Influencers & VCA

[meemeetoo]

Personally, I find the influencer culture completely pernicious.
It exacerbates all the negative qualities of social media with little or no positives.

I do not follow any influencers. I refuse to give them my click.
I do follow craftspersons and artists. People whose content does not extract brain cells through viewing.

Brands can gift influencers items, that’s their prerogative, for them it may be cheap advertising. But it feeds into influencers’ vanity and attitudes, hence the call for the free VCA bracelet.

It would be interesting to see the socioeconomic demographics of Monica’s, Sibylla’s and others followers. Do these people actually have buying potential? Yes, I can see how influencers can build awareness of brands. But how many followers are inspired by influencers to make $5K+ purchases. A very, very, very tiny fraction. And is it worth it to brands to deal with influencer drama? Balance that with the return on investment for non-influencer marketing, PR, and advertising activities.

Also, how do influencers fit into their chosen brands’ image — and how do they modify them? When the Kardashians (Ks) used Hermes to build their brand, they changed the perception and reality of the Hermes brand. Hermes was never the same after the Ks. Before them, Hermes was a niche brand for accomplished women or for people with old money. Whether for good or bad, after the Ks, Hermes is far more well known and flashy.

I think the TPF site is very influential. I have put things on my wishlist and made purchases after seeing TPFers rock their bags and jewelry. And I know I’ve caused people to put a dent in their wallet. The key here is that (other than Megs and Vlad) TPFers do not make their living off of posting here. TPFers are passionate about bags and jewelry and provide their knowledge and expertise freely without compensation. That makes their opinions carry far more weight IMO.

I certainly am one of the ones you have influenced! My SA's should thank you, too. But yes, I agree that I am guided more by many of the ideas and information I have gotten here than from any influencer (don't follow any) or photo of a celebrity with an item. Companies have long given celebrities items (or loaned them for the red carpet) to get more exposure, so if they want to go the influencer route, it's not surprising. But as you said, if a company wants to keep a certain cachet, then is giving something to influencers who are preaching to people without the budget to purchase the items really the way to go?

Thank you for sharing your beautiful collection and thoughts with all of us. I will confess that I am a little concerned what else you might be collecting since the lacquer butterfly obsession is real (at least there are no more enamel ladybugs to search out), lol. And thank you to everyone who contributes here with their enthusiastic knowledge and love of all things beautiful from VCA and beyond.

 

[Egalegaler]

Personally, I find the influencer culture completely pernicious.
It exacerbates all the negative qualities of social media with little or no positives.

I do not follow any influencers. I refuse to give them my click.
I do follow craftspersons and artists. People whose content does not extract brain cells through viewing.

Brands can gift influencers items, that’s their prerogative, for them it may be cheap advertising. But it feeds into influencers’ vanity and attitudes, hence the call for the free VCA bracelet.

It would be interesting to see the socioeconomic demographics of Monica’s, Sibylla’s and others followers. Do these people actually have buying potential? Yes, I can see how influencers can build awareness of brands. But how many followers are inspired by influencers to make $5K+ purchases. A very, very, very tiny fraction. And is it worth it to brands to deal with influencer drama? Balance that with the return on investment for non-influencer marketing, PR, and advertising activities.

Also, how do influencers fit into their chosen brands’ image — and how do they modify them? When the Kardashians (Ks) used Hermes to build their brand, they changed the perception and reality of the Hermes brand. Hermes was never the same after the Ks. Before them, Hermes was a niche brand for accomplished women or for people with old money. Whether for good or bad, after the Ks, Hermes is far more well known and flashy.

I think the TPF site is very influential. I have put things on my wishlist and made purchases after seeing TPFers rock their bags and jewelry. And I know I’ve caused people to put a dent in their wallet. The key here is that (other than Megs and Vlad) TPFers do not make their living off of posting here. TPFers are passionate about bags and jewelry and provide their knowledge and expertise freely without compensation. That makes their opinions carry far more weight IMO.

I would diversify that again. There is actually only one type of luxury influencer. The whole channel revolves around them, like Sybilla Mirage, for example. They mainly attract the luxury-addicted community, but when they go viral, like Becca Bloom, they also attract people who find it interesting for a short time and haters. Then there are influencers who buy and show luxury from time to time but don't really stand for it. Or rappers who are photographed wearing it. Gucci has been hit hard there. Otherwise, I don't actually think that brands like Van Cleef or Hermes are affected. They're just more visible. I also found it funny that every second comment under Monica's videos read: "I wanted to buy a Van Cleef, thanks for stopping me" - of course. That made me laugh. Monica's channel focuses mainly on make-up and attracts under 25s. Hardly anyone will ever actually buy something from VCA and if they did, they would get more information and not be put off by a random little influencer.
I think it's great that you can now admire the many great purchases everywhere, not only here TPF, but also on social media (there even in video format, which I think is great).


But I wouldn't say that they generally cheapen the brand. It very much depends. What I do find bad though is when Van Cleef dupes are presented as looking exactly like the real thing, when you can tell 30km far away into the wind in snowfall that it's poor quality and nowhere near the same - I wish they'd actually look at a real one at times like that. But I'm also sensitive when it comes to my beloved VCA🤭

 

[september1985]

influencers wear Vancleef and Hermes so that they appear successful and credible when they push ideal and senrev.

 

[allanrvj]

diamondsindubaii just got married and she was wearing, among other things, a Two Butterfly BTF ring in diamonds and yellow sapphires




While I don’t think she’s an “influencer” in the way we’ve been using the term in this thread because she’s more of a “luxury aggregator” or a "luxury insider". Still, I’m posting her here because there isn’t a better thread like “VCA in the wild,” and she is wearing a VCA piece.

