Platforms for luxury can do great things for a brand. They keep people in-the-know about events and they facilitate networking amongst uniquely like-minded people.
One brand that is taking a really resourceful and effective approach to social is Soho House. As self-described on it's own website, "Soho House has established itself as the preeminent private members club for those in the creative industries." SH has not gone to great lengths in terms of building out a customized community platform but interestingly, it does have a Facebook group. Currently, the group has 1,388 fans, displays 9 photo albums from various member events, and publishes frequent updates about about parties, concerts, screenings and other member events.
This is interesting because an inclusive platform like Facebook (which anyone can join) is being used to extend an exclusive club experience into digital. Traditionally, you would think that luxury brands would want to build their own communities because they want their digital extensions to maintain a premium experience. Further, what we have here is a "private club" sharing member experiences in a very public manner.
It seems, however that they members have no problem with their clubs foray into Facebook. Just taking a quick look at the group, you can see members from London reaching out to New York members to connect during their quick trip across the Atlantic:
Further, recaps from the events by both the club and it's members keep everyone enthusiastic about their membership. The group displays an ability to broaden awareness of an exclusive "scene" and also promote loyalty among it's current customers. Overall, it's interesting to see how the taboos of social media are evaporating, bringing about the entry of new players with innovative and original applications of social for their businesses and brands."Hey NYC members, I'm a member at High Road House in London and visiting your fun city, and catching up with some lovely friends. I'm always up for meeting new fun people, so if you'd like to say Hello, while I'm here and catch up at Soho House, NY, do drop me a message! Denise"
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