A lot of brands out there have great success stories, and Hermes is one of those brands. But, we won’t be discussing Hermes’ success stories without Hermes’ marketing strategy. It is because these strategies are exactly how this French brand became a success. Hermes is a French top-notch luxury fashion brand that is quite known for luxury products. Aside from luxury, the brand is well appreciated for quality and fabulous styles.

Additionally, Hermes’ marketing strategy as a case study is a chance to understand the brand properly. It is an opportunity to understand the brand from a marketing viewpoint. With this article, You get to understand all the brand marketing strategies. You will also understand how these strategies help the brand become so successful. According to research, the Hermes marketing strategy is one strategy that delivers. So, it won’t hurt your ego to know a thing or two about their marketing strategy.

Just as Hermes manufactures signature luxury products, their marketing strategy is quite impressive. It is not only remarkable but straightforward to adapt as a businessman or woman. Before we dive into that, let us begin by knowing the company just a little more in the next section. Let’s see.

What do you know about Hermes?

Hermes of Paris, or simply Hermes, is a French goods manufacturer. The brand has consistently topped the list as the world’s most valuable fashion luxury brand. Hermes of Paris, as a luxury brand, enjoys an iconic status in the world of luxury fashion. Hermes is a combination of exquisite skills, rich heritage, and high levels of quality. The company also comprises experts and top designers from all over the world. These qualities give Hermes an edge in the world of luxury fashion.

Unlike other brands such as LVMH, Kering, and Richemont, Hermes does not own a portfolio of brands. There are several products under the Hermes brand for the customers to select from. These products include leather goods, furniture, jewellery, and others. Additionally, the brand manufactures ready-to-wear, saddlery, watches, lifestyle accessories, and even fragrances. According to research, Hermes international came 28th amongst the Best Global Brands 2020.

As of today, the brand operates about 311 stores across the world with over 15,000 employees. The brand has also been labelled as one of the most admired and largest luxury manufacturers globally. Additionally, research shows that Hermes’ generates revenue of over USD 8.3 billion and profits of over USD 1.8 billion yearly. However, the brand is famous for its consistency, combining exceptional creativity with expertise. The brand’s unrelenting focus on the long-term benefits makes her a great success. Well, all these achievements won’t be possible without an excellent marketing strategy. Let’s quickly dive into their philosophy and see what they stand for.

What is Hermes’ brand philosophy?

Every brand has a philosophy, something that drives the company to do better. Well, we can summarise Hermes’ philosophy in a single quote by the former CEO. According to Jean-Louis Damas, Hermes does not have a policy of image. Instead, they have a policy of exceptional products. This singular quote simply explains what Hermes is all about in the fashion world. The quality principle is the reason Hermes always avoids mass production and outsourcing. According to Hermes, they want their products to reflect the hard work the experts put into them.

According to Axel Dumas, the main strength of the brand is the passion and love for craftsmanship. Hermes’ products are desirable to everyone who can afford them. Over the years, the company has maintained these principles. These principles have resulted in the consistency of desirable products. The driving force behind the Hermes brand is the desire of the brand to remain exclusive.

Hermes’ philosophy has always been to remain an ultra-premium luxury manufacturer. This luxury, of course, can only be afforded by a few and is also not readily available. Now with this philosophy, the company does not have a marketing department. It sounds weird, right? Yea! But it’s true. They do not have a marketing department but an exceptional marketing strategy. We believe that everyone in Hermes handles different marketing techniques. Well, we can move to discuss Hermes’ marketing strategy in the next section.

Hermes Marketing strategy

First off, Hermes products are split into several categories. These categories include leather goods and saddlery, silks and textiles, fragrances, watches. Another category is the accessories which include footwear, belts, and hats. There are the men’s and women’s ready to wear luxury fashion as well. However, the marketing strategy is consistent for every product in these categories. Hermes’ marketing strategy revolves around six values. These include quality, creativity, the spirit of conquest, authenticity, skills, and Independence. These are;

Hermes Marketing strategy – Entrepreneurship

All store managers for Hermes are responsible for their collection. However, they have the freedom to purchase products to meet their customers’ needs. It is necessary for the continual sale of Hermes’ products. Although, they do not have the liberty to have all Hermes products in one place. Twice a year, Hermes store representatives gather together for an event in Paris. This event called “Podium” is necessary for all store representatives to discuss business.

