Launching the era of "social communication" for luxury brands

Kate Shone

was appointed VICE PRESIDENT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT the Kering Group Americas in August

who having previously worked at Chanel, where she was responsible for public relations and social media marketing for the beauty and fragrance divisions.

While at Chanel, she led the creation of the brand's first US beauty community on Instagram, @welovecoco.

Kate Shone describes her work as "gaining exposure through building brand identity, multimedia communications and content strategies that generate desire for products and brands, and helping brands define and communicate their brand essence to achieve their goals and maximum potential."

In February 2018, Chanel launched a social account on Instagram called "welovecoco". The account functions differently from the main official Chanel Beauty account, not by posting official brand content, but as a sharing platform.

All one has to do is post a photo of themselves using Chanel Beauty products on Instagram and @welovecoco to be selected for retweeting.

Kate Shone has captured the keyword "sharing" in the social media era, creating a private space for brands to interact with their users, which can significantly increase their loyalty.

The posts chosen by the brand are often those that showcase the brand's tone, and the user (the creator) must have a good understanding of the brand's values and ethos.

Through careful selection, the brand builds a "community model for loyal users", and in the process of redistribution, this "model" is widely disseminated and influences more users.

To complement the campaign, Chanel also opened a Chanel Beauty House beauty flash shop in Los Angeles, where American actresses Kristen Stewart, Tessa Thompson, and Ava Phillippe attended the opening party.

COURTESY OF CHANEL

With more and more luxury brands now focusing on community communication and operations, Chanel has already taken an important step forward, with Kate Shone, who took the lead in building the @welovecoco community, gaining a great deal of experience.

For Emmanuelle Walle, Chanel's new Director of International Press Relations and Fashion Public Relations, community building is also at the top of her agenda, as the company said when announcing her appointment: "Her expertise will be a major asset in facilitating the community of influencers and dialogue with the press".

Emmanuelle Walle joins Chanel in 2019 to oversee media relations for its fragrance and beauty division, where she has helped to expand awareness for many projects, such as the 100th anniversary of No. 5.