Creating video content for luxury brands: a how-to guide

Why video marketing?

Video is the number one content shown across all social platforms, with the popularity of Instagram Reels and TikTok soaring over the past five years. As these platforms are widely popular among younger generations, video content helps brands reach youth audiences. As a collision of moving images, animations and audio, video content offers a unique opportunity to engage, tell more complex stories, build trust and leave a lasting impression to be shared. 2021 Hubspot research revealed 87% of video marketers reported a positive ROI from their video marketing campaigns.

One additional benefit of video content is its versatility. Luxury brands can broadcast video on social platforms as well as traditional media. Motion pictures can be shown on screens the size of a pocket and billboards on the side of a skyscraper.

As a marketer, you can use the video for brand introductions, advertising, behind-the-scenes, event recaps and interviews. Social media channels such as Instagram Live allow live video to be broadcast, enabling real-time communication.

The fundamentals of video creation

When producing video content for a luxury brand, it pays to base the creative process on the fundamentals of luxury marketing.

Video content for luxury brands must be packed with meaning, telling a story in an aspirational way. Each frame must be thoughtfully considered. When running longer marketing campaigns, consistency is key: keeping a unified style and message across all platforms solidifies a brand’s recognition.

When scriptwriting, shooting, editing and publishing video content, it is not necessary to show every single message right away; slow reveals over time can be enticing and add some elegant suspense to maintain engagement.

In today’s social media landscape, influencer marketing plays a big role for luxury brands. While influencers have their place in creating video content, therein lies a risk of losing the brand’s distinctiveness. Luxury brands could water down their own brand signature if relying too heavily on generic influencer-based content. As a rule, a brand should think quality over quantity, especially if its assets are very unique. Influencers should therefore collaborate closely with the in-house creative team.

Getting technical – and minimalistic

When creating video content for a luxury brand, the principle of ‘less is more’ applies, taking a minimalistic approach across all assets, visual and auditory. Adding negative space, for example, can enhance the sense of spaciousness alongside only slight movement and longer cuts.

While intense viral sounds and pop music rule the soundscape of social media platforms, silence and calm give video content for a luxury brand an opportunity to stand out. Of course, there is also room for more vigorous song choices. For example, on Instagram Reels, leading luxury brands explore a variety of soundscapes, ranging from iconic classical music to deep techno beats.

Add copy strategically, using a high-contrast, stylish typeface – serif or sans serif. Details and aesthetic patterns also help underpin the brand visual in luxury videos. Simple color choices and black and white are preferred to give your luxury video content the final touch.

All hail simplicity

As much as simplicity is an integral part of creating video content for a luxury brand, it is worth noting that the general tendency on platforms such as Instagram Reels and TikTok is often the opposite: on these channels, intense colors and music, fast transitions and flashy visuals make up much of the trending content.

While the goal of a luxury brand is not to go with the mainstream nor to sell to the masses, there are elements in the liveliness of the contemporary viral trends that can enrich the quality of a brand’s content.

As a consequence, luxury brands across the globe are now facing a strategic question regarding the style of their videos: how to find an equilibrium between the current social media landscape filled with flashy visuals and trending sounds, yet staying true to the brand’s foundations and the minimalistic fundamentals of luxury.

To resolve the dilemma, one possibility for your luxury brand is to try the following: observe viral mainstream trends, and really get to the core of understanding why a certain video concept is gaining popularity on the platform within its audience. Then, with your brand identity, alluring storytelling and high-quality production capabilities, turn these trends into something more exclusive and luxurious. With your innovativeness, you shouldn’t need to be a follower – let your luxury brand become the trendsetter.

Contact Relevance’s team of specialists for advice on how to create enticing video content for a luxury brand.