Emotional Drivers 38 page Literature Review

Emotional Drivers Towards Swarovski’s Brand

Emotional Drivers of Consumer toward Swarovski’s Brand

Emotional Drivers of Consumer toward Swarovski’s Brand

Emotional Drivers of Consumer toward Swarovski’s Brand

The standard of living and the lifestyle of the general population in today’s time has changed and enlarged because of various economic factors for instance mounting disposable income, growth of high income groups in emerging nations and many more. In a very similar manner, the social influence in the modern epoch towards the purchasing of luxurious items has also come to sight that one can reflect their image as an affluent person. As an outcome of it, demand for the luxury goods and services has escalated and intensified largely (Wright, East & Vanhuele 2008).

The fact that the brand image, reputation, buying and purchasing decisions towards a certain brand and brand loyalty is based on numerous factors, which cannot be ignored or overlooked by the companies and marketers. This is predominantly because the success or the failure of the brand is heavily dependent upon the consumers and the frequency with which they buy a particular product (Wright, East & Vanhuele 2008).

Therefore, emotional drivers must be implemented by brands and organizations that play a persuasive and influential role, thus affecting the buying pattern of the consumers. Moreover, behavioral patterns are significant to understand so that relevant approaches and methods can be used by the marketers to increase profit margin and sales figures (Ind & Bjerke 2007).

This is principally because the behavioral patterns and emotions or feelings are closely linked to the purchasing pattern of the consumers. Therefore, pertaining to this grave concern, emotional brand engagement, brand storytelling and Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) are some of the prominent tools and techniques that need to be looked upon with gravity (Ind & Bjerke 2007).

While looking at the other end of the spectrum, Swarovski is one of the finest brands of Austria that has gained the reputation of being a luxury, sophisticated and style brand. It manufactures and markets extensive range of products and services that incorporate premium jewelry, decorative objects and accessories such as crystal glass sculptures and miniatures, couture, home decor, and chandeliers (McCabe 2008).

Looking at the history of Swarovski, it has come to notice that the company initiated its business with the manufacturing of fine crystal pieces that was transformed into collectors and gift-giving items. However, as the brand became popular, it broadened its horizon to various other markets like U.S. And UK; expanded its product line and penetrated into the fashion arena, as they began manufacturing jewelry and accessories (McCabe 2008).

Swarovski had clear aims and objectives for becoming recognized in the global market for the quality and elegance of its products couple to the best services provided to its customers. It strongly believed in making their customers brand loyal for which it continuously designed appropriate policies that can suit the present time yet keeping its heritage and legacy alive in all the times since its establishment. Clear visions and missions had begotten it to emerge soon as a designer brand all around the world (McCabe 2008).

Swarovski has believed and implemented the philosophy of respect and responsibility to all its stakeholders including employees, partners, customers and the environment. Swarovski is a brand that has targeted a wide range of consumers that consist of business consumers, people belonging to upper middle class and high income group that have the interest towards the high quality products. While making a comparison of Swarovski with other related products, it has been witnessed that this brand has gained a high ranking in uniqueness, quality and reputation (McCabe 2008).

The name Swarovski has strongly been associated with the term luxury, and the mission statement of Swarovski ‘we add sparkle to people’s everyday lives’ (Swarovski 2012) itself demonstrates this fact that it is a brand that offers a wide range of magnificent and lavish crystal products to its consumers. This eye-catching brand works with the values of being vigorous, dynamic, energetic, and powerful, which denotes that they utilize their key strengths to the maximum. Since the employees are accredited and empowered, thus working in collaboration with one another becomes the strong point that leads to productivity and accomplishment of mutual goals in an effective and efficient manner (Genth 2004).

Swarovski offers innovative, imaginative and uniquely designed products and solutions to its wide ranging customers on a global platform as one of their distinctive potency. Indeed, the advancement and development of new shapes, colors and effects of the crystal products are executed by the team of artistic and innovative workers that can reflect diverse and distinct themes of crystals (Genth 2004).

The brand has very well taken care of the employees and their needs in term of profit sharing, company pensions, housing projects and various other practices because employees are considered as a valuable asset to the company and these intrinsic and extrinsic rewards as a part of corporate culture is conducive to productive and effective output from the employees (Campbell 2010).

Consumer loyalty is one of the primary aims and objectives of Swarovski for which they strive on a continuous basis by pleasing and surprising their consumers. Additionally, Swarovski does not only focus towards having an enduring relationship with the customers but also struggle to have long-standing associations with the partners (Campbell 2010).

In view of emotional drivers that pull the consumers towards Swarovski, the brand has extended and intensified their fashion segment that can provide the consumers with premium luxury experience. This is principally due to the increased demand of the fashion segment in the recent times. However, according to the perception of the management of the brand, this extension would produce high benefits to the company and would result not only in augmented consumer loyalty but would also elevate the sales figures of the brand (McCabe 2008).

Since the leadership aimed to extend a product line of the brand, they were aware of the fact that all the building blocks need to be carefully gazed that can help them achieve their objective of business growth as well as providing the consumers with an entirely creative, exclusive and persuasive experience. The three main themes that Swarovski has focused and would be a substantial part of discussion in the thesis includes emotional brand engagement, brand storytelling and Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) (McCabe 2008).

1. Emotional Brand Engagement

Emotional brand engagement typically refers to connecting or creating a link between the brand and the consumer on the basis of emotions and sentiments. To connect the consumers with a brand on the emotional basis is essential and vital. Robert Passikoff and Amy Shea described brand engagement as, “the consequence of a marketing or communication effort that results in an increased level of brand equity for the product/service” (2008, pp. xxviii). In actual fact, it has come to vision that the emotional factors are the most crucial and critical components on which the consumer loyalty and spending decisions are based (Buckingham 2008).

This development of brand engagement between consumers and brands endures over time. This means that the deeper and powerful connection with the customer towards a brand on emotional level is dependent upon the frequency and consistency with which a brand can connect. Principally, it has been observed at many instances by researchers and marketers that feelings and emotions are considered as a significant aspect of the buying decision of consumers when pertaining to a particular brand (Buckingham 2008).

This means that the marketers have identified and discovered this piece of information long time back that emotions and feelings largely contribute to the buying and purchasing patterns of the consumers and even their brand engagement. Therefore, the brands ought to gravely consider the ever changing emotions of the customers that change with their lifestyles, needs, and aspirations so that they can enhance and present their product lines accordingly to help the brands cultivate a prevailing and strong correlation and bonding with the increasingly shifting emotions of the consumers (Buckingham 2008).

Emotions and feelings cannot remain unnoticed or overlooked when the consumption of luxury brands is the subject matter. This is normally due to the reason that people get emotionally bonded to the brand when they achieve self-fulfillment as well as their objectives to impress others from the luxury brands experience. This verifies that emotional attachment is subject to luxury consumption (Buckingham 2008).

