To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11’s historic moon landing, Louis Vuitton has launched a once in a lifetime microsite (www.louisvuittonjourneys.com) that features a gathering of three of the most noteworthy astronauts of all time:  Sally Ride (first female astronaut), Jim Lovell (of Apollo 13 fame) and Buzz Aldrin (anyone who doesn’t know that one is unworthy of an explanation).  The campaign includes a full above-the-fold rich media buy on the New York Times.  The geek in me was almost brought to tears.  It’s easy to forget in today’s climate that we made it all the way to the moon.  Interstellar space travel may not happen in our lifetime, but we were able to land on an extraterrestrial body.

This led me to consider whether LV’s strategy is brilliant or catastrophic.  Clearly, this campaign is aimed at the unwilling inhabitants of geekdom, but they’ve also incorporated ads inside Grand Theft Auto – another placement that seems illogical or irrational.  But really, it’s brilliant.  LV is going after people with money WHEREVER they are.  There are gamers with money.  There are geeks with money.  Monied people come in all shapes and sizes.  Instead of poisoning their brand with the stench of an elite exclusivity, they are actively going after segments within all markets.  In an era where conspicuous consumption has lost its allure, this lunar move feels more down to earth (pun intended).

I’ve never really thought much about Louis Vuitton products, but clearly the strategy worked.  I may not be monied myself, but you can rest assured that when it comes time for me to buy luxury baggage, Louis Vuitton will be first on my list.

- Dino Hainline, Associate Digital Strategist

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