top of page
Writer's pictureInsightTrendsWorld

Insight of the Day: Why ultra-luxury brands love prestige TV

Findings

  1. Increased Brand Visibility and Prestige:

    • Ultra-luxury brands, like Brunello Cucinelli and Loro Piana, align with prestige television to maintain an aura of exclusivity while resonating with aspirational consumers.

    • Campaigns featuring characters or actors from shows like Industry and Succession elevate the cultural status of the brands.

  2. Cultural Relevance:

    • TV shows like Succession and Industry create aspirational universes where ultra-luxury brands seamlessly integrate, appealing to viewers who admire the characters’ lifestyles.

    • This association positions brands as symbols of high status and refined taste.

  3. Targeting Younger Audiences:

    • Prestige TV’s core viewership overlaps with Gen Z and Millennials (ages 18-34), demographics that value entertainment, storytelling, and cultural resonance over traditional status symbols.

  4. Subtle Product Placement:

    • Brands rarely explicitly advertise their products but rely on “if you know, you know” marketing, where informed viewers recognize their items and associate them with elite circles.

  5. Psychological Impact:

    • Viewers identify with characters and seek to emulate their style, translating on-screen trends into real-life purchases, such as Kendall Roy’s Loro Piana hat or Industry’s Brunello Cucinelli capsule collection.

  6. Blending Fashion and Entertainment:

    • Partnerships between TV and ultra-luxury brands reflect a broader cultural trend of merging fashion, storytelling, and pop culture to create immersive brand experiences.

Key Takeaway

Ultra-luxury brands leverage prestige television to reinforce exclusivity, connect with aspirational audiences, and cultivate cultural relevance, enhancing both desirability and brand value.

Trend

Blurring Lines Between Luxury and Entertainment: High-end brands increasingly embed themselves into prestige TV to capture aspirational audiences and sustain exclusivity.

Consumer Motivation

  • Aspiration: Consumers want to emulate the refined, elite lifestyles depicted in shows like Succession and Industry.

  • Cultural Connection: Audiences seek to align their tastes with the exclusive world of high-brow television characters.

  • Identity Formation: Wearing or owning luxury items seen on TV signals belonging to a sophisticated, aspirational in-group.

What is Driving the Trend

  • Prestige TV offers a targeted platform with engaged, niche audiences.

  • Younger generations value storytelling and cultural context over overt advertising.

  • Fashion and entertainment are increasingly intertwined, reflecting blended consumer interests.

Who Are the People Referenced?

  • Prestige TV Audiences: Primarily Gen Z and Millennials aged 18-34, affluent or aspirational.

  • Luxury Consumers: Existing buyers and aspirational shoppers engaging with high-brow storytelling.

  • Brands: High-end fashion houses like Brunello Cucinelli, Loro Piana, and Jacques Marie Mage.

Description of Consumers

  • Products Referenced: Luxury clothing, accessories (e.g., sunglasses, hats), and exclusive capsule collections.

  • Age: Young audiences (18-34) who are affluent, culturally savvy, or aspirational.

Conclusions

  • Prestige TV provides a unique marketing channel for ultra-luxury brands to reach culturally engaged audiences without compromising exclusivity.

  • Subtle product placement reinforces the brand’s mystique and aspirational appeal.

Implications

For Brands

  1. Cultural Relevance:

    • Associating with shows like Succession or Industry positions brands as part of an elite, aspirational lifestyle.

  2. Authentic Integration:

    • Subtle placements, rather than overt advertisements, align with the exclusivity of luxury.

  3. Targeting Younger Demographics:

    • Prestige TV offers a direct line to younger audiences who value immersive and aspirational storytelling.

For Society

  • Reinforces aspirational consumption tied to cultural identity.

  • Reflects a growing influence of entertainment in shaping consumer behavior.

For Consumers

  • Offers a new avenue for discovering luxury brands through storytelling.

  • Strengthens the connection between personal identity and aspirational lifestyles.

Implications for the Future

The collaboration between ultra-luxury brands and prestige TV is set to grow, as storytelling and cultural immersion become increasingly important in driving brand desirability and audience engagement.

Consumer Trend

Entertainment-Driven Aspirational Marketing: Consumers are drawn to luxury brands embedded in culturally significant entertainment.

Consumer Sub-Trend

If You Know, You Know Branding: Subtle, insider-focused product placements appeal to informed, status-conscious audiences.

Big Social Trend

Blending of High Culture and Pop Culture: Luxury brands leverage cultural moments in entertainment to sustain exclusivity and relevance.

Local Trend

  • Increased collaborations between fashion brands and regionally popular shows to target specific markets.

Worldwide Social Trend

Cultural Immersion in Luxury Marketing: Global brands integrate into entertainment to create universal aspirational appeal.

Name of Big Trend

Cultural Marketing Through Prestige TV

Name of Big Social Trend

Aspirational Identity Through Entertainment

Social Drive

  • Desire for cultural sophistication and alignment with aspirational lifestyles.

  • Influence of prestige storytelling in shaping purchasing behaviors.

Learnings for Brands in 2025

  1. Strategic Placement: Collaborate with high-brow entertainment that aligns with brand values.

  2. Story-Driven Marketing: Use storytelling to deepen audience engagement.

  3. Subtle Branding: Avoid overt advertising to maintain exclusivity.

Strategy Recommendations for 2025

  1. Target Prestige TV Audiences: Partner with shows like Succession to engage aspirational consumers.

  2. Create Capsule Collections: Offer exclusive collaborations tied to characters or themes.

  3. Leverage Storytelling: Use narratives that resonate with the cultural and emotional aspirations of target audiences.

  4. Maintain Exclusivity: Emphasize insider appeal with subtle product placements.

Final Sentence (Key Concept)

Ultra-luxury brands thrive in the prestige TV space by blending cultural storytelling with aspirational marketing, reinforcing exclusivity and desirability for younger, affluent audiences.

What Brands Should Do in 2025

  • Action: Partner with high-brow television to embed luxury into cultural storytelling.

  • How to Do It:

    • Curate subtle product placements that resonate with aspirational characters.

    • Collaborate on exclusive, narrative-driven capsule collections.

    • Use prestige TV’s niche audiences to create culturally significant marketing campaigns.

Comments


bottom of page