The Luxury Power 30 – a new section of the Power Book for 2018 - ranks the most influential comms executives from the fashion, beauty, hospitality and luxury goods industries. It includes high flyers ranging from Net-a-Porter and Hermès to Jaguar and Soho House Group.
The top-ranked communicators attended a launch dinner at Mayfair’s Arts Club this week, organised by the LCC and sponsored by Laurent Perrier.
At the event, PRWeek’s editor-in-chief, Danny Rogers said: "Sales of European luxury goods are now worth hundreds of billions of dollars, with the UK a key provider of brands and talent. The market is set to grow sharply over the next few years, with digital sales and an expanding China, in particular, boosting demand. This is a sector vital to our economy and with a unique set of communication challenges."
Rosie Shephard, founder of the LCC and group comms director, Rocco Forte Hotels, said: "‘The role of the comms has fundamentally changed in the past 5-10 years and the best communicators are those who have been able to adapt and evolve their skill set. The ‘Luxury Power 30’ comprises those executives who are acting beyond the traditional comms remit, really driving innovation in their companies and keeping pace with the new world.’"
Video by Quite Frankly Productions
Attendees at the launch event included Dana Gers, global marketing and comms director, Net-a-Porter; Peter Chipchase, chief brand and comms officer, Soho House Group; Julia Record, director of comms, Dorchester Collection; Richard Agnew, global PR director, product, Jaguar; Danny Brennan, PR and comms director, Laurent Perrier; Anna Bartle, VP comms, Estée Lauder; Daniel Marks, chief creative officer, The Communications Store; and Fiona Rushton, director of comms, Hermès.
Rushton said: "As the world is changing so rapidly, more and more businesses are looking to expand their brand ecosystem than ever before, this is something on which luxury goods companies have always been focused. Therefore you're seeing luxury professionals and practices moving across into many other sectors. The Luxury Power 30 provides a forum for like-minded companies and professionals to meet and share their experiences in these challenging times."
The Luxury Power 30 is made up of the following entrants into the PRWeek Power Book 2018:
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Top ten in hospitality PR
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Top ten in fashion, beauty and luxury goods PR (in-house)
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Top ten in fashion, beauty and luxury goods PR (agency)
Shephard added: "Face-to-face contact remains at the core of communications best practice. It is the one fundamental that cannot be replaced, no matter how many technological alternatives there are. Learning from others during these times of extreme change is vital."
Commented Gers: "In an increasingly cluttered media environment, the power is, more than ever, in the hands of the customer. We need to be where she is, and deliver content that is engaging, compelling and cut-through. Luxury communications professionals are naturally great story-tellers. We’ve been trained to drive results from earned media coverage. It’s why in today’s fractured and crowded media environment we’re adept at creating content that resonates."
Click to read the full Power Book 2018