Taking into account the market for the luxury consumption that includes the accessories, jewelry and so forth; records have indicated that this market is increasingly growing at an accelerated speed without a doubt from the last few decades specifically in the developing nations such as the Asian countries. Consumers have become conscious and aware of the growing market of luxury brands than ever before. This denotes that the consumers are struggling to a greater extent to gain knowledge about the legacy and tradition of the luxury brands. Moreover, the consumption of luxury brands have also escalated because gargantuan number of people tends to make purchase of the luxury brands as gifts for friends and family when they travel (Buckingham 2008).

The luxury brands in this age of fierce and intense competition perceive and believe that the conventional methods of advertising and promotion are only an itinerary that creates the knowledge and awareness amongst the consumers. Nevertheless, targeted marketing (that represents the emotional driving force) is becoming the primary and fundamental aspect of concern that many of the brands are focusing in order to create emotional engagement with the consumers that can provide them lasting relationships and loyalty from the consumers (Buckingham 2008).

However, looking at the perspective of the brand of Swarovski, it has been monitored that they have created a consumer-based pyramid in order to keep closely connected to the consumers’ emotions and feelings. In this regard, they ensure high quality with proper detailing of the product during the manufacturing process and make the product a perfect one that can easily catch the attention of the consumers. They very well keep the emotions of the consumers in mind while designing and manufacturing the crystal products, which result in catering to large proportions of people belonging to different financial background (Kotler & Pfoertsch 2006).

Empirical studies have demonstrated that the demand for jewelry is escalating at an unprecedented rate in the market of USA. This is one of the biggest opportunities for Swarovski to enter and capture huge shares of this market. This is particularly because this brand is consumer-based and the emotions and demands of the consumers are their top most priority. Although the cheaper competitors and substitute companies are one of the biggest threats to them, yet their strong brand name and status is one of their leading strengths that they can use to cater the changing emotions of the particular market (Kotler & Pfoertsch 2006).

In response to the discovered opportunity, the management of Swarovski has extended its product line and enlarged their attention towards the fashion segment that is in growing demand. Since the emotional connection of the consumers plays a significant role, therefore, Swarovski paid special attention towards the transparency of the strategies to implement for the fashion segment products (Nair 2002).

They designed and constructed a set of principles regarding the training of the store managers and field leadership teams. Specialized group of people were also involved in this procedure of training that facilitated Swarovski in crafting the learning map and model based on the vision, strategies and customers’ experience. This coaching and training model was essential as the emotional attachment of the clients must not get hurt in any way (Nair 2002).

The implementation of the new strategies initiated with the employees at the managerial level on annual basis, which was later applied to the forefront employees as the sales team was the key responsible characteristic that created the brand experience to the customers in stores. Accountability of the results and overall depiction of the brand was an additional measure that inspired and motivated the employees to produce effective and productive outputs. The new strategies and approach made the employees focus specifically on the client experiences and engagement regarding the brand (Nair 2002).

Nevertheless, to strengthen the brand name and image, coaching model also included a component of eLearning as a substitute of fashion magazine that resulted in increased connection from the staff members. Additionally, this module also boosted the confidence for selling the brand amongst employees (Nair 2002).

The eLearning has resulted in amplified confidence amongst the employees of Swarovski towards the technology, which has become a key point of strength for the brand and gave them a competitive edge over others present in the retail marketplace. The shifted focus towards new strategies (that is education and training module) has made Swarovski witness higher level of positive attitude of employees with enhanced skills of transmitting their message in the form of behaviors to the customers. Furthermore, by educating the employees, the brand has transformed its image and status by having retained employees that act as brand ambassadors for the consumers (Becker & Taylor 1995).

Education and awareness has been one of the substantial components that Swarovski has always considered with severity and seriousness and this has been verified through numerous studies and researches. According to the company’s aims and objectives, they focus on creating powerful awareness about the fashion jewelry through different campaigns that can educate the entire market of the nation of Asian countries (KPMG 2008).

Even though the consumers of Asian market does not represent affluent and prosperous social status, yet nowadays the spending decisions of their disposable income has shifted towards buying products that can make them experience the luxury lifestyle at the same time where the products are reasonable and accessible to them. The spread of knowledge and understanding within the marketplace became a corner stone towards the enlargement of the brand name and reputation (KPMG 2008).

The studies have clearly indicated that initially when the brand was launched in the emerging Asian markets like China, the customers did not have any idea and opinion about the brand and its products. However, with the passage of time, Swarovski provided its consumers with high-quality and reliable luxury products’ experience that was admired and valued by the consumers of all age groups and genders. Consequently, the physical experience with the brand led towards the emotional attachment, engagement and recommendation from the consumers, which created high level of customers’ loyalty towards the brand (KPMG 2008).

Studies have also exposed the fact that teenagers are the most fashionable group of people that opt for jewelry in the today’s epoch. Furthermore, this is the target audience that likes to keep them up-to-date and stylish with the most modern styles and trends, and express themselves through different jewelries. In this vein, where the shift has come to vision within the trendy and stylish jewelry collections, the luxury crystal brand Swarovski has broadened its horizons with the expansion and launch their new product line of jewelry (Baker 2012).

This innovative segment particularly targets the youngsters and teens that can present them with jewelry reflecting the originality, glamour, uniqueness and versatility. As the time changes, the needs and lifestyles of the consumers also encounter various changes and the new modification is towards the beautification as a symbol of style and status whether it is their homes or themselves (Baker 2012).

The brand seek to reposition their brand and focus on concentrating on the next generation target audiences in order to create a vast fans followers to the Swarovski’s fashion collection. However, keeping in mind the aims and objectives, the emotions and sentiments of this age group also needs to be looked upon, for which the brand is well aware of the fact that they do not tend to make high spending decisions on accessories and jewelries (Baker 2012).

In view of this aspect, the brand has offered an affordable price for cut-crystal rings, earrings, necklaces, bracelets and bangles, especially for the price-conscious consumers, as the cost is considerably much lower in comparison to the core Swarovski brand range. This undoubtedly elucidates that Swarovski has not restricted itself towards a certain age group and aims to cater as may consumers as possible, because of which they carefully watches the changing emotions of the people of all age group and has come up with a low ranged jewelry for the target audience (Baker 2012).

Numerous sources of information has exposed the fact that the financial downturn on a global basis has made little or no impact on to the spending decisions of luxury market and consumers are buying the luxury products at the same swiftness, due to their augmented self-confidence on the luxury brands like that of Swarovski. The self-confidence of the consumers is the consequence of high awareness of different products marketed by Swarovski, which had made the consumers develop their own styles. Records have also highlighted that Swarovski had faced problems immediately after the economic crisis but due to their flexible pricing to their various products, minute effects have been witnessed by them on their sales volume (Becker, Langes-Swarovski & Le Gallais 2005).

According to some schools of thoughts the high emotional engagement of the consumers with the brand of Swarovski is because of the delicate, stylish and elegant environment provided by the brand that converts their purchasing into a complete and comprehensive experience that enables the consumers to submerge and immerse themselves in the world of crystal (Becker, Langes-Swarovski & Le Gallais 2005).

