NMA Peer Index Top 100

OK pop – pickers. Guess who’s made it into the charts this week in  NMA Peer Index Top 100. Yep, I’ve sneaked in through the back door and now find myself perched rather precariously at the bottom of the league in 100th place!

I guess it’s nice to know this blog and tweets isn’t falling enirely on deaf ears but at the same time I’m not sure there’s much kudos coming last!  In some ways it feels a bit like competing against Ursain Bolt only to find he’s crossed the finishing line and jumped in the shower before you’ve even got off the starting blocks. But hey, I’m not complaining.  I’m not sure I like the idea of sharing a shower with Bolt anyway.

Is social media just for chavs?

I was invited to present at the IAB Luxury Forum last week to talk about social media within the luxury sector.  There was a very interesting mix of speakers including:

• the Deputy MD of Grazia (topline view of key digital insights within luxury sector)
• the Head of Research & Insight at Microsoft Advertising (qualitative research on digital consumption in luxury sector)
• the Founder of Howto.TV (how luxury brands are using video on demand)
• the Head of Digital Planning and the Creative Director from Imagination (digital event case study for Christie’s Auction)
• the MD from Maximiser (website optimisation tips).

If you’re interested in reading their presentations you can access them all here.

My presentation was initially billed as “Practical social media tips within the luxury sector” but that was until I found out I had the graveyard slot as the last presenter!

Whilst deliberately tongue-in-cheek  I was also trying to make a serious point  – is social media marketing a viable means of engaging affluent, aspirational audiences or is it more suited to mainstream brands who tend to cater for the masses?

This presentation puts forward the case that the luxury sector cannot afford to ignore social media, particularly when one considers how fast the social web is evolving. Yet at the same time, if Gartner is to believed, there’s a very high chance their social media campaigns will fail.   I therefore outline some key strategic considerations to help improve the chances of success, backed up with two practical social media examples from my client Infiniti Europe to bring this strategic approach to life.

If you work within the luxury sector – or any sector for that matter – I invite you to read this as there may be some useful nuggets for you to take away and apply.