When luxury becomes ordinary

# When luxury becomes ordinary Luxury Activist | The Notebook LA (Luxury Activist) 24 Oct 2026 https://luxuryactivist.com/carnets/can-luxury-become-too-familiar/ ## In brief Luxury’s constant presence on social media can make its imagery feel ordinary. Recent financial results invite scrutiny of the relationship between visibility and desire. I believe greater editorial restraint could help brands preserve the significance of their messages, provided the products and experiences justify that attention. ## A crowded presence A campaign appears, followed by a celebrity arrival, backstage footage, a product detail and another ambassador portrait. Individually, each image may be accomplished. Together, the sequence can make an exceptional object feel like a familiar fixture. The volume is measurable. An analysis published by Puck examined 36,076 Instagram posts across 20 luxury brands, including Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Dior. Over five years, their median engagement rate fell roughly 37%, despite sustained posting. Audience growth partly explains that decline, and engagement measures neither purchasing nor desire directly. The figures nevertheless raise questions about the attention this output earns. Commercial performance offers another uncomfortable observation. Gucci’s comparable revenue declined 6% in the third quarter of 2026. LVMH’s Fashion & Leather Goods division contracted 5% organically that quarter, although the group grew overall. In adjacent premium fashion, HUGO BOSS reported an 8% currency-adjusted sales decline for the first half. These results cannot establish that communication caused the weakness. Economic conditions, pricing, product appeal and distribution all influence sales. They do demonstrate the limits of visibility as reassurance. ## The erosion of surprise Luxury asks us to attach unusual significance to an object. Craftsmanship, cultural meaning and restricted availability can sustain that significance. Constant exposure may gradually exhaust the surprise surrounding it. I find this particularly noticeable when a brand’s imagery becomes predictable. The next celebrity appearance or cinematic reveal arrives before the previous message has acquired any weight. The product remains expensive while its presentation becomes routine. Physical scarcity can coexist with visual saturation. A bag may be difficult to purchase and still feel overfamiliar through its repeated appearance online. Restricting supply alone cannot resolve that tension. Silence carries risks too. Research involving three online experiments found that communication scarcity could reduce perceived exclusivity through diminished consumer interest. Restraint requires judgement; withdrawal offers no automatic protection. ## Earning the next appearance I would begin by giving each communication a clearer editorial purpose. A new technique deserves explanation. An archive deserves interpretation. A collection deserves enough time for its ideas to become legible. Repeated exposure can build recognition when a coherent message develops across appearances. Dilution begins when the material becomes interchangeable and the publishing calendar supplies its principal justification. Brands could review campaigns through remembered associations, qualified enquiries and client responses, alongside reach and engagement. A smaller number of substantial stories might give audiences more to retain, while allowing genuine creative events to carry greater weight. The discipline also belongs upstream. Communication needs distinctive products, credible craftsmanship and experiences worth describing. Editorial restraint cannot manufacture those qualities. I would leave more space around an important launch, deepen the explanation of an exceptional object and allow a successful story to remain present for longer. Luxury can afford to make its audience wait for a message worth their attention. ## Sources & references - Puck: Molly Rooyakkers’ analysis of luxury brands on Instagram: https://puck.news/newsletter_content/versace-ceo-intel-luxurys-instagram-slump/ - Kering: third-quarter 2026 revenue, 22 October 2026: https://www.kering.com/en/news/revenue-for-the-3rd-quarter-of-2026/ - LVMH: third-quarter 2026 revenue, 12 October 2026: https://www.lvmh.com/en/publications/continued-growth-in-the-third-quarter-of-2026 - HUGO BOSS: first-half 2026 results, 4 August 2026: https://group.hugoboss.com/en/newsroom/news/news-detail/hugo-boss-drives-claim-5-touchdown-execution-in-q2-and-reaffirms-2026-outlook-1 - Nechaeva et al.: Scarcity in luxury brand digital communication, research abstract: https://flore.unifi.it/handle/2158/1405276