Nicola Lavelle, Director of Digital Marketing, Communications and E-Commerce – MEISA at Guerlain.Being a luxury house in the Middle East is so much more than being a brand name steeped in years of exclusive craftsmanship.
Consumers in the region crave personalisation; they crave brands that communicate with them in ways that make them feel seen and, more importantly, understood.
While the significance of a luxury brand name can support its marketing strategies and anchor seasonal campaigns, consistent emotional resonance that builds brand love and loyalty requires much more.
Nicola Lavelle, Director of Digital Marketing, Communications and E-Commerce – MEISA at Guerlain, speaks to Campaign Middle East about all this and more, describing how luxury marketers can shape their strategies to build longstanding brand desirability among consumers in the region.
“A brand name is not simply a logo or a label; it’s the spark that ignites emotion and, hopefully, creates a lasting connection,” she says. “It is set apart by the unique brand codes that become micro-signatures, such as visual cues and language used.”
According to her, Middle East consumers strongly resonate with and respond to luxury houses that blend heritage with local nuances of the markets they operate in.
Lavelle says, “These tiny details make the communication around a brand feel intentional and unforgettable. The most desirable brands draw from their past to shape the future, creating something timeless yet relevant.”
Making luxury relevant to Middle East buyers
While consumers in the Middle East have come to embrace luxury brands, the concept of ‘luxury’ in itself fails to lead them through the full funnel of marketing, unless people resonate closely with brands within this landscape.
“In the Middle East, representation is crucial to build lasting brand resonance,” Lavelle says.
Clearly, aspiration and global status symbols don’t make the marketing cut any more. If consumers can’t see themselves – their identity and values – represented in the brands they feel drawn to, even exclusive ownership fails to lift purchase intent.
“Luxury consumers in the region are highly versed in the world of luxury and want to see themselves reflected in the brands they engage with.” Lavelle says. “Featuring local faces, voices and stories in well-thought-through communication creates authenticity and trust.”
A recent Savills report echoes these sentiments emphasising the need for brands to evolve their strategies, not just in terms of store and brand experience, but also through a laser focus on localised brand concepts to enhance customer engagement.
Follow the first-party data
Middle East consumers also place a high value on family legacy and generational storytelling. So, brands that embrace these values – and do so consistently – tend to come across as more meaningful.
To achieve this, brands must use data to personalise and tailor their messaging without being intrusive or raising privacy concerns.
Lavelle says, “Aim to celebrate the viewer, making them feel valued through curated experiences. The messaging has to come from the heart.”
However, instead of merely translating global messages in a local context or stretching creative output to a point of irrelevance, it has now become essential to use local and regional data-led insights to inform marketing strategies.
Lavelle suggests improving customer relationship management (CRM) strategies in ways that make marketing feel personal.
She says, “A CRM strategy should focus on the heart of viewer design and meaningful moments that feel personal. In the same vein, performance marketing data should be carefully analysed to pinpoint relevance.”
Rather than starting with a brand narrative and then finding a way to stitch that narrative to specific audiences, Lavelle advises luxury marketers to place consumer behaviour, preferences and audience analytics at the forefront of their planning.
Used contextually, data can not only reveal who consumers are, but also open avenues for brands to connect with consumers memorably.
“It’s about understanding behaviours first, then curating campaigns and messaging in a natural and beautiful way, that will be remembered,” she concludes.
