LVMH diversifies into cinema and audiovisual media

LVMH is enriching its empire with a strategic innovation. The group has just completed a project it has been working on for several months: creating a division dedicated to entertainment. Entertainment will be the keyword for 22 Montaigne, launched in partnership with Superconnector Studios.

This initiative marks a bold step for LVMH in the entertainment field, aiming to rival Kering, which, via the holding company Artemis, took control of CAA, one of the most prominent artist agencies based in Hollywood, in September 2023.

In this quest for soft power, LVMH wanted to strengthen its presence in the film and audiovisual world to fuel the storytelling around its brands and control their image more autonomously and globally. Documentaries, movies, series, biopics: the production field is vast for LVMH, which is already attracting the attention of major distribution platforms such as Amazon Prime and Netflix. In concrete terms, the mission of this new division is to forge strategic partnerships with production companies, directors, and film and series financing and distribution entities. These partnerships aim to use audiovisual productions to highlight the work of excellent artisans, revisit the history of the houses, and integrate these elements into the heart of LVMH's strategy to strengthen and amplify its influence and appeal on the international stage.

LVMH has around 5,000 shops in 80 countries with over 175,000 employees. Its policy has always been to acquire brands rather than create them to create effective synergies between them. A reinterpretation of its history generally accompanies the integration of a house into the LVMH empire and that of its founder, all closely linked to the concept of 'nation branding' and the essence of French luxury. This approach, aimed at associating brands with the excellence of French luxury, began in 2015 with the appointment of Delphine Arnault as image adviser to Brigitte Macron.

Then there was the collaboration with the series "Emily in Paris" produced by Netflix, in which several characters wore clothes from LVMH houses, without any direct commercial partnership between the group and Netflix. The visibility offered by the series was beneficial for the group. The value of the various collaborations is estimated at between €350,000 and €1 million. According to Launchmetrics data, the second season of the "Emily in Paris" series, broadcast in 190 countries, generated $96 million in media impact. This figure is higher than some Fashion Weeks (which generated between 50 and 60 million dollars). The collaboration with "Emily in Paris" has, therefore, been highly profitable for the image of LVMH brands, which was a decisive factor in Bernard Arnault's group's decision to bet on the new 22 Montaigne Entertainment division.