The luxury industry certainly had a busy week, and the craziness is not stopping in the near future.
Super Bowl XLVII broadcast on Sunday night, bringing together people of all ages to check out the new commercials for automakers, consumer packaged goods and food and beverages (and to watch football). Luxury car brands including Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Lincoln and BMW. Not too surprisingly, other luxury marketers did not include spots in the Super Bowl broadcast.
Meanwhile, luxury game-changers in different industries have seen change-ups in top executives this week. Four Seasons announced earlier this week that Kathleen Taylor has stepped down, and the company is currently searching for her replacement. Meanwhile, Orient-Express named Ralph Aruzza as its new chief sales and marketing officer. Lastly, Burberry announced this week that it recently added John Smith as its new chief operating officer as well as Carl Fairweather as chief financial officer.
It was also a big week for Starwood Capital, which launched two new luxury brands: Baccarat Hotels & Resorts and 1 Hotels & Resorts. The two brands will open five new hotels in New York, Morocco and Palm Beach over the next 24 months. Baccarat Hotels will be focused on the luxury lifestyle associated with its namesake crystal brand while 1 Hotel is trailblazing eco-friendly amenities and hotel design.
New York Fashion Week kicked off mid-week, resulting flurry of photographers – both professional and amateur – taking pictures of models – both professional and undoubtedly amateur – on the streets and on the runways who came to check out the shows from top designers. In addition, celebrities, fans and the fashion industry elite will be posting pictures, comments and trend sightings for next year’s collections. Those already shown include Donna Karan New York, Raleigh and Gilded Age. Along those lines, there is a rumor circulating that the CFDA is plotting a Men’s Fashion Week – stay tuned for upcoming details.
Finally, another big change was the United States Postal Service’s decision to discontinue mail service on Saturdays. This decision, which was long-debated, could hinder luxury brand marketing in one of its oldest forms of customer contact. However, most experts do not think that this will much change the course of luxury advertising, given the power of social media, mobile and other digital channels.