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LVMH spotlights employees in behind-the-scenes series

March 8, 2021

In "The Doers," LVMH invites consumers to peer into the passion of the employees behind the brand. Image courtesy of LVMH

 

French luxury conglomerate LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton has launched a new series highlighting the top employees behind many of its illustrious brands.

“The Doers” takes consumers into the hearts of those who work tirelessly to make LVMH one of the leaders in the luxury business. In the series, employees talk about their passions for their professions and what inspires them day-to-day, especially amid such a challenging landscape.

"I think this series is great for those that are enthusiasts of the brand, but I also think that this speaks to those that like to know about how a business functions,” said Kimmie Smith, cofounder and creative director of Athleisure Mag, New York. “These are personal stories by someone who is in the know and who really has their hand on the pulse on what is going on.

“It’s always interesting to see how iconic brands with significant resources are grappling with universal situations that have been a global issue,” she said. “It provides insight into the brand and also allows others to reflect how they would and have done this is in their own ventures.”

The Doers
The inaugural episode of the series takes consumers to the Louis Vuitton Champs-Elysées. Here, consumers hear from Sophie Aubin, the store director.

The vignette is artfully shot with Ms. Aubin sitting on a taupe file cabinet, discussing her team, the challenges of the pandemic and the passion woven throughout the brand. The vignette vacillates between black-and-white film of Ms. Aubin and full color B-roll.

Sophie Aubin, store director at Louis Vuitton Champs-Elysées, stars in the first episode of the series.

The store director explains how she leads a team of about 300 people. She speaks of the passion and mission of the team.

“This means working in a magical place that has been here for more than 20 years,” Ms. Aubin says in the video. “Where we’re privileged to sell very beautiful products.”

The short also includes photos of the interior and exterior of the store in conjunction with behind-the-scenes shots of Ms. Aubin speaking with the video’s production team.

Within a week of Ms. Aubin beginning her role as store director, she had to close the doors due to the pandemic lockdowns.

“It was a chance for me to begin a new chapter and see things quite differently,” Ms. Aubin said.

The store director the explains that it is her job to make sure that every member of her team is obsessed with and dedicated to ensuring that consumers have the best possible experience. She goes on to highlight the importance of sincerity in her work and how caring is needed to motivate teams and close sales.

Ms. Aubin also speaks of her team rising to the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic in maintaining flexibility and developing new methods to stay engaged with customers. This included virtual sessions via Zoom and asking sale advisors to act as actors in creating enticing virtual content featuring the store’s products.

Ms. Aubin speaks of how her team had to adapt to the restrictions inherent with the COVID-19 pandemic. Image credit: LVMH

One of Ms. Aubin’s primary goals is to start each day with positive energy, stating that she and her team will begin most days singing, dancing and engaging in a round of applause.

The end of the vignette ends with the store director sharing that Bernard Arnault, chairman/CEO of LVMH, visits the store every Saturday to gauge how the week went for the team and that week’s consumers.

As the pandemic has provided challenges, Ms. Aubin continually reverberates the importance of remembering the passion behind the job and brand.

The power of a story
After the pandemic set forth a range of restrictions and the future remains unclear, brands are continuing to develop ways to connect with consumers online through creative content and storytelling.

This includes an emphasis on behind-the-scenes content as well.

French fashion label Chanel is inviting fans to join a dialogue about what it means to wear the brand, highlighting the new spring/summer 2021 haute couture collection. The roundtable ends with a reflection on how good it feels to come together to experience Chanel, whether in person or virtually, while looking forward to future creative gatherings (see story).

In another recent effort, LVMH invited students and young prospective employees to submit questions about pursuing fulfilling careers in luxury. The group assembled a panel of young professionals to share their LVMH experiences and work advice in a video series (see story).

“The Doers,” is yet another example of how luxury groups and brands are illustrating brand values and how they continue to overcome challenges.

“I think that there are so many layers to how the pandemic has changed the simplest of tasks, taking in deliveries, social distancing, going to work remotely et cetera--it’s made all of us think about how we interact in the world,” Ms. Smith said. “The ability to continue to service people at a high standard while being compliant with what they need to do for their personal safety is a new skill that has had to be adopted.”