On February 5 2020, Bottega Veneta created waves around the fashion world, as it deleted all of its social media. Not only did the Italian giant disappear from Instagram, but from Twitter and Facebook as well.
The news got many people wondering why the brand did this, but nobody could come up with a clear answer. The brand did not issue any statement regarding their leaving social networks, so all everyone was left with was speculation.
One of the reasons that was put out there was the idea that Bottega Veneta is trying to become more exclusive. A few years ago, Dior decided that it would not sell online in order to maintain their exclusive aura. However, soon enough, the French brand decided to join the interwebs and sell from their website as well. This reason is not very probable (although it is possible), given that these days, more and more people do their shopping online.
Moreover, Bottega Veneta is targeting many young people who are currently doing a lot of their shopping online and who take inspiration from social media. According to the numbers released by Kering, Bottega Veneta makes in the low hundreds of millions yearly, far from other Kering brands, which would make this a risky move, especially in the current economic climate. It is little likely that any brand would like to alienate a good part of their client base.
Among other reasons which have been thrown around is the idea that Creative Director Daniel Lee simply wants to take the brand completely offline. Some even remembered him saying in a 2019 British Vogue interview: "It was good to grow up in the pre-Instagram era: we had a lot of fun," and that "It will be interesting to see what happens in the future. I believe there will be a return to privacy. I really hope so."
Some voices claim that maybe the brand is simply making a shift in their social media management, as there is currently an open position at the brand for social media manager.
While many reasons for the abrupt shut down may be possible, one reason is the more probable one. That is, of course, the big M: marketing.
Many brands and people have done similar stunts in the past. Celebrities such as Blake Lively dropped off from their social media before releasing an album and many have apparently taken a break from social media before returning with a new project or product. The clues all point in this direction. People are now spending more time than ever on social media, it is the time of year when new collections are released and, well, it is very little likely to completely go off social media. And, given that everyone is writing about it, such a stunt clearly works.
Regardless of what the brand's real reason is, we are definitely seeing a slight trend happening, with people and now brands leaving social media. It is still a new concept and not a trend yet, but we are definitely seeing a slight move towards more offline living. Professor and fabulous youtuber Amanda Hallay said in a video from a while ago that she is starting to notice a trend where 'anonymity is the new celebrity'. She's definitely on to something. For various reasons, many people these days are moving away from the digital world or focus less on it than they used to.
Whether we will find out why Bottega Veneta deleted all their social media remains an open question and, who knows, the answer may even come from social media. Or, who knows, maybe Bottega Veneta will be the first out of a line of many companies that will not have a social media presence.
Fraquoh and Franchomme
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