Bottega Veneta's recipe for advertising success

Between the shows of Chanel in the spectacular setting of the Grand Palais, the increasingly eccentric runways of Jonathan Anderson at Loewe, and the more original campaigns by Jacquemus, the race for attention and originality in communication is intense among major luxury brands. However, in this merciless race, some seem determined to adopt a strategy opposite to that of their peers. This is the case with Bottega Veneta, which in 2021, when Daniel Lee was at the helm of its creative direction, decided to stop using social media to promote its collections by deleting its Instagram account. Although Lee has since been replaced by Franco-Belgian Matthieu Blazy, this strategy is still in place and, despite an era where the fashion community and others consider themselves " chronically online," it seems to be working brilliantly. This week, according to the Instagram account @databutmakeitfashion, Bottega Veneta even achieved a popularity rate 70% higher than its competitors. But if posts and reposts are excluded from the equation, what exactly makes Bottega Veneta the queen of advertising and communication?

The first step taken by the Italian brand to reach its audience without appearing to chase after them is the inclusion of celebrities in its campaigns, but more importantly in its image as a brand in general. A photo of A$ap Rocky's street style—wearing a puffer jacket, oversized baggy pants, and sunglasses—is enough to make anyone want to invest in the brand that this streetwear icon represents. It’s also enough to capture a single paparazzi shot of Jacob Elordi with the iconic woven bag in one hand and a matcha in the other during an off-duty outing in the streets of Los Angeles to make fashion insiders envious of casual yet always fashionable looks. One thing is certain: the brand has an eye for spotting potential ambassadors who will promote the brand even outside of photo studios. In addition to A$ap Rocky and Jacob Elordi, Bottega Veneta has also chosen Kendall Jenner, RM from BTS, and Shu Qi as faces and ambassadors of its know-how. These faces later appear front and center at the brand's fashion shows, and more importantly, front and center on the posts of fans and media shared on social networks.

The second technique, if we can call it that, used by the brand is simply its fashion shows. It’s impossible for anyone even remotely fashion-conscious and present on social media to have missed the animal-shaped poufs that served as seats for guests during the SS25 show at the September Fashion Week. A design piece that was also available for sale once the show was over, for the modest sum of $7000. But that's not all, because at Bottega Veneta, the show starts well before the show itself. In recent years, the Italian brand has certainly made a mark with its original and curious invitations. After the forest green leather bracelet with a round pendant engraved in gold and silver last March, this year for SS25, the invitation was in the form of a leather watch strap without a dial or the watch mechanism, accompanied by a small glass rabbit, evoking the childlike energy of the poufs. This certainly piques curiosity not only among the guests but also the entire community following them on social media, where they will probably share this intriguing gift.

The final, but not least, ingredient of this strategy is perhaps the most important: quality. Quality not only of Bottega Veneta's pieces, but also of its campaigns, ideas, and the way the brand always succeeds in cleverly blending fashion, art, and popular culture. A lethal cocktail that perfectly matches what young insiders are looking for. Although the brand often relies on the familiar faces of celebrities for its campaigns, these are not vital to the success of its advertising, which always presents a high-quality, detailed, and well-thought-out product. Just look at its latest SS25 campaign, where the photos speak for themselves and showcase the talent of Matthieu Blazy in highlighting the garments, relying exclusively on their craftsmanship and elegant design. Matthieu Blazy often enjoys the creative freedom offered by the photo studio to let art make its way through his creations, with collaborations such as the one with Italian artist Gaetano Pesce for the SS23 campaign, or with magazines.

The interesting thing to note here is that even if it’s not Bottega Veneta itself posting directly on social media, it's the user’s click that mostly contributes to this growing popularity. Whether through the posts of its ambassadors, the paparazzi photos being reposted, fashion edits on Tiktok, the pouf chairs going viral on the internet, or the guests at its shows who unknowingly help promote the brand, Bottega Veneta always manages to carve its way into our lives and, more importantly, into our phones. Through this voluntary disconnection, the brand shows its clients, its community, and its peers that a bit of inventiveness can often do the job better than a controlled, well-thought-out Instagram post. It also shows that, despite everything, it remains attuned to trends and new developments in both popular and more niche culture, and that it has the eye for finding the gems to put under the spotlight while remaining original and true to itself. With immaculate ambassadors, unique designs, high-profile guests, and quality campaigns, these 70% are well on their way to becoming, who knows, 100%.