Reporter | Chen Qirui Edit | Lou Shuqin
Although the Gucci family has long since ceased to be involved in the brand's operations, the movie "House of Gucci" still attracts high-ticket fans to the theater during Thanksgiving, and with more than $23 million, it became the highest-grossing drama film of the year.
"House of Gucci" has attracted much attention from the beginning of filming, and the famous director Ridley Scott and Lady Gaga's production lineup have created a lot of momentum for the film. The plot of Maurizio Gucci, the heir to the Gucci family, being murdered by his ex-wife Patrizia Reggiani satisfies the voyeurism behind the flamboyant façade of luxury brands.
According to the consulting firm Launchmetrics, there are more than 25,000 social media tweets related to House of Gucci, resulting in $104 million in online exposure, which is already higher than Gucci's usual income in a month.
Reflected in specific categories, the statistics of fashion e-commerce lovethesales show that the search volume of Gucci bags increased by 257% in the week of the release of "House of Gucci", and the search volume of clothing and slipper products increased by 73% and 75% respectively. Searches for striped suits and polka polka polka skirts worn by the protagonists in the film also increased.
Gucci's parent company, Kering, has long anticipated the possible publicity effect that "House of Gucci" may bring to the brand, and Claire Roblet, director of financial communications and market intelligence, has said that the release of the film will bring a "halo effect" to the brand. During the filming of the film, Gucci provided the crew with some of the vintage styles from the 1990s, while opening its flagship store in Rome for filming.
However, Gucci did not directly sponsor the filming and promotion of House of Gucci, although Gucci spokesperson Jared Leto and Salma Hayek, wife of Kering Chairman Francois-Henri Pinault, were involved in the filming.
For this reason, House of Gucci focuses on the period before Gucci was acquired by Kering, and the brand gradually went into decline under the gucci family. Although the business dilemma superimposed on the husband murder case is very legendary, it is not a glorious history for Gucci.
On the other hand, critics did not give the ratings expected, and members of the Gucci family and Tom Ford, who was Gucci's creative director at the time, both stood up and believed that the film's description of the facts was exaggerated. For reasons of brand reputation, Gucci's choice to distance itself from House of Gucci is not difficult to understand.
Since the popularity of "The Witch Who Wears Prada" in 2007, fashion movies have been loved by Hollywood producers. Prior to House of Gucci, the American Crime Story: Assassination of Versace, a television series about the murder of Versace's founder, won several Emmy Awards. The documentaries "Dior and Me" and "First Monday of May", which focus on Dior Haute Couture and Met Gala backstage, respectively, have also received a lot of attention.
The fashion industry has its own halo effect, which is exaggerated, gorgeous, extravagant and extremely attractive to outsiders, and the addition of film and television stars has added a lot of topics and entertainment. But outside of celebrities, the inner workings of the fashion industry are not directly open to the public. Thanks to the enthusiasm of luxury brands in telling the creation story in recent years, people have become more and more curious about the secrets behind the "legendary stories" of these brands.
Although most luxury brands will tell the outside world that the film content is not authorized by the brand and is different from reality, they will enjoy the benefits of film exposure to some extent. Launchmetrics analysis pointed out that "House of Gucci" brought traffic even more than Gucci's Los Angeles show in October. After all, the carrier of the movie itself can reach a wider range of people than the fashion show.