money. For Céline to

grow and develop in this area they might consider making their

preview of the clothes on the website more appealing which

would increase their footfall. Currently, Céline preview their

ready to wear in ‘looks’ instead of per garment, which could

be confusing to the consumer. Their no e-commerce strategy

has been working because with luxury brands it is the footfall,

which generates majority sells so in order to produce interest

into their products for them to go into store and buy, the website

preview of the products must be clear and interactive. For

Céline to progress and achieve this, a zoom feature ought to be added, as well as more pictures

of the garment on its own. To show the movement of the

garment Céline is they may also consider showing a clip of the garment on the model on the

runway.

I n s t o r e E x p e r i e n c e

The future of Céline truly rests on their annual footfall because with no e-commerce and limited stockists, majority, if not all sales are generated in store. Therefore, the instore experience has to be perfect and give the customer real clarity on their purchase. We are seeing VIP booking days in luxury brand stores where the customer or a group of customers book a day in store to explore new collections before others. Normally, champagne is served, and the customers can try things on and show their friends with maximum privacy. This is quite good for Céline as their target consumer is quite private with a lot of disposable income to spend on a VIP day.

Overall, Céline is currently working at €172.2 mil l ion revenue and whilst their business model is not to

promote to everyone it has not stopped them from achieving

great success especially in terms of sales. As mentioned

previously, Céline is a very calculated brand with a very

strong focus on their customer and puts their desires at the

forefront of Céline’s strategies.

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R e f e r e n c e s

R e f e r e n c e s

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