Swarovski has developed a deep understanding about the reality that emotional meta-communication is the key foundation stone that creates the connections and engagements of the consumers with the brands as it ensures the delivery and distribution of information. This means that the way in which brands communicate with the consumers is of prime concern for them that begets to the maturity of the relationship, however the content of information pertaining to the brand and its products that is provided to them is of little importance (Bevolo, Gofman & Moskowitz 2011).

This has been verified through a research study that brings the piece of information to forefront that Swarovski has recently been working in collaboration with a recognized hi-tech brand in order to offer the consumers, specially the female consumers with innovated and luxurious crystal crusted gadgets such as earphone and USB memory keys. The goal is to penetrate into the market of lavish, trendy and stylish electronic accessories that can target the segment of women by transforming the modes of interaction for them with innovation and technology (Bevolo, Gofman & Moskowitz 2011).

Desires are normally considered as positive emotions that plays a substantial role of subconscious motivator in the decision making process for an individual. This has been visibly identified by luxury brands due to which they practice the extremely complicated spectrum of emotionally governing communication to induce and persuade the consumers. In addition, marketers and brands have also analyzed that concierge is an effective technique of connecting with the consumers regardless of the fact that it is executed on special moments or daily interactions (Hardy 2010).

This is because it facilitates the brands to develop a profound, intense and emotional bonding that eventually results in augmented spending, recursive brand consumption, and brand advocacy by the consumer. In a very similar manner, crystal maker Swarovski has initiated a devoted mobile site for the occasion of Valentine’s Day. This site was developed to facilitate the consumers with their needs of gift ideas, dine outs and health spa facilities from the list of categories that incorporated florists, chocolates, spas and beauty, cosmetics, bakeries, books, and beverages (Hardy 2010).

This is one of the events through which the brand is determined to provide not only the gift ideas but also a device where they can locate several activities without any difficulty. Google places also worked in partnership that recommended the consumers with the directions to hotspots. The fundamental purpose of Swarovski was to convince the consumers to perceive that the brand is with them in their special needs and occasions. Moreover, the brand aspired to engage the people with the brand through various occasions (Hardy 2010).

The consumers and prospect clients value and admire the efforts of Swarovski for intimating them about the most recent products. According to the brand, this mobile site has been one of the means and ways to build strong association with the audiences, thus they used multichannel efforts to market this strategy. Swarovski has been actively involved in promoting the brand through the mobile campaigns by focusing on holiday themes for the reason that the consumers have provided constructive opinions and responses to the event of Valentine’s Day (Hardy 2010).

The general population of the current era has moderately become immune to simple marketing and advertising messages targeted at them and does not tend to pay much attention to it. However, creating an experience with the consumers is an effective technique to reach to the target audience. Physical experiences in general fabricate and stimulate emotional connections that cannot be weighed against any other marketing messages. Recent studies have exposed and uncovered the reality that Swarovski has constructed and fabricated an open, airy, artistic and innovative world of virtual experience with crystals (Lindgreen & Vanhamme 2009).

Here, the consumers get the opportunity to enjoy and revere their experience of creatively built crystal products that incite and inspire them to acquire such master pieces of crystal designed products. This entire experience that Swarovski has created for their consumer has become a path that not only leads to productive reflection of the brand but also distinguishes them from others in front of their consumers. At the same time, it creates a sentimental attachment amongst the consumers with the brand that makes them a loyal customer on a long-term basis (Lindgreen & Vanhamme 2009).

Since the emotional drivers of consumers are all about their experience with the brand, thus Swarovski has fully implemented effective strategies that can create emotional engagement of the consumers with them. This means that they have been in the continuous process of recognizing, identifying and valuing the needs of their consumers and develop key approaches that are based on the needs and wants of the consumers at their earliest possible time that makes them a brand with the image of customer-driven. Moreover, the brand has been adjustable and flexible with the host countries’ customs and traditions while executing the best practices of their global strategies simultaneously. Diversity within their organizations has led the brand to have the finest and most creative employees, which has produced a close and emotional relationship with its customers (Lindgreen & Vanhamme 2009).

Swarovski has been one of the luxury brands that have valued the traditions and family heritages, as they have been aware that emotions and sentiments are the keys for the success of their brand. Furthermore, they have believed in increased awareness of the brand amongst all the demographics due to which they have initiated a pleasure trip for entire families with the vision to make the trip a seamless and ideal day out for all family members. Excitement, interaction and adventure have been the core emphasizing aspects for the tour that can stimulate and animate the families to visit and explore the world of crystals of Swarovski (American Birding Association 1998).

The playgrounds and parks have been the fundamental arrangements of such picnics where the families and visitors received special and extraordinary treatments. The visitors confronted with an entirely different understanding, wisdom and perceptions in the world of creative crystals. This experience had completely been based on an interactive voyage where the families themselves explored and learned about the brand through different activities primarily with the help of question cards (American Birding Association 1998).

The visitors received incentives and rewards amongst the wide range of crystal gift items. This experience of the members of the families caused strong emotional bonding amongst the consumers (American Birding Association 1998).

Swarovski has broadened their focus of the target audiences to a much wider range. This means that nowadays they not only emphasize on focusing the affluent and older demographics but they tend to highlight the young generation of today, which is one of the prime prospect audiences that can turn into potential clients of tomorrow. Moreover, they desire to create an enduring relationship with their consumers due to which they have widened and enlarged their focus (American Birding Association 1998).

However, in this respect, Swarovski has introduced unique and exceptional workshops for the children in order to bring their talent to the forefront with appreciation. These young people are provided with an opportunity to spend a joyful time while portraying their skills and talents in such seminars. The workshop is normally conducted at the developmental places where the young people with creative, imaginative and artistic minds joins together to build and craft inimitably designed crystal pieces of art. Whole of the experience acquainted by the young people have provided evidences of strong and emotional development of relationships with continuous engagement of these people to such kind of events and workshops (American Birding Association 1998).

The value, significance and importance of emotional bonding and engagement of the consumers with the brands have been immensely highlighted though a number of investigations that is playing a crucial role in the brand loyalty from the consumers. Moreover, for the luxury brands in the today’s time, it has become indispensable to create a bonding that must have foundations on the emotional characteristic because the spending nature of the people changes with their needs and spending capabilities. However, emotional touch with the consumers for the luxury brand demonstrates to be an effective mean of connection with the consumers on a lasting basis (American Birding Association 1998).

Pertaining to this subject matter, Swarovski has also launched an approach that provides an excitingly colossal experience to the consumers on their special occasion of birthday that allows the birthday person to rejoice and celebrate collectively with their relatives and friends. The brand allows the group to have a lively trip where they would have an option to enjoy with fun games and arrange a special birthday cake to make the birthday person feel more exceptional. The brand also presents the group with valuable gifts as a technique of celebration. This whole experience has resulted in spreading of positive opinions about the brands amongst a much wider group of people (American Birding Association 1998).

