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From WSJ
PARIS—The U.K.'s Advertising Standards Authority Wednesday banned two Louis Vuitton print ads that it says could have misled consumers into thinking its products are handmade, when in fact the luxury brand also uses machines.
In the ads, artisans fold the leather of a wallet and hand-stitch the handle of a handbag. "What secret little gestures do our craftsmen discreetly pass on?" an ad asks. "Let's allow these mysteries to hang in the air. Time will provide the answers."
Louis Vitton A Vuitton ad regulators found 'misleading'
The authority, which investigates complaints from the public, said the two Vuitton ads breached its truthfulness code and were "misleading." "We considered that consumers would interpret the image of a woman using a needle and thread to stitch the handle of a bag ... to mean that Louis Vuitton bags were hand stitched," the agency said in its ruling.
Vuitton must immediately pull the print campaign, produced by WPP PLC's Ogilvy & Mather and launched world-wide in November. A third ad from the campaign, in which a man paints the sole of a shoe, didn't draw objections and wasn't reviewed, an ASA spokesman said.
Vuitton, part of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, said it complied with the authority's requests to clarify its manufacturing process. "This decision is not about the truth of the claim—but whether there was sufficient documentation available to prove to the ASA the 'extent to which LV products are made by hand,'" the company said in a statement. The campaign ended its run several weeks ago, the company added.
Luxury brands' emphasis on history and authenticity is an advertising trend that has emerged in the post-economic-crisis period. Italian fashion house Gucci, part of France's PPR SA, launched a "Forever Now" print campaign in February, which uses black-and-white photographs taken in its Florence workshop in 1953. Consumers have been favoring labels with deep roots and a rich heritage—Vuitton, Gucci, Hermès—because they're seen as more enduring than newer brands., experts say
Vuitton factories in France, Spain and the U.S. are a model for modern luxury-goods industrial production—essential for a brand with an estimated $6.17 billion (€5 billion) in sales. Yet the Vuitton ads, evoking paintings from the Dutch masters, with a dark setting, soft light illuminating the craftsmen and titles such as "The Seamstress with Linen Thread and Beeswax," mimic Johannes Vermeer, who painted "Girl with the Pearl Earring."
Vuitton moved away from traditional fashion advertising three years ago when it launched its "Core Values" campaign focusing on the label's travel heritage. The current version stars soccer legends such as Zinedine Zidane and Pelé with monogrammed luggage in the background. Vuitton's fashion ads continue to feature its latest runway collection.
The British advertising authority said it received three complaints about the two Vuitton ads.
During four months of discussions with the authority, Vuitton provided step-by-step guides about the manufacturing of some of its goods and the use of sewing machines. However, Vuitton didn't detail what proportion of the process was done by hand or by machine, the authority said, leading it to conclude the ads were misleading.
From WSJ
PARIS—The U.K.'s Advertising Standards Authority Wednesday banned two Louis Vuitton print ads that it says could have misled consumers into thinking its products are handmade, when in fact the luxury brand also uses machines.
In the ads, artisans fold the leather of a wallet and hand-stitch the handle of a handbag. "What secret little gestures do our craftsmen discreetly pass on?" an ad asks. "Let's allow these mysteries to hang in the air. Time will provide the answers."
Louis Vitton A Vuitton ad regulators found 'misleading'The authority, which investigates complaints from the public, said the two Vuitton ads breached its truthfulness code and were "misleading." "We considered that consumers would interpret the image of a woman using a needle and thread to stitch the handle of a bag ... to mean that Louis Vuitton bags were hand stitched," the agency said in its ruling.
Vuitton must immediately pull the print campaign, produced by WPP PLC's Ogilvy & Mather and launched world-wide in November. A third ad from the campaign, in which a man paints the sole of a shoe, didn't draw objections and wasn't reviewed, an ASA spokesman said.
Vuitton, part of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, said it complied with the authority's requests to clarify its manufacturing process. "This decision is not about the truth of the claim—but whether there was sufficient documentation available to prove to the ASA the 'extent to which LV products are made by hand,'" the company said in a statement. The campaign ended its run several weeks ago, the company added.
Luxury brands' emphasis on history and authenticity is an advertising trend that has emerged in the post-economic-crisis period. Italian fashion house Gucci, part of France's PPR SA, launched a "Forever Now" print campaign in February, which uses black-and-white photographs taken in its Florence workshop in 1953. Consumers have been favoring labels with deep roots and a rich heritage—Vuitton, Gucci, Hermès—because they're seen as more enduring than newer brands., experts say
Vuitton factories in France, Spain and the U.S. are a model for modern luxury-goods industrial production—essential for a brand with an estimated $6.17 billion (€5 billion) in sales. Yet the Vuitton ads, evoking paintings from the Dutch masters, with a dark setting, soft light illuminating the craftsmen and titles such as "The Seamstress with Linen Thread and Beeswax," mimic Johannes Vermeer, who painted "Girl with the Pearl Earring."
Vuitton moved away from traditional fashion advertising three years ago when it launched its "Core Values" campaign focusing on the label's travel heritage. The current version stars soccer legends such as Zinedine Zidane and Pelé with monogrammed luggage in the background. Vuitton's fashion ads continue to feature its latest runway collection.
The British advertising authority said it received three complaints about the two Vuitton ads.
During four months of discussions with the authority, Vuitton provided step-by-step guides about the manufacturing of some of its goods and the use of sewing machines. However, Vuitton didn't detail what proportion of the process was done by hand or by machine, the authority said, leading it to conclude the ads were misleading.
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