Michelin-star restaurants' quiet luxury approach to marketing has to adapt in the era of social media

"Chanel, Christian Louboutin and Hermès are names that are synonymous with luxury, signifying elegance, craftmanship and prestige. These brands often use subtle, mysterious signals to communicate their status - things like minimalist designs or the red sole on a Louboutin shoe. Often termed "quiet luxury", this trend is also seen in the world of high-end dining. This approach to luxury branding is aimed at creating a desire in consumers to learn these signals."

"But social media has challenged this concept of quiet luxury by bringing brands closer to consumers. More than four billion people around the world use social media, so brands that once felt difficult to reach can now be accessed instantly. When it comes to the services and hospitality sectors, the "luxury" is embedded in an experience rather than a product."

"For these high-end dining establishments, social media has raised a different set of challenges for marketers trying to capture the magic of their offering while preserving some mystique. After all, giving too much detail away in a social media post may spoil the eventual experience for the consumer. For example, the (now closed) Ultraviolet Shanghai restaurant in China boasted three Michelin stars. But its secret location was disclosed only to diners who reserved one of the ten seats available per night."

Luxury brands like Chanel, Christian Louboutin and Hermès use subtle visual signals to convey elegance, craftsmanship and prestige. Quiet luxury creates desirability by encouraging consumers to learn and interpret exclusive signals. Social media, with over four billion users, has eroded distance between these brands and consumers by enabling instant access. In hospitality, luxury is embedded in experience rather than product, exemplified by recent Michelin Awards in Dublin adding two new Michelin-star restaurants in Ireland and 20 in the UK. High-end dining marketers must balance visibility and engagement with preserving mystique to avoid spoiling experiences. A study interviewed chefs, owners and marketing managers of 29 Michelin-star restaurants about sustaining presence on social media.

Read at The Conversation