Since emotional attachment and engagement is another name of acquaintance with people from the creative world, hence, this practice has been well applied by Swarovski at many instances. According to one of the cases in point, it has been observed that Swarovski has succeeded in gaining the consumers’ empathy and emotional bond when a female celebrity from the art world become the special guest of one of the events representing their new collection. The celebrity reflected a Swarovski woman with contemporary, feminine, fashionable, trendy and creative qualities of personality (O’Byrne 2009).

With passion, dedication, excitement and eagerness, the celebrity artist sketched and illustrated an eye-catching theme of an animal for Swarovski with pure elegance and style. The event magnificently surfaced the mission of Swarovski that luxury does not only denote the idea of being a part of affluent and wealthy class, but it has moreover taken the shape of an attractive experience that a person desires in his life, which is comprehensively coupled to fortification and fascination of sentiments (O’Byrne 2009).

Swarovski has not confined its brand in designing ornaments and accessories for one animal, but has a wide range of collection of such state-of-art work that can be an ideal gift item for the consumers that love to collect such gift pieces of animals and are big fans of it. These small sculptures and ornament are the inducing factors that persuade and bring out the emotions of consumers from their personal life occasions and incidents associated with them (Sehlinger & Testa 2011).

Swarovski is amongst those few brands that crucially ensure the pleasure and satisfaction of its consumers as their priority by providing them with elegant and miraculous shopping experiences. Therefore, Swarovski chooses its location of shops and stores carefully and set up its internal environment in a sophisticated style by beautifully unifying the contemporary interior designs with historic themes. Moreover, the atmosphere of the shops stimulates an incredible relation of the modern, urban and prevalent traditions and heritage with conventional touch of earlier centuries and weaves it extravagantly with its crystal collection. This provides a distinctive and imperial environment to the customers to visit the shops and feel special in purchasing and using its products (Miller, Vandome & John 2010).

The demographics segment that constitutes women has been perceived as one of the potential consumers that at many occasions desire to correlate their personality with being premium, elegant and trendy. In addition, the female members strive for enhancing their lifestyle and their home decor. This segment of demographics has a greater propensity and enthusiasm such that they can be engaged with the brand on emotional grounds (Potter, Hacker & Dasilva 2009).

In fact, it has also been observed that they greatly admire and respect the brand to which they are engaged emotionally, and this has come to notice at the time they acquire a product. From this aspect, it can clearly be declared that Swarovski has been paying extra attention to this segment of their potential consumers (Potter, Hacker & Dasilva 2009).

The brand has not only designed, introduced and launched the product line of jewelry, but also constantly provided their consumers with real life and astonishing experiences to have a strong and emotional connection with their consumers. In this respect, a number of authenticated sources have uncovered the fact that growing number of females is opting for Swarovski’s products when they are emotionally disturbed. The products of Swarovski gives them power and works like an enchantment that brings their emotions at peace (Potter, Hacker & Dasilva 2009).

The luxury brand Swarovski has also focused on bringing new collections from time to time with different colors and designs that can go with any occasion and blend in any costume or outfit, and has been designed by keeping the needs of the consumers as their foremost priority. Moreover, Swarovski has been involved in designing jewelries such as rings, necklaces and bangles for the special occasions in a women life that incorporate weddings, engagements and various others. Since these special occasions create a very emotional bonding with all the accessories worn on the occasion, thus Swarovski has given this component a special attention and has designed a range of products that women and men can buy and engage their emotional values with it (Campbell 2010).

The interior design and decor of any place can be beautified if it is bedecked and decorated with magnificent and stylish accessories. The marvelously designed and decorated interior of any place appeals the consumers to a large extent without any doubt. In this regard, Swarovski has entailed and associated itself with various other projects and brands of furniture and textile manufacturers, cutting-edge hotels and so forth. Additionally, it has also initiated gleaming joint ventures with the well-known and eminent brands from the industry of interior design. This strategy of partnerships with reputed and popular brands has been applied by Swarovski in order to create more awareness and consciousness about the brand and its cultural heritage that can develop an emotion and passion within the consumers, ultimately resulting in increased sales and loyal consumers from all over the world (Urquiola & Hudson 2007).

2. Brand Storytelling

Brand storytelling is one of the key elements used by marketers and companies to create the foremost impression of the brand such that it creates an emotional need to make a purchase of the product. With reference to brand storytelling experiences, marketers profoundly take advantage of various advertising methods such as traditional and digital promotion and publicity due to the reason that it plays a crucial role in sprouting and surfacing the sentiments of the consumers. This signifies that storytelling is one of the vital and decisive aspects that excite the consumers to purchase the particular brand for a prolonged time (Fog, Budtz, Munch & Blanchette 2010).

According to some schools of thoughts stories act like emotional glue in creating a bonding between the storyteller and their audience. This is generally due to the reason that interesting stories strike the brains and emotions of the person and recalling it at the time of making a decision for purchase is of great help. Brand storytelling has also been observed as a powerful tool because it makes noticeable to the audience that they are being engaged, valued and entertained. This also smooths the progress of spreading positive word of mouth for the brand (Fog, Budtz, Munch & Blanchette 2010).

Stories fabricate experience that leaves long-lasting impressions on to the consumers. The impact of storytelling is far deeper in contrast to facts and figures. This means that by creating the experience of the audiences based on storytelling, the brands can create an intense impression of the minds and hearts of the consumers that are not wobbly or precarious (Lacroix 2010).

Studies have also demonstrated the piece of information that storytelling is such an effective method and tool that leads to consumer engagement and transforms the product information into meaning. Since storytelling integrates and creates a bond with the audience. The fundamental aim of brand storytelling is to attract, entail and sustain the consumers towards the brand on a lasting basis (Lacroix 2010).

Swarovski is one of the luxury brands that exercise the technique of storytelling that is again an essential component smooth the progress of creating the strong and positive image of the brand. Through the method of storytelling, Swarovski has materialized its image as a style icon and glamorous product that can make people look beautiful by carrying elegant, stylish and delicate crystal products (such as jewelry) of the brand. Additionally, Swarovski also represents itself as a brand that beautifies and embellishes the decor and at the same time is durable and everlasting (Kotler & Pfoertsch 2010).

Through the phenomenon of brand storytelling, the companies generate the emotional need and desire to purchase the product. Likewise, Swarovski has practiced the same method and despite of the fact that one may not feel a need of the product, yet they would opt for purchasing it in order to satisfy the emotional desire (Kotler & Pfoertsch 2010).

The employees of Swarovski have been trained and educated regarding the products in such a way that they have the talent to convert the prospects into clients and consumers through the art of storytelling, which is executed in a very creative manner. The employees are completely aware of the association of spending decisions with sentiments and emotions that can easily connect to a brand, thus they marvelously make use of appealing body language and anecdote the product through the variety of brand language in order to make the prospect into a potential client (Nair 2002).

Through the coaching of storytelling amongst the employees, the brand has revolutionized the reputation into a consumer-focused brand name that has the core focus on inspirational experiences and storytelling to correspond and convey the brand message on daily basis. This new approach resulted in compelling brand experiences for the consumers that elevated sales and business profits (Nair 2002).