During the event, each flagship will have to pick at least an item from the product categories. These categories could be scarves, ties, fragrances, watches, and handbags. It is to push every flagship store to show and sell Hermes complementary products. This event will keep the brand more alluring since customers can’t find all products in each store.

Hermes Marketing strategy – Creativity

Another reason why Hermes products are so desirable is as a result of the brand’s creativity. Every year, Hermes picks designers from the company for new creation. These designers are provided with a particular theme to create their designs. Aside from designers designing, they also collaborate with other designers. These collaborations with other designers help create magnificent products. These collaborations are the mainstay of the Hermes creative pillar. Both the designer and the company benefit from the innovative partnerships. Viewing it from a marketing viewpoint, it is a win-win situation.

Hermes Marketing strategy – Skills

At Hermes, the philosophy is to maintain exclusivity and scarcity continually. Therefore, whatever they produce has to be of the best quality. Now, these craftsmen get trained for two years before resuming work at Hermes to get the best. Yes, this may slow down production, but the outcome is definitely worth the wait. This practice has been across the company and is necessary to get the best. According to Hermes philosophy, delivering exceptional products is all that matters. Notably, Hermes would not be what it is now without extraordinary skills. Hermes only hires the best and, in turn, produces magnificent goods. 

Hermes Marketing strategy – Quality

Top-notch quality is what makes Hermes an iconic fashion brand. Hermes as a brand has introduced patience as an element in its marketing strategy. With patience, they can achieve top quality in their production. As a customer, you simply cannot work into a Hermes store and walk out with a Birkin bag. No, you will have to place an order first and wait for a few months before it is ready. People who can afford these luxury goods anticipate the production of another edition. It is the reason why they design and release top-quality products but in tiny quantities. For example, Hermes bags usually creates surplus demand with limited produce. Now, this surplus demand then overflows into other Hermes products.

Hermes Marketing strategy – Authenticity

Unlike other brands, Hermes does not see celebrity endorsements as a means to build its brand. Hermes has actively abstained from this form of marketing. The truth is, only a few top celebrities and the very wealthy can afford their premium products. This act is an automatic endorsement for the brand. Hermes’ marketing strategy is quite different from other brands out there. They do not follow the typical approach of launching region-specific collections everywhere. They also do not have these products sold everywhere. Hermes is known for its limited-edition strategy for both production and distribution. Therefore, This Hermes’showcases that Hermes displays only authentic products. Another Hermes marketing strategy is that Hermes products are never offered on discounts.

Hermes Marketing strategy – Independence

One of Hermes’ marketing strategies is Independence. Hermes maintains its Independence to operate in its family ownership and shareholding structure. This way, the company has retained most of its production and plan to serve its long-term vision. From the beginning, Hermes has a tradition of manufacturing and launching exclusive products. The exclusive show also makes the brand alluring and strengthens the company’s position. The exclusivity makes the company an object of significant desire among ultra-rich customers.

Independence is another of Hermes’ marketing strategies responsible for their tremendous success. According to the former CEO, he stated that the luxury industry is built on a paradox. It means that the more alluring the brand becomes, the more the products sell. However, the more it sells, the less desirable it becomes. In the bid to create something exceptional, they collaborate with other outstanding companies. These collaborations are not restricted to particular products but to all categories.

Conclusion

The Hermes brand is an ultra-luxury brand and will continue to be for a long time without any doubt. The company practices limited distribution, and controlled marketing strategy, and exclusivity. Hermes products recorded severe growth this year, according to research. The brand has successfully strengthened and kept alive a brand that breathes excellence. They do this with their excellent skills and exceptional product quality. People consider the brand as one of the most innovative brands among other brands. The company remains committed to manufacturing and launching super luxury products consistently. Their goal is to constantly produce unique products and have a solid sense of allure. It is a Hermes super marketing strategy, and that’s exactly how they remain an icon.