Global Influencer #1 | Page 24

GROUP HIGHLIGHT CREATING LONG TERM LOYALTY THROUGH STORYTELLING As Plato once said, “those who tell stories rule the world.” A modern age of brands with a human rather than business sensibility, and a compelling story to tell, has arrived. Driven by consumers, this is how to achieve long-term engagement. A good story touches everything, from the colour and texture of packaging, to the psychology of consumption rituals, to brand discovery and activation. Luxury brands tell the story of their heritage: Luxury brands are experts in showcasing their craft and their heritage rather than the end-benefit of their products. LVMH opens up their brands to people through their ‘Special Days LVMH.’ This allows unprecedented access for people to immerse themselves in workshops, meet the masters of craft and learn about this secret world. Louis vuitton tells a story that meets their consumers desires: Louis Vuitton marries up consumer desire with their travel heritage. “The story of Louis Vuitton is linked to travel. “according to LVMH CEO, Bernard Arnault. “We created luggage for explorers, and during the 20th century our products gradually evolved to reflect the lifestyle of the customer.” Today, the Louis Vuitton customer seeks the new, the extraspecial and the bespoke, so the brand responds by creating sought-after and much-hyped limited edition bags, watches and accessories. They offer these new collaborations each season, in the spirit of their runway shows but also through beautiful collaborations which offers a new edit for loyal fans. Product renewal that lives the Brand DNA: 24 GLOBAL INFLUENCER Brands deepen the brand experience and bring the fantasy to life through their physical products. This reaffirms the story. Recently, Alber Elbaz of Lanvin teamed up with Lancôme to give their mascara a makeover in line with their new brand values; to celebrate femininity with a hint of audacity. Lancome believed that Alber Elbaz’s sense of contemporary luxury and femininity resonate’s perfectly with their story. The end result is a feminine shape product featuring whimsical doodles of red and black hearts. Consumption rituals and experience: This is a magic non-physical intensifier which adds a new dimension to the process of consuming a product. A ‘ritual’ is the act of doing something that might seem irrelevant to the act that follows, but actually enhances our enjoyment. This is nothing new to psychologists and anthropologists, but it is interesting to see how brands can leverage this game of human mind. Celebrating The Product Experience: Brands can play on the ceremony of product experience to tell their story in a tangible way. For example, Guerlain created a fragrance to match the elegance and eternity of a little black dress and capture the Parisian spirit, La Petite Robe Noire. The bottles are replicas of the classical vials of the house, with a dress print on. This unique and stylish design is one that has captured the consumers attention and is attractive to look at. The approach is even extented to the fragrance smell experience as it is presented on perfume testeur looking like a cloth label. SPARKLE DESIGN AGENCY IS OPENING ITS 4th OFFICE IN SINGAPORE January 2014, global branding, product & packaging agency has just opened a new office in Singapore reflecting Open D group’s global commitment and growth commitments to Asia. This move also demonstrates the rising awareness and importance placed upon brand performance by client businesses and organisations in Asia. In fact in Asia, Sparkle Design Agency has for years been in collaboration with major international brands to bolster their brand visibility and equity in the region. This move also demonstrates the rising awareness and importance placed upon brand performance by client businesses and organisations in Asia. In fact in Asia, Sparkle Design Agency has for years been in collaboration with major international brands to bolster their brand visibility and equity in the region. Since 2009, Sparkle Design Agency has created powerful Brand experiences for brands such as Diageo, L’Oreal, JTI, Heineken both in Asia and globally. “Sparkle Design Agency is fulfilling its strategic vision and commitment to serving clients in the region as a complementary offer to Retail Access” said Laurent Caucé, Open D Goup’s CEO. “Ismael Ibnoulouafi will lead Sparkle Design Agency SEA with a wealth of creative and strategic acumen. His extensive experience, in the region and strong leadership will help to continue develop and expand our footprint in SEA.” he added. Prior to joining Sparkle Asia, Ismael led operations in Paris, Moscow, Singapore as well as the global management of key accounts for The Brand Union Group and FutureBrand Singapore. He has participated and led many international projects including management and innovation for Group Bel, Masterfood, Coca Cola, Pernod Ricard group. Most recently he led the re-branding for Petronas group and crafted Malaysia Country Branding. Outlining his vision for Sparkle Design in Asia, Ismael Ibnoulouafi said: “Our experienced multicultural team has notched up many years’ experience in the region. We have the passion and energy to play a major role shaping Asia ambition”. Clients already gave their trust to Sparkle SEA GLOBAL INFLUENCER 25