The employees are also rewarded with promotions to senior level management teams. This strategy of closely connecting and engaging the consumers, Swarovski is working towards creating more loyal consumers than ever before that are involved in an experiential environment of luxury. The key prominence was on generating enduring customers and clients that would come again and revisit the brand exclusively on the basis of the experience they witnessed, and not because of the product (Nair 2002).

The brand storytelling has closely and robustly been adopted by the crystal-cut brand of Swarovski, which has been authenticated through a number of case studies. Records have highlighted the information that recently the brand has web series that could particularly cater to the market of young audiences that is dynamically involved in the chitchats and conversations over the web and social networking sites (Lamb 2012).

The transmission of the web series was exclusively carried out on one of the entertainment sites. Through the notion of brand storytelling, the brand has brought a person to the surface in the web serial who reflected a wealthy, elegant and stylish lifestyle of a metropolitan that is allied with Swarovski and was doing a job in one of the finest cities of the U.S. However, the brand with the objective to bring in the real-time experience of the consumers has added a contest over the social media segment with the theme of ‘gossip girl’ that anchored the series (Lamb 2012).

The core focus and idea of Swarovski is not only to entertain the younger demographics but at the same time to engage these fashionable people with the brand. This has come under implementation by providing them with an occasion to feel the real life sight of the sensational, sophisticated and gleaming world of Swarovski. Through the storytelling concept in the form of the series, Swarovski aims to provide their fans with an opportunity to experience being a costume designer and simultaneously be associated with the luxurious brand of Swarovski (Lamb 2012).

In this regard, the brand has come up with a competition for the young generation where they are required to incorporate their own fashion sense in designing costumes for the brand. Swarovski yearn to create a bonding with the younger consumers in order to expand their visibility through the trendy culture, due to which the consumers will retain their information when they have the means to purchase products (Lamb 2012).

Swarovski realize and apprehend the significance and value of theory of the brand storytelling that creates dramatic and enduring impacts on to the minds and emotions of consumers that normally results in repeated purchases and stronger engagement with the brand. From this perspective, studies and analysis of records have brought the fact to forefront that Swarovski has lately been in the process of creating brand loyalties through engaging people via facebook postcard application in virtual travelling across the world with the characters created by the brand (Lamb 2012).

The characters in the post card application have been observed wearing different sorts of Swarovski’s jewelries and accessories. Through this application the brand intends to promote their products by providing their customers worldwide with an option of mailing and giving out postcards to their loved ones in the network list on different occasions. The brand has also allowed the consumers to add and send personal images in combination with classified messages/notes to their list of relatives and friends (Lamb 2012).

The brand has also uploaded and linked a video to the application that presented the trip of the key characters of the brand. This was not just the end to this brand storytelling, as Swarovski included an e-book that signified a virtual photo album of the voyage of the two figures as well. The e-book had a direct link to the Swarovski’s official website that displayed its products and services. These two characters displayed a collection of the products that include jewelry, coin purses, clutches and charms (Lamb 2012).

These goods prominently exhibited the traditional cultures of various eastern and western countries of the world. The characters that appeared in the brand storytelling were significant to the brand because they added extra value to the brand image and acted like the brand ambassadors (Lamb 2012).

The history, culture, tradition and heritage of the brand are a leading and eminent aspect that must not wipe out as time pass by. To keep the legacy alive, it is imperative for the luxury brands to promote the heritage of the brand. This can be executed from a number of ways; by presenting the products reflecting the true inheritance, by carrying out events to promote the culture and many others. Whatever practices the brands may follow, they must not ignore to keep them updated and present their ideas according to the needs and wants of the consumers (Matzler, Bailorn & Tschemernjak 2007).

In this regard, Swarovski has delicately managed this issue through the storytelling driver that leads to customer magnetization towards the brand. Swarovski, the designer of crystal and jewelry conducted a real-time experience in the form of exhibition that promoted and revealed the history and the culture of the brand. The visitors were invited to the huge exhibition where the brand segregated its cultural heritage into multiple sections. The emblematic designs of the crystals were well-regarded, honored and esteemed by the visitors. Related records with reference to this event also elucidates that Swarovski has employed the digital platform for the publicity of the exhibition in a broad spectrum (Matzler, Bailorn & Tschemernjak 2007).

Elements employed by the brand mainly comprised of a complete set of information regarding the event spot such as directions and settings. Furthermore, the organizers of the event provided the guests with cellular and web applications to be used in case of any information or query. This strategy of digital publicity was implemented with the prime intention to create additional excitement amongst consumers for being a part of the exhibition that can lead to greater engagement. The brand attracted the visitors to check these web applications by applying the policies of special prizes for the winners, which promoted visitors to use these services (Matzler, Bailorn & Tschemernjak 2007).

Since Swarovski is a luxury brand, everybody wishes to buy its products and look elegant by wearing the beautiful pieces of jewelry of finest cut crystals. Nevertheless, Swarovski has taken this measure to create virtual experiences for the consumers that can enable it to become an integral and prominent part of their lives. This is one of the inimitable promotional activities conducted by the brand that enables the consumers to catch pictures and create real life experiences through a mobile application with the Swarovski products that are of limited edition, made in partnership with various other brands (teNeues, Hupertz & Ogundehin 2010).

This is an exceptional and wonderful example of a brilliant amalgamation of different promotional techniques such as in-store and mobile advertisements. The consumers also had the option to share these elite pictures of theirs with their online networks of friends and family. Additionally, the applications also allowed the consumers to add personalized messages that they can display with the pictures on immediate basis. Through this approach of brand storytelling, Swarovski concentrated on demonstrating a different image that can reflect its image as a technologically innovated brand (teNeues, Hupertz & Ogundehin 2010).

Cinema is highly admired by people all around the world and it can prove to be one of the most significant ways to catch the attention of the viewers in an effort of advertising and spreading awareness. Swarovski employed this popular interest of people in order to advertise its commodities by narrate its story and objectives in the form of film and movie. This was a unique and creative style of reaching to its customers as well as convincing many others to become one (Quinn 2010).

The brand produced a film that depicted the life of a lady in which all the aspects of her living had been highlighted. It was actually a story in which the lead actor underwent and experienced multiple events to explore her personality with the aim of identifying her exact characteristics. The brand’s crystal products played a vital and fundamental role in her life and affected her existence and personality, which portrayed the importance of crystals in one’s life (Quinn 2010).

The script of the film carefully and incredibly molded the Swarovski’s legacy with the future prospects of its products. The creative department of the film production performed a magnificent job in shooting the scenes of the movie by choosing the correct settings and lights to show the crystal pieces in elegant and beautiful impressions. This movie was a brilliant piece of work in terms of catching the attention of potential audiences and amusing them while delivering the message of the brand and influencing many to become consumers (Quinn 2010).

