TikTok luxury flood: Is there anything to do?
Is there anything that can be done from a PR and communications standpoint in luxury fashion to handle the flood of TikTok videos making claims about production?
Nothing. At least publicly—nothing. These videos should discredit themselves.
The more complex task—the one I often write about (and have mentioned in the context of scandals involving Loro Piana, Dior, and more recently, Van Cleef & Arpels)—is ensuring that there’s genuinely nothing to criticize. That applies both to quality and to the supply chain.
Or take a specific, seemingly simple—yet simultaneously so difficult—action, like what Chanel could have done after that facepalm-worthy video published by WWD, which I also mentioned when analyzing the situation.
In fact, the entire TikTok farce, clearly triggered as a retaliation in the US-China trade war, only reinforces the already fragile perception of luxury—damaged by these and many other scandals that have called into question the so-called “high quality and craftsmanship.” Risking sounding mean—I’ll repeat myself: the problem, which has gone quiet in public discourse, is still very much a problem. And it’ll come back to bite at the worst possible moment.
Moreover, when a scandal hits one brand, the damage isn’t limited to that brand—it affects the whole industry. The one that isn’t exactly in its best shape ever.
*Step-by-step PR & communications breakdowns with reaction plans for preserving image and reputation are here.