With the advent of digital revolution the whole dynamics of marketing seems to have undergone a change. Now it is possible to communicate, connect and engage with your audience wherever they might be. What started out as a trend has transformed into a marketing powerhouse that needs research, has to be customized and then intelligently executed. The good part – insightful luxury brands realize its importance and the not so good part- some of them are still underutilizing its full potential.

The biggest misconception that most luxury brands tend to make is in equating their presence online to being digital savvy. You would think that leveraging various tools like social media channels where you share pictures/information, email marketing once in a while, branded you tube videos and getting popular bloggers to do a post on you is enough. In fact it is just the beginning, for the simple reason that with luxury brands it becomes all the more crucial to strive towards creating futuristic campaigns which are innovative, significant and inspirational.

If you are still not convinced then how is this for inspiration-according to a survey, conducted by the Luxury Interactive conference’s research team over three-quarters (78 per cent) of digital marketers for luxury brands increased their spend on social media for 2012, with 73 per cent saying that they plan to increase it again for 2013.

Some of the Luxury Fashion Brands spearheading this revolution with panache includes veterans Like Gucci, Coach and Ralph Lauren to name a few. Time and again acknowledged for their brilliant campaigns is French label Louis Vuitton who had in the past created buzz for its upcoming Shanghai fashion show via an all-digital initiative that follows a photographer from the brands base in Paris to the shows set. Another widely appreciated campaign was Burberry Art of the Trench, labeled as one of the early adopter of social media the peak of Burberry social media use was seen last September with the unveiling of its 2012 collection on Twitter and Instagram right before it hit the runway.

Keeping up with the technology savvy individual and gaining prominence are also campaign-specific app which allows luxury marketers to add additional visuals and interactivity via the mobile channel. So whether it was luxury footwear brand Todays showcasing its Italian roots through Italian Portraits a photography specific app or Tiffany & Co. Engagement Ring Finder, an app which helps people find the ring that suits them best by browsing styles and learning about Tiffany diamonds digital marketing is the present and the future!

Hence it is advised to all luxury brands to galvanize all their efforts and proceed full speed ahead but with a hint of caution. Just because one luxury brand is successful in utilizing a particular digital approach does not mean another luxury brand should follow the same strategy. Luxury brands must be careful not to embrace a particular platform just because it has achieved success or is considered the next top trend. Only those platforms that are in tandem directly with a brands core or customer need can succeed without diluting the brand itself.