Summary of the Key Points
This article takes the embarrassing performance of GUCCI’s Qixi (Mid-Autumn Festival) series of advertisements as a starting point to highlight that these ads, while seemingly incorporating popular elements such as short-form dramas and feminism, lack the brand’s own cultural core. It reflects two deep-seated challenges in the luxury goods industry: the distortion of the communication logic from “creativity driving traffic” to “traffic forcing creativity,” and the weakening of the traditional value systems (such as status symbols and scarcity) without the establishment of new ones. The article further exposes the marketing paradox that luxury brands become more and more lost in their uniqueness as they pursue more traffic, and warns that using AI-driven data strategies in marketing can lead to a loss of consumer trust and desire for the brand.
Detailed Analysis
1. Why are GUCCI’s Qixi advertisements so frustrating?
GUCCI’s Qixi promotional videos (such as those starring Wen Qi in “An Ordinary Classmate Turns into a Campus Heartthrob” and Tian Xiwei in “A Dominant Female Pulling a Guy Away on a Rainy Night”) rely on tired tropes from short-form dramas—sudden happy endings, the “boss woman” theme. The visually luxurious scenes and exquisite clothing are already overused by shows like “Youth Era,” internet celebrity videos, and real estate advertisements, and they don’t convey any sense of sophistication. These ads feel like AI-generated content: they simply pile together popular themes like “happy endings, Qixi, feminism, and luxury homes” without any distinct GUCCI style. After watching them, consumers neither want to be the protagonists nor buy GUCCI products; instead, they only feel annoyed because the ads fail to convey the uniqueness that would be characteristic of a GUCCI production.
2. The communication logic has changed: from “creativity generating traffic” to “traffic seeking creativity”
In the past, luxury brands communicated by having designers with their own aesthetic sensibilities who created unique products that naturally attracted attention. For example, Virgil Abloh brought street culture into LV, and Alessandro Michele at GUCCI adopted a gender-neutral style from the 1970s. Now, brands first look at what is popular on social media (such as short-form dramas and feminism) and then try to incorporate these trends into their products. Communication has become a goal in itself, with creativity serving solely the purpose of generating traffic, resulting in ads that seem forced and soulless.
3. The “value anchor” of luxury goods is wavering: the old ones no longer work, and new ones haven’t been established
The value of luxury goods used to be clear: high prices, excellent craftsmanship, and a long history. Buying them was a way to demonstrate status (“I can afford GUCCI”) or to belong to a certain community. However, this has changed:
- Consumers now question whether products worth tens of thousands of yuan are truly valuable.
- The secondary market has made luxury goods less scarce.
- Young people no longer value centuries-old heritage; they place more emphasis on individuality, aesthetic appeal, and emotional value.
Luxury brands are at a loss about what to sell, which is why they resort to using trendy topics in a desperate attempt to attract attention.
4. The marketing paradox: the more you seek traffic, the more you lose your “luxury taste”
Luxury brands want both to attract young consumers and maintain their premium image. However, they fail on both fronts:
- Using popular short-form drama tropes to generate traffic makes them seem like content created by internet celebrities, losing their unique identity.
- Without that uniqueness, they rely on more traffic to stay relevant, falling into a vicious cycle where the more they seek traffic, the more they lose their luxury appeal.
GUCCI’s Qixi advertisements are a clear example of this confusion: they feature popular stars and produce trendy content but fail to reflect the brand’s true values.
5. Using AI-driven marketing strategies: a dangerous path to soullessness
Some brands now use AI to create marketing content based on data trends, producing and releasing it without a clear understanding of their brand’s essence. While this approach is efficient, it lacks the core identity of the brand. A brand should embody the designer’s aesthetic, value judgments, and cultural relevance. Consumers buy into a brand because they trust and aspire to connect with its values. If a brand relies solely on trendy topics, it loses its soul, just like a person without personality—why would anyone want to follow such a brand?
In conclusion, the article emphasizes that traffic does not equate to genuine desire for a brand. Desire is what truly drives luxury sales—the consumers are buying into the unique world that the brand creates. GUCCI’s advertisements failed to achieve this, which is why they were unsuccessful.