Social Media Strategies for Luxury Brands: Navigating Brand Equity, Consumer Engagement, and Digital Challenges
Galvin Kuan S. Lee
Discipline: Marketing
Abstract:
The intersection of social media and luxury branding presents a paradox: luxury thrives on exclusivity, while digital platforms are designed for vis-ibility and participation. This narrative literature review synthesises studies published between 2010 and 2025 to examine how luxury brands navigate this paradox. Three key domains are explored: the role of social media in shaping brand equity, the evolving mechanisms of consumer en-gagement, and the digital challenges unique to the luxury sector. The re-view finds that while social media strengthens brand image through sym-bolic storytelling and aesthetic immersion, it has a more limited role in building brand awareness. Personalisation and co-creation strengthen emotional bonds and loyalty, though overuse risks prestige dilution. Technological innovations such as AR, VR, and AI offer new experiential frontiers but require alignment with the brand’s symbolic capital. This study contributes a multidimensional framework for understanding dig-ital luxury branding and highlights managerial imperatives for balancing visibility with exclusivity. Future research is urged to explore genera-tional and cultural variances, integrate stronger theoretical foundations, and address the tension between consumer empowerment and brand control in increasingly participatory environments.
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