Are social media still useful for luxury?

For the past two days, the buzz has been global. Italian brand Bottega Veneta has deleted its Instagram, Facebook and Twitter accounts. An amazing strategy for a brand that has been reborn for some time, thanks to the new impetus led by its designer Daniel Lee. So why did they do it? Is it a real move? Or just a way to get the brand in the news?

Daniel Lee never had an Instagram account, and never really advocated the strategic priority of social networks to increase brand awareness. However, it was indeed on digital that the spring-summer 2021 collection was revealed. But Daniel Lee isn't one of those who appreciate flashy luxury, and who speaks loudly. His values look rather on the side of a discreet luxury, of extreme craftsmanship, a luxury that speaks for itself.

This does not prevent the brand from living on unofficial, but no less-followed Instagram accounts. In fact, it is on the account created by Laura Rossi @NewBottega that the brand found glamour and attractiveness with a demanding public. And it should also be noted that the brand has not deleted its accounts on Chinese social media. A strategy obviously driven by the desire not to lose contact with Chinese customers, since they should represent 50% of luxury customers by 2025.

Would rediscovering the "classic" codes of luxury be a first consequence of the difficult months of the pandemic we are living through? A discreet, secret, mysterious, exclusive luxury, far from digital overexposure and overconsumption of information? Or is it a fundamental trend, as already mentioned in a previous article, towards a luxury advocating deconsumption, frugality, sustainability, ethics?

If the reasons for the brand's withdrawal from social networks are not yet clear, Bottega Veneta shines in its absence. And it's a success.