Louis Vuitton’s influencer gifting activation for its Neverfull Inside Out bag is driving views and brand awareness – but is it enough to secure a sales boost?
LVMH – which owns Louis Vuitton – recently reported its Q3 sales were down 5% within its fashion and leather goods division. It was previously expected to have 4% growth for this category and this is the company’s worst quarterly result since 2020.
Now, Louis Vuitton is under pressure to reposition itself as the cool, go-to handbag brand for Gen Z and Millennials. It released a reinvention of its iconic tote bag, the Neverfull, in September by introducing the “new” reversible design in a campaign with actor Sophie Turner. The range retails between £1,690 and £2,280.
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In tandem with the campaign, the brand began gifting bags to popular global fashion influencers such as Victoria Magrath, Aimee Song, Urassaya Sperbund, Lena (Lena Situations), Camila Coelho, Lily Chee and Brigette Pheloung (Acquired Style).
As the influencer activation began rolling out, Google searches for “Neverfull” and “Louis Vuitton Neverfull” peaked in the past week – both in the UK and worldwide. #NeverfullInsideOut has been tagged in 83 TikToks and more than 100 Instagram posts. Pheloung’s unboxing drove the most views (more than 2.7 million) and she was gifted the handbag less than two months after she declared the Neverfull was the new Goyard tote (1.5 million views).
@victoriamagrath 2 bags in 1 🫶🏼 #louisvuitton #neverfullinsideout 🤍 (advertorial gift)
The campaign has been widely viewed, but it received mix options. Creators who received the bag highlighted how the new iteration is essentially two purses for the price of one, although people were quick to comment that the original Neverfull was always reversible. TV personality Olivia Attwood Dack discussed how “every influencer with over five followers” received it as a gift and that it wasn’t sent to creators who are genuinely fans of the product (2.6 million views).
This might be the case, but it’s clear Louis Vuitton is trying to align itself with the top fashion creators and up-and-coming TikTokers – such as Kate Bartlett and Isabelle Allain (Izzi Poopi) – to compete with Prada, Goyard and Bottega Veneta.
@lenasituations on en pense quoi de cette nouvelle fonctionnalité ? 🤭 produit offert @Louis Vuitton #neverfullinsideout
The fashion house had one goal: gift the bags to influencers in order to drive buzz and boost sales. So far, it’s worked. Users are engaging with creators’ unboxing videos and discussing the brand’s marketing strategy. More significantly, those who own the original Neverfull are now dusting off their purses because the style is seen as relevant and trendy once again.
The key takeaway from Louis Vuitton’s activation? Influencers drive success, not traditional celebrity ambassadorships. Its campaign with Turner didn’t generate interest (there was a small increase in Google searches when it launched) but influencer content has sparked a conversation and is introducing the bag to a new generation. That’s the power of TikTok and a smart gifting activation.
By Caroline Edwards, news and features writer for CORQ. Photo from Aimee Song’s Instagram.
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