However, what is concerning is that some high-end brands tend to consider online discussions banal. Even if more common social media strategies (like a “Follow us on Twitter” bumper sticker on a Maserati!) should be left for masses, couldn't social media be embraced in more innovative ways that would stay true to the brand's values and essence? And, like in other forms of media, luxury brands can really find the most suitable ways to promote their products.

Essi
Whitevector

The central conceit of all luxury brands is that the very rich ARE very different — and should be treated accordingly. The clientele of a true couture retailer may generate 90%+ of their business – and accordingly, there is no time limit for “how many times” or “how long” a luxury brand will cater to their clientele. Oprah once famously visited an unfamiliar Hermes store at 3am in the morning to select scarves for some event the next day. (“Unfamiliar” meaning she was visiting and did not have a personal connection with the store manager.) There is no way that this level of service can scale to accommodate all of the aspiring luxury good followers on Twitter.

I believe the core disconnect of social media and luxury brands is that with social media like Twitter, Facebook, etc, all followers/friends are pretty much alike. Only Facebook appears to be focusing on the fine-grained privacy controls that might be useful to interactions between luxury goods and their clientele, and even so, the rules they are implementing often run counter to the way couture works. In the meantime, luxury brands need to free themselves from the distractions of the 98% of the people who aren't their true clientele, so they can be there when their best customers need them most.