As most advertisers chase attention across an increasingly fragmented media landscape, luxury brands are moving in the opposite direction. Their goal isn’t mass exposure but relevance, precision and long-term brand value. Cherry Collins, global strategy partner at Havas Media Lux, helps shape the media strategies for luxury clients. Her focus is on building a lasting presence.
‘For us in luxury’, she says, ‘we’re not chasing reach. We’re definitely going for resonance.’
When Havas works with high-end brands like Hermès and Abercrombie & Kent, the goal of the media strategy, says Collins, is not to be seen by everyone but to be remembered by the few who matter.
This approach means avoiding the chaotic, interruptive digital formats that dominate today’s media landscape. Instead, Havas seeks out ‘media environments that match the exclusivity or the craftsmanship of the product’, Collins explains. ‘Clients like Hermès are looking to attract the 1% — or even the 0.1% — of high-net-worth individuals. These are the types of people who have really constructed their lives to avoid the attention economy entirely.’
From premium print placements to intimate experiential activations, every touchpoint is carefully selected to reflect the brand’s values.‘These formats really cut through the digital noise that is kind of fatiguing for luxury consumers’, Collins added. ‘They offer moments of focused brand engagement that feels more like the kind of curated experiences they expect.’
Experiential activations, she adds, are especially powerful for delivering those memorable, culturally resonant moments. ‘They need to be in this market at this moment in time, finding ways to cut through the noise and really drive that experience, really drive that consideration.’
While traditional demographic segments — like age or income — remain useful, Havas prefers to focus on ‘tribes’, communities defined by shared values, motivations and lifestyles. ‘We don’t tend to talk about audiences in terms of Gen Z or Gen X. We actually talk about them more in terms of tribes and communities’, Collins said. ‘We’ve very aware that an 18-year-old may have the same kind of interests and passion points as someone who’s 50’.
Among the most important tribes Havas is tracking are the ‘Memory Makers’ — consumers who use luxuries to create emotional, lasting experiences. They tend to research deeply, prioritise significance over status and seek a clear value exchange from every purchase. Another key tribe is the ‘Joy Rejuvenators’, who turn to luxuries to inject spontaneity into their lives and give themselves a boost.
This insight into shifting luxury motivations is backed by Havas Media’s proprietary research, ‘The New Codes of Luxury’, conducted with Evolve OOH. The study found that 41% of UK ultra-high-net-worth individuals cite memory-making as their top motivation for luxury purchases. Moreover, 84% of all luxury consumers view advertising as a form of art.
To reach these evolving audiences, Havas uses Converged — its AI-powered platform that unites creative strategy, media activation and performance measurement in one place. Built with client control and privacy in mind, Converged allows luxury brands to act in real time without compromising craft.
‘It’s a superpower’, Collins says. ‘We can plug in data and maximise where we’re placing our money’.
This fusion of emotional intelligence with machine learning enables Havas to deliver what Collins calls ‘counterintuitive’ media plans: strategies that may surprise traditional planners, but are calibrated to maintain the delicate balance between exclusivity and accessibility.
Instead of splashy mass-awareness campaigns, Havas favours what Collins calls a ‘medley’: a carefully blended mix of formats, cultural authority, tech-led targeting and long-term measurement.
‘Quite often people want to do big media first and win PR’, she says. ‘But actually, it’s making sure the brand is progressing. That’s what leads to [success] in the long run anyway.’
Main image by T. Selin Erkan on Unsplash.