3. IMC — Integrated Marketing Communication

Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) is an instrument that the marketers exercise in order to create an emotional attachment towards the particular brand. Furthermore, amalgamation of different marketing tools, techniques and resources begets to customer attraction to a greater extent and that too at a minimum cost. Besides, this is a planning process that employs various methods in order to create an interaction between the brands and the consumers (Keillor 2007).

Consumers seek for dedication, openness and sincerity from the brands at an accelerated pace and rate based on their sentiments, which leads to consumers’ trust in a brand and hence become loyal to them. The consumers would only feel strong emotional attachment to the brand if the company utilizes the best integration strategy to attract the customers, and hence an enduring relationship between the brand and consumer is the outcome (Keillor 2007).

Integrated marketing communication deeply contributes in developing, maintaining and sustaining the identity and equity of a brand. Both online and offline marketing channels are used by marketers as means of integrated marketing communication for the products and services. Few of the prominent IMC tools to contact the audiences incorporates broadcast media (such as television, radio), print media (for example newspapers and magazines), internet, product placements, word-of-mouth, events or sponsorships and many others (Keillor 2007).

This holistic approach in the contemporary world of commercialization has become a prime facet because the marketing channels have ascended at an accelerated pace that ranges from broadcasting media to social media. Moreover, the rapidly increasing competition amongst the businesses has escalated the significance of integrated marketing communication because of privatization and globalization of emerging economies in the recent times. In other words, IMC has become a two way communication and interaction process with the consumers, emphasizing on building long-term relationships with them, instead of focusing only on new prospects (Yeshin 2012).

The fundamental aim of integrated marketing communication is to carry out and examine the messages of the brand through enlightening, persuading and attracting the consumers’ attention that can help build and foster the customer relationship with the brand. Indeed, the messages exhibited through IMC jogs the memory of the consumers about the unique benefits of products and services (Yeshin 2012).

It has become a necessity for the luxury brands to entail and implement extensive marketing, advertising and promotional strategies in the emerging markets in order to attract and easily catch the attention of the consumers and build brand awareness amongst them. The emerging nations are not profoundly aware of the luxury brands and products, which make it essential to have proactive and positive approaches to target the larger segment of the audience (Yeshin 2012).

With reference to the luxury brand Swarovski; internet, billboards, newspapers, magazines, catalogue, shop experience, TV commercials, advertisements on subways and so forth are few of the pivotal integrated marketing communication and promotional methods employed with the intention to grab the attention of the consumers. Indeed, Swarovski has also promoted its products through few of the television programmes, which has aided them in building and increased consciousness amongst huge number of consumers (Corbus & Guertin 2007).

Swarovski has widely practiced the approach of a two-way and open communication with their consumers that can help them stay in close contact with its customers. They have employed a number of tactics that consist of setting up fashion houses, planning several programs for customer loyalty and developing real-time tourist attraction places. All these tools and techniques have proved to be tremendously popular and are commendably admired by the visitors and collectors (Corbus & Guertin 2007).

According to one of the reports, Swarovski has expressed their gratitude towards the Chinese consumers (which is one of the biggest potential target market for the brand), as they have been the most prominent consumers for the brand across the globe that have left an indelible imprint on to their sales volume not only in China but in many other parts of the world. Swarovski represented a tool of integrated marketing communication through exercising the celebrity endorsement for their product line of watches that proved to be one of the efficient emotional drivers for the customers. This was predominantly practiced in order to demonstrate the gargantuan extent of value the brand gives to its local consumers and also to engage them to a much greater level on this emotional basis (Tang 2009).

It is also prudent to note that the anticipations and hopes of both the employees and the consumers are expanding and intensifying at a rampant pace related to the high-quality experience in the retail world, which has been illustrated by the brand owners. This expectation of the consumers and employees made the brand harmonize the retail outlet experiences all over the places, which has enhanced their outlets with tremendous infrastructure, decor and location. This is for the reason that the clients and members of the company are of great value for Swarovski, which resulted in continuous loyalty from both the parties (Corbus & Guertin 2007).

Swarovski has respected and esteemed their employees and consumers like a precious treasure, thus they have created all the possible ways to connect to them. In this regard, company websites and dedicated blogs are few of the measures of integrated marketing communication that they practice in order to be updated with their clients’ comments and reviews about them so that they can lead towards perfection in their products and services (KPMG 2010).

As the world has infiltrated into the age of technological advancements, the traditional ways of marketing and promoting that incorporate broadcast media have provided evidences to be less effective in creating the emotional bonding with the consumers in comparison to the internet and social media site. Furthermore, the majority of the world population virtually keeps them updated through the internet and social media websites. Various studies have brought the information into limelight that television advertising has now only become the instrument for building stronger brand awareness by means of emotional creativity, and brand engagement is typically the result of experience (KPMG 2010).

Deeply looking at this aspect, the luxury brand of Swarovski is also aware of the increasing utilization of the internet and social media networks. Therefore, they have made them present through dedicated blogs and websites. The consumers tend to create word-of-mouth through their posts of reviews and evaluations of their experiences with the brand. Indeed, the customer’s loyalty through the reviews on the blogs has been greatly mesmerized by the brand (KPMG 2010).

According to the brand owners, they very well keep the track and record of the comments and reviews of their customers made for the brand, despite of the fact that they do not make much participation on such blogs. Additionally, the brand believes that the facilitation of web and internet has made a significant growth to the awareness that largely contributes to the boosted confidence amongst the consumers (KPMG 2010).

One of the recent empirical studies has demonstrated the application of emotional driver of Integrated Marketing Communication in the form of internet by Swarovski that they believed in contribution and participation of the consumers that can make them feel and realize their significance to the enterprise. The brand initiated and organized a competition over the internet website for the consumers that persuaded them to design and create the crystal tattoos using proficient online applications and features (Fuller 2006).

The brand enlightened the consumers that they can later apply these tattoos directly on their skin. Numerous consumers were a part of this competition and highly appreciated this competition. In fact, the consumers expressed their desires and interests to have such kind of innovative activities and events in the future as well. The interest of the consumers and their participation in the competition clearly and evidently exhibited their emotional attachment, bonding and experience with the brand (Fuller 2006).

One of the investigations has highlighted that Swarovski has been one of the luxury brands that has extensively used the integrated marketing communication styles. The innovativeness of the brand can come to vision from the actuality that they intermingled with one of the airlines so as to craft exclusive custom-made sleeping masks with different colors and unique designs of sunglasses (Lamb 2012).

These masks were distributed to the economy and upper class consumers with the sustainable amenity kit. This practice was one of the strategies of Swarovski to strengthen and reinforce the brand identity amongst the widespread proportion of the affluent demographic group. Additionally, the brand also desire to and creates greater awareness about the conventional ways in which Swarovski uses its crystals (Lamb 2012).

The customer support and promotion towards a certain brand is because of the quality experience that the customer has received. This concept and phenomenon has widely been realized and understood by the marketers. In fact, the brands seek for customer advocacy, as this support and enthusiasm leads to broadcast of optimistic and constructive word-of-mouth through recommendations via internet blogs and social networking sites to many other potential prospects (Cooper 2011).