 

[JLO1]

I secretly wish VCA would rest/pause production of the 5 motif Alhambra bracelet, or raise the price. Maybe this would put an end to "influencers" buying the brand "starter pack" and trashing it for views. I doubt the influencer would want to pay 100% down payment to receive the bracelet and wait 6 months for it as well.

 

[prettylittlethings2]

influencers wear Vancleef and Hermes so that they appear successful and credible when they push ideal and senrev.

100% There's an wannabe influencer who is in reality a government worker (so limited funds) but she has a "luxury page" to seem like she lives this ideal life- everything she owns is fake, super old, or borrowed.

 

[pinkdewy]

100% There's an wannabe influencer who is in reality a government worker (so limited funds) but she has a "luxury page" to seem like she lives this ideal life- everything she owns is fake, super old, or borrowed.

Can we have her name?

 

[chanellover333]

Sorry if this has been posted before. Basically return rejected bc of a fingerprint?

 

[chanellover333]

diamondsindubaii just got married and she was wearing, among other things, a Two Butterfly BTF ring in diamonds and yellow sapphires

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While I don’t think she’s an “influencer” in the way we’ve been using the term in this thread because she’s more of a “luxury aggregator” or a "luxury insider". Still, I’m posting her here because there isn’t a better thread like “VCA in the wild,” and she is wearing a VCA piece.

This girl is just fabulous. I used to follow her back in the day when she mainly posted personal content. I really wish she'd transition into being a more public influencer. Her jewelry collection is to die for. And when she does show parts of her face she's just flawless. Flawless skin, hair, lashes, nails.

It's yellow sapphires in that ring not yellow diamonds, correct?

 

[chanellover333]

influencers wear Vancleef and Hermes so that they appear successful and credible when they push ideal and senrev.

Exactly. It has become a recognizable internet symbol of "success" and "wealth". It's always the influencers with a stack of VCA and a Birkin pushing some nonsensical course in sales or hypergamy or to push some sponsored 'ad' jewelry.

100% There's an wannabe influencer who is in reality a government worker (so limited funds) but she has a "luxury page" to seem like she lives this ideal life- everything she owns is fake, super old, or borrowed.

Oh, we need a name now!! I live in DC - you'd be surprised how many gov workers are shopping out here (not so much now given the current climate, but before).

 

[prettylittlethings2]

Exactly. It has become a recognizable internet symbol of "success" and "wealth". It's always the influencers with a stack of VCA and a Birkin pushing some nonsensical course in sales or hypergamy or to push some sponsored 'ad' jewelry.

Oh, we need a name now!! I live in DC - you'd be surprised how many gov workers are shopping out here (not so much now given the current climate, but before).

I"d love to give a name, but I only know the real information because I know this person. She's very petty and vindictive, I'm scared to post it publicly( I think she's on this forum too- always in Hermes of course).

 

[glamourbag]

100% There's an wannabe influencer who is in reality a government worker (so limited funds) but she has a "luxury page" to seem like she lives this ideal life- everything she owns is fake, super old, or borrowed.

My apologies, as I do not know who you are referring to, but I do find this comment offensive and quite narrow-minded. I am someone who has worked in government and who had to have a certain level of education in order to do so. Surprisingly, I also love and buy luxury. This comment comes across as though it is impossible for someone working in the government space to be a luxury shopper??? In addition, there is a possibility there are other factors which may contribute to someone's ability to "dabble" in the luxury world (ex: real estate investments, business ownership, family wealth, etc.).

 

[chanellover333]

My apologies, as I do not know who you are referring to, but I do find this comment offensive and quite narrow-minded. I am someone who has worked in government and who had to have a certain level of education in order to do so. Surprisingly, I also love and buy luxury. This comment comes across as though it is impossible for someone working in the government space to be a luxury shopper??? In addition, there is a possibility there are other factors which may contribute to someone's ability to "dabble" in the luxury world (ex: real estate investments, business ownership, family wealth, etc.).

Are you American? Gov jobs vary a lot by country and municipality. But In the US a public servant using social media to showcase designer is very frowned upon given tax payers fund salaries and there is a lot of discourse around gov waste right now. I support federal state and local employees fully, but an IG full of flexing VCA at this time in the United States is really bad for the cause esp as many of us are fighting to keep these gov employees around. OP also knows this influencer personally.

 

[joleen_loves_luxurybags]

I have been a quiet observer of the VCA threads. I played with the idea of buying my first VCA piece.

Maybe I see the Monica situation a little differently because I’m not a customer yet but I found the manager of that VCA boutique horrible and it made me rethink buying my first piece. I own a small business and I just think that it was handled poorly. If monica was a regular customer she would have never had that outcome and that’s very sad. i don’t think a brand should expect a customer to keep a piece that is clearly not up to company standards. I just thought to myself, what if that was me? I would have been devastated. It’s a lot of money.

I had a similar experience with dior once, a SA gaslighting me trying to say it was my fault the item clearly had defects that shouldn’t be there.

Even my small business, when something happens I will take full accountability and I make no way near the profits a huge brand like VCA makes. There is no discussion with a customer, I want them to be happy especially when it’s clear something isn’t right.

Luxury to me is a great poduct and great customer service. I think brands can be glad people are choosing their products since there are many competitors and we all know the economy isn’t good at the moment. You want to feel appreciated and welcomed at boutiques.

 

[joleen_loves_luxurybags]

And I want to add that I HATE when companies favor Influencers. That shouldn’t be a thing. But ridiculous to see that that’s apparently the only way to get the treatment ANY customer deserves in Luxury Boutiques. Public outrage shouldn’t have been the deciding factor in VCA’s decision to give her a refund. We would have all deserved one.