Marketing ads: Louis Vuitton

Thèmes abordés

Gorbachev, Louis Vuitton, 1854, LVMH, Bernard Arnault, sac à main, maroquinerie, Publicité, Channel, Dior, Yves-Saint-Laurent, Marc Jacobs

Résumé du document

Louis Vuitton, one of the most famous fashion houses in the world, and is an holding of the LVMH group and was founded by Louis Vuitton himself in 1854. The brand is well-known thanks to its luggage and its accessory. Louis Vuitton tries to promote its products through imaginative advertisements, which sometime are quite controversial.

This essay will deal with one of the most controversial ads of the brand, which was published in December 2007 in the French newspaper Le Monde. Firstly, this essay will provide a description, secondly an analysis of this ad, and finally it will compare it with a foreign advertisement environment.

Description: Louis Vuitton is well known for its advertisements, which often involves famous celebrities from the whole world. In of them Louis Vuitton promotes its products with the collaboration of Mikhail Gorbachev, the ex-leader of the Soviet Union. Firstly it is useful to recall who is Gorbachev, what he has done and also a quick historical background to understand this advertisement.

Extraits

[...] Gorbachev, Show off this bag http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/08/business/media/08adco.html?fta=y (Accessed on 27 February 2011) Mikhail Gorbachev does Louis Vuitton http://www.cafebabel.co.uk/article/23044/mikhail-gorbachev-does-louis- vuitton.html (Accessed on 27 February 2011) http://www.louisvuittonjourneys.com/seanconnery/ (Accessed on 27 February 2011) Biography for Mikhail Gorbatchev http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0329784/bio (Accessed on 1 March 2011) The Berlin Wall History. http://www.dailysoft.com/berlinwall/history/fall-of-berlinwall.html (Accessed on 1 March 2011) Book : Pringle, H Celebrity sells, Chichester, England. The advertisement : http://bloc-mode.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/gorbatchev.png Biography for Mikhail Gorbatchev http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0329784/bio Biography for Mikhail Gorbatchev http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0329784/bio The Berlin Wall History. [...]

[...] Moreover, it should be clear that this ad is full of ironical symbol. First of all, Gorbachev embodies the USSR; the birthplace of the Communist ideology while Louis Vuitton embodies the luxury, the wealth and the Capitalism ideology. Furthermore in the old Soviet Union, it was difficult to get good quality product, so one may assumed that this picture shows the victory of the capitalism, insomuch that even Communist icon dreams to get luxury products. III Comparison Nevertheless, mention should be made of the fact that this kind of advertisement could be controversial in some countries. [...]

[...] The country has a communist political system and refuses to admit the victory of the capitalism and by the way of the USA. This ad is raising another interesting issue of using this celebrity in this advertisement. One may assumed that this ad might have shocked some people, especially German people who has lived during this time. The 40's, 50's, 60's generations could not have accepted the fact to bring together the USSR and the Germany to promote a luxury product. [...]

[...] The second one means how famous is the celebrity? Gorbachev is famous as he is a politician whereas usually brands prefer to employ showbiz celebrity such as George Clooney. It is a risky decision, however by employing politician and by the way caricaturing him, the brand gets what it expects, the attention. The third one means which facets of this high-profile celebrity can best work for the brand profile? Judging by what Gorbachev has done and his many awards, Louis Vuitton has obviously chosen the right person, who embodies the peace and the hope. [...]

[...] According to Pringle, who founded the 4 Fs theory, the more intimate the relationship between the brand and the celebrity chosen to be, the more likely it is to be effective in the marketplace.” (Pringle p.108). Louis Vuitton has to choose the right celebrity to promote its product and fit in with its image. As a result, the brand may make its choice according to four key points: fit, fame, facets, and finance. The first one means how well does the celebrity fit in with the brand? [...]