This spreading of positive response illustrates the customer engagement with the brand. Keeping this crucial and vital element into account, Swarovski has made itself actively available by means of blogs and websites where the consumers can freely and openly post and share their opinions and experiences with others (Cooper 2011).

Swarovski is one of the luxurious brands that has advanced its means and approaches of marketing and promotion with the exact pace with which the world has advanced. The brand is very well cognizant to the increasing use of social media sites and newsletters on the internet in the today’s fast paced world. Therefore, they have also broadened their ways of marketing from the traditional forms to the new mediums. The e-newsletters are another effective mode of communication that has been applied largely by the brand to increase the awareness about the new product launches and events of the brand in a much comprehensive manner (Zelesny 2011).

Besides, through the e-newsletters, the brand has the option to provide much more information related to the new product with its entire background information and so forth. As a result of it, the e-newsletters have provided them with a personalized touch of communication with their consumers. Additionally, the consumers get immediate updates on the current events of the brand, which becomes the basis for long-term bonding and emotional attachment with the brand (Zelesny 2011).

As a result of it, they have been very pleased with such marketing as according to them facebook has been one of the finest mediums that led them to have an open communication about the latest happenings to the consumers on a personal basis that enhances and intensifies the bonding and connection with the core audiences, resulting in consumers enduring engagement with the brand. This is typically because the interface of facebook application and emails creates a greater probability that the recipients would share the information of the brand on their networks, which eventually enlarges the segment of audiences (Zelesny 2011).

The popularity of social media such as facebook has skyrocketed in the current times, which cannot be ignored by the marketers. Keeping in view the increasing utilization of this medium, Swarovski is also continuously striving to gain attention of more consumers by means of this platform. Swarovski uses the arena of facebook to a great extent in order to promote their glamorous and trendy products and services. Facebook is a vast and open channel that helps in building a personal relationship with the fans (Zelesny 2011).

Due to its open communication with numerous loyal fans at the same time, this fact accentuates the information that Swarovski has positioned itself to cater the consumers on enduring perspectives, rather than leveraging the short-term consumers. In fact, to keep itself constantly connected with its fans, Swarovski posts news items and latest happenings on frequent and regular basis. The brand vigilantly monitors the responses and opinions of the fans’ experiences so that they can enhance or improve their products according to the needs and wants of them (Zelesny 2011).

This is of high importance to them because ultimately the fans are their primary customers for which they want them to develop brand loyalty from regular purchases, rather than disappointing their needs and turning into decreased sales. Astonishing and striking pictures of celebs appearing with decorated products of Swarovski, videos and competitions are few of the elements that Swarovski uses to achieve their concentration. Through dedicated pages on the facebook, the consumers can peruse all the details about the latest incidents and popularity of the brand (Zelesny 2011).

These regular updates noticed by the consumers’ raises the likelihood of purchasing of Swarovski’s products. The brand particularly focuses on placing information related to celebrities ornamented with Swarovski’s jewelry because they generally tend to influence the buying behaviors of the consumers. This also leads to marketing through word-of-mouth through the picture likings. The utilization of social media, specifically facebook as substantiated to be an effective and effectual method that has made the brand gain a massive amount of brand loyal consumers and escalated sales from the fan followers and have authenticated to be an influential and governing marketing tool (Zelesny 2011).

The recurring purchasing from the loyal customers is because of the aspect of socialization and close connection to the consumers from the platform of facebook that Swarovski has used in the most appropriate manner. Due to the widespread utilization of this powerful tool of facebook, Swarovski has become a role model for the luxury brands in terms of social media exploitation (Zelesny 2011).

Studies have also revealed the piece of information that Swarovski is not only marketing, but also initiating many other promotional activities and campaigns that include promotional giveaways through contest over the web. This can be elucidated from the study where it has come to vision that Swarovski has commenced a contest for the frequent visitors of facebook fans where they need to upload their videos of dancing with virtual sunglasses of Swarovski through an application on the company page. This video is a chance that can make them win shades from the series of new collection of the brand (Weintraub 2011).

Sunglasses are one of their luxury products of summer wear, which are very much admired and well-accepted commodity for the young people. This unique approach has presented a new and different image of the brand and it began to gain recognition as an eyewear brand after this advertising campaign. The brand image and reflection had been frequently linked with older and wealthy demographics, but this promotional approach was one of the influential strategies in order to attract and allure the younger segment of the target audience and to present the image of the brand as an achievable brand (Weintraub 2011).

Recent records have provided enough evidences for the fact that technology has made a radical and far-reaching impact on the luxury retailing and sales volume. The number of internet users has amplified at a rampant pace with the passage of time, which has made the platform of internet an extensive and global arena that leads to generation of more and more consumers towards a particular brand (Higham 2009).

In addition, media and technology plays a quite influential role that persuades the consumers and magnetize their attention. The social media networking has also proved to be a vital element that directs and manages the sentiments and emotions of the consumers for a brand of their choice. The researches have also illuminated that the broad-spectrum idea of the consumers is to have seamless brand experience due to which they have become extensively accustomed and habitual to the online searches (Higham 2009).

Consequently, the consumers opt for searching the products and services on the web before the real-time purchasing. Taking this aspect into account, Swarovski has created a universal presence of the brand on the web through a number of campaigns in collaboration with facebook applications, blogs, e-newsletters and various others that has resulted in managing their brand in a much effective and efficient manner (Higham 2009).

While having a glimpse on the power of traditional media as a form of integrated marketing communication that comprise of broadcast and print media such as television commercial and newspaper advertisements, one cannot neglect or evade the supremacy of this tool on the consumers. Examining the influence of traditional media, empirical studies have put the fact to public interest that it is strongly capable of creating a successful brand image in combination as well as consumer engagement with the brand (Pride & Ferrell 2008).

Since the television commercials create unique, creative and empathetic advertisements for the consumers, which become the basis for the strong relationship with the consumers. The promotional campaigns through the traditional mediums persuade and encourage the consumers to participate with the brand through real-time experiences from the purchasing. Ultimately the experience turns out to be the key to brand engagement on an emotional basis. Likewise, Swarovski has created and produced quite a few leading and persuasive television commercials that have involved a number of models and icons (Pride & Ferrell 2008).

The visual representation of the products of Swarovski has fashioned and induced a number of people to purchase their luxurious products and be a part of the style and fashion trend. The brand has believed in thinking out of the box that can differentiate and distinguish them from others. Therefore, they have added graphics in their commercials to acquaint the consumers with stories in a novel and thrilling way. Swarovski in their television advertisement has also focused on elements that can touch people’s emotions and heart through a constructive storyline that can aid them in gaining the concentration of the consumers (Pride & Ferrell 2008).

