Redefining Luxury

Where digital meets travel + lifestyle … A collection of can’t-miss news from this week. Sign up to get the TURNER Weekly Download in your inbox every Friday.

Redefining Luxury

What does it mean to be a luxury brand in 2018? The definition is increasingly personal, according to Fortune. “What luxury means to me is different than what luxury means to you,” said Mercedes Abramo, president and CEO of Cartier North America. “It’s a word that encompasses personalization, authenticity, and emotion. But it’s all about how you interpret it yourself.” Ultimately, personalization is key. Luxury consumers – especially millennials – are in search of “ultra-personalized experiences that bring them self-actualization and personal fulfillment.” In other words, luxury brands have their work cut out for them.  

Influencer Growing Pains

Influencers are grabbing a fair portion of travel brands’ budgets these days. But that age-old question is still rearing its head. Are they worth the investment? Skift has gathered up some of the key issues facing the influencer industry as it evolves. A success story comes from Visit California, which develops ongoing relationships with its influencers. “Both influencers and brands benefit from long-term partnerships rather than one-off programs,” said VC’s Caroline Beteta. What’s more, Beteta says that follower count is not the primary deciding factor. They also consider engagement, quality, and how an influencer aligns with the brand.

Check-In(stagram)

No matter how you feel about travel influencers, it’s about to get a lot easier to follow in their footsteps. SIX Travel has introduced a new feature that lets you book hotels via Instagram Stories. “There’s a lot of discovery happening on Instagram and on social and historically people discover something on Instagram, then search and metasearch and 18 browser taps later, they find what they’re looking for,” Khalid Meniri, co-founder and CEO of SIX Travel, told TravelPulse. “We designed SIX Travel to enable people to book the world's most stylish hotels during their moments of discovery – directly from Instagram Stories with a simple swipe up.”  

Looking Into The 2019 Crystal Ball

What else is cooking with Instagram? Later has collected five Instagram marketing trends they think we’ll be seeing in 2019. Vertical video – once a no-no – is going to take over. Augmented reality filters will continue to grow in popularity. And, even though some have thought the “Instagram Museum” trend has peaked, expect to see even more of these types of pop-up events. “Think about it like word of mouth, but on Instagram,” writes Taylor Loren. “When a customer is at your event or in your store, and you have created an Instagram-worthy moment, they’ll be happy and excited to snap a photo and share it to their Instagram feeds. They can then tag your brand in the photo, caption, and location, and inspire their followers to visit your business!

Weekly Moment of Zen

Discover Kalsarikänni, the Finnish key to happiness. It’s basically getting drunk in your underwear.