Results and Effectiveness

The FRONT PAGE news coverage of the official opening in an `above-the-fold’ position, ensured an immediate national connection to the prominence of this brand. This was accompanied by a picture of the uber glamorous Cate Blanchett with top Louis Vuitton management and the LV Island Maison featured prominently in the background, cemented this event firmly in the public consciousness of our local readers. The event’s PR coverage was 1,000 pages, almost twice the amount of coverage compared to other Maisons' opening globally. There was also a spike in the search volume for the brand during the opening month, Sept 2011.

Creative Execution

With the luxury market becoming more mass, these new visual and brand experiences are affirmations that Louis Vuitton remains THE brand. To solidify this statement, we needed a media partner with an equally established and iconic stature. Reach and awareness were also top priorities. The execution has to convey the physicality and profile of the new store and its lasting change on the Singapore skyline. As the widest read national daily with more than 160 years history, The Straits Times is the natural choice. On 18 Sept 2011, the two icons were brought together with a special pouch execution in The Sunday Times. Readers interacted directly with the pouch and upon removing the newspaper, was presented with an impactful night shot of a beautifully lit up Louis Vuitton Island Maison, with its unmistakable iconic logo. This national distribution of the special pouch was a first for a luxury brand.

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

Louis Vuitton has been in Singapore since 1979 and in September 2011, it was to open its fifth store - a floating boutique, at the new Marina Bay Sands integrated resort. The four-storey Louis Vuitton ‘Island Maison’ (or ‘House’) was a first in Singapore and in Southeast Asia. The Maison is designed to provide a unique and sophisticated retail experience as it incorporated art and cultural elements in its retail space. Its high profile physical location at the Marina Bay Sands integrated resort, naturally accorded it an iconic prominence in the public consciousness. Our target audience has a long-standing relationship with the brand but given overexposure to the large number of new luxe store openings in the past (Source:http://www.reuters.com/article/2009/09/11/us-singapore-luxury idUSTRE58A1Q620090911), will need something extraordinary to re-invigorate the relationship and bring it to a new level. This new Louis Vuitton Maison opening had the perfect combination of elements to do so.