From the numerous techniques of integrated marketing communication that involves the process of two way interaction with the consumers to smooth the progress of consumer engagement with the brand, Swarovski has vibrantly demonstrated the application of a number of these tools to persuade their consumers. Conducting an entire and exclusive experience from an event (that portrayed the launch of one of their collections) is proved to be an effectual method that Swarovski has employed. The event conducted by the brand presented a pick theme with all the ornamentals that included the jewelries and accessories reflected diverse and distinct tones of pink color (Campbell 2010).

Since the jewelries and accessories are close to the emotional values, hence, the theme of pink color was used to create a passionate and lovable environment to suit the theme. The ramp walk by famous and well-known celebrity models wearing the newest and hottest collection of Swarovski jewelries and accessories was the key element of prominence that created a sparkling and gleaming episode of the entire event (Campbell 2010).

This was not the end as the brand engaged the visitors with the intention of making them feel valued through exclusive brand experience by providing them the option to produce their own embellished good. Besides, the staff members were at their service for clicking an instantaneous photo of them to capture the special experience for memories (Campbell 2010).

Social Responsibility in terms of sponsorship for a social cause has again come to vision as one of the strategies of integrated marketing communication campaigns. Swarovski has been sponsoring a social event for many years with the primary goal to elevate awareness related to heart diseases amongst the female demographics of U.S.. Through this sponsorship Swarovski highlights their drift towards the cardiac well-being of the female population that is an ever growing concern of today’s time (Hunting & Gleason 2011).

Indeed, records have analyzed that Swarovski has prominently contributed to the heart health campaigns in terms of heavy financial and moral aid since a long time. The celebrities appeared wearing the Swarovski’s exclusively designed jewelries on the ramp of a fashion show that was specifically organized with an intention of charity. The brand promotes the research and education regarding women cardiac health for which it has developed collaboration with multiple heart research institutes and gives away millions of dollars as donations (Hunting & Gleason 2011).

Charities and raising funds have been a popular tool implemented by Swarovski. They have strived for collecting funds and charities in order to raise awareness amongst the huge population of the world with regard to the lethal diseases. Swarovski has worked in collaboration with many other brands for the charitable cause as they are strongly connected with the brands in the industry of luxury and fashion. One of the social causes in which Swarovski has contributed was for the cancer institution in which they raised funds through the designing of a collection of dresses adorned with Swarovski’s crystals, which was later auctioned and put on public sale. The amount collected from the auction was donated to a cancer institution (Hunting & Gleason 2011).

Studies have exposed that tourists are the most common and universal target audiences that make use of the maps during their travel time to a large degree. Furthermore, the travelers and tourists have been observed as one of the high potential target audiences that can turn into clients and consumers. The tourists normally have sufficient time and capital because they have saved enough money for their leisure trips and want to relax, enjoy and buy luxurious items (Buckingham 2008).

Besides, they focus on the collection of mementos of the countries they travel. Considering all these deep and profound aspects, Swarovski has been one of the brands that have also concentrated on the target market of tourists and travelers. Therefore, Swarovski has provided the local hotels and resorts with the maps in which they tagged their stores that could be handed over to the tourists and thus was one of the techniques used by them to appeal and fascinate the target viewers. This premeditated marketing tactic of Swarovski was implemented with the vision to have the customers enjoy and experience the purchasing of their elegant and glamorous products (Buckingham 2008).

Marketing and creating promotional activities for luxury brands specifically like that of Swarovski is not an easy method, rather it is intense, complicated and challenging. However, Swarovski has put a lot of emphasis on bringing fresh and new ideas so as to fascinate, captivate and target a colossal amount of people. As one of the measures to highlight and draw the attention of the consumers towards the brand image being a socially responsible brand, Swarovski has been engaged in scholarship programs in alliance with few of the institutions (Romaniuk 2008).

Through these scholarship programs, the brand helps the students to complete their education programs by providing monetary help and support to them. Through this financial assistance to the graduating students, Swarovski anticipates to promote the creative students and help them through their financial hurdles that could otherwise wear down and erode their talents and creative abilities (Romaniuk 2008).

Since Swarovski is a brand that had practiced creativity, thus they are determined to bring up students that could be of great value in the future for making valuable revolutionary offerings in the world of creativity and originality. The brand feels an admiration and nobility to add meaning to someone’s life and to be a significant part of such a cause. Through this assistance to the students, Swarovski has surfaced its vision to cultivate and foster the emerging talents that can bring about highly capable and innovative graduates that can lead to constant production of masterpieces (Romaniuk 2008).

Swarovski has prominently and effectively conveyed their message and the image of the brand though the diverse application of different colors, styles, stories and emotions within their wide range of products in order to link with the emotions of the consumers. The consumers that opt for luxurious products are relatively not price conscious and are willing to pay even a high cost for the elite and sophisticated products in order to achieve their emotional satisfaction. However, for these consumers, colorful images and graphics are one of the effectual means of attraction that catches their attention towards the brand (Becker, Langes-Swarovski & Le Gallais 2005).

Taking this component into consideration, Swarovski has widely employed the mobile application that keeps its customers updated with their current and latest information and present data through graphical and animated images, price lists and many others. Moreover, the key intention of the brand is to highlight their heritage and legacy through regularly updating the information and statistical data. In fact, studies have revealed that this method of two-way communication had proved to be tremendously effective in staying connected constantly with the consumer (Becker, Langes-Swarovski & Le Gallais 2005).

Conclusion

Swarovski is a multinational brand that has spread out to several parts of the world offering the consumers with luxurious and finest jewelry, decorative objects and accessories. Being in the marketplace for such a long time, it has created itself as a magnificent and strong brand name, therefore, this powerful brand identity and reputation of Swarovski has become one of its key strengths that have made them become the market leader within the industry.

Swarovski has laid key emphasis on emotional drivers such as emotional brand engagement, brand storytelling and IMC to magnetize the consumers towards the brand and make them brand loyal. The evidences summarized in the paper reflect the piece of information that Swarovski has gained an insight of how emotional brand engagement plays an integral role in creating brand loyal consumers. Numerous brand engagement strategies and approaches have been applied by the brand that has built an enormous database of consumers that not only belong to the affluent and older demographics but also the younger generation people are appealed by the brand.

Since the emotional attachment with the brand is the key to have long-lasting relationships, thus Swarovski has not disregarded this aspect and has made continuous efforts through the concept and notion of brand storytelling in order to catch the attention of the widespread consumers. Integrated Marketing Communication is also considerably a substantial component of emotional drivers that can attract and magnetize the consumers through a number of ways.

Swarovski is noticeably a prominent brand because it has closely monitored all the possible aspects that can emotionally attach the consumer’s attention with the brand. Therefore, the crystal-cut precious brand Swarovski has exercised and practiced numerous ways of promotion and advertisement. Television advertisements, social media networking sites such as Facebook, blogs, e-newsletters, magazines and newspapers are few of the governing measures that Swarovski has utilized with the objective of catering to a vast quantity of target audiences to build emotional engagement of the consumers with the brand. To conclude, it can be stated that Swarovski employs a number of powerful technique to allure the consumers but at the same time they do not lose their focus from respecting and promoting the heritage and culture of the brand.

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