How are social media changing communication for luxury brands, how can a brand be protected under the law, and who exactly is the luxury goods consumer?

These issues were discussed during the Polish Luxury Market Summit 2017 conference organized by ESSE Media.

Anna Szubrycht, owner of Chic Being, presenting global trends, noted that the perception of luxury is changing – it has begun to be thought of in terms of innovation and sustainability. Luxury has become more discreet, focused on craftsmanship and unique design.

Discreet communication

During a discussion panel devoted to luxury brands and social media, attention was drawn to the fact that brands in Poland still most readily communicate online through Facebook. - Facebook is treated as a separate sales channel – said Agata Zimniewicz, marketing manager at S'portofino. Wojciech Jeżowski, CEO and creative director of Black Rabbit, emphasized that social media are perfectly suited to showing a brand's value along with all the elements that make it up. - Even if the customer does not buy, they expect a dialogue – Jeżowski said.

According to the study "The Image of the Affluent Consumer in Poland" presented by LuxHub, a unit operating within the structure of Havas Media Group, consumers of luxury goods readily turn to the press, especially daily newspapers. Among the titles they choose most often are, in order: the dailies "Gazeta Wyborcza" and "Rzeczpospolita," the weekly "Newsweek Polska," the bimonthly "Kukbuk," and the monthly "Forbes Polska." These readers usually look in the press for articles and reportage on social and economic topics, industry-related subjects, and travel, and they also read interviews. Half of the respondents watch television every day (most often TVN and TVN 24) and YouTube. Irregularly (on average once a week), respondents watch thematic channels, including Discovery, Planete, Canal+, Canal+ Sport, Netflix, Kuchnia+. Among radio stations, they listen to Tok FM, RMF, and Radio Zet.

Luxury brands are still selling well

The study also shows that the role of social channels in the purchasing process for premium brands is growing. Already 57 percent of respondents seek advice from friends on Facebook before buying, and 33 percent share opinions about a product on social media. More than half of respondents indicated the brand's official website as the most important element of the purchasing process. (The study was conducted on a group of 800 people with incomes of at least PLN 7,000 net, as well as more than 40 interviews with people whose income is at least PLN 15,000).