Factory that makes $10,000 handbags: PR breakdown of Chanel communication misstep
Early on the morning of April 2, WWD, a major fashion media outlet, published a video on Instagram titled “Inside the Factory That Makes $10,000 Chanel Handbags.” Filmed following an interview with Bruno Pavlovsky, president of fashion at Chanel, the video was intended to present a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the Classic 11.12 Handbag in an obviously complimentary light. Its price has nearly doubled over the past six years and has now crossed the psychological threshold of €10,000–costing €10,300 in France and $10,800 in the U.S. But instead of the expected heart-eyes emojis, however, within an hour of posting, the comments section was filled with dozens of remarks questioning the unjustified cost and exposing the “true face” of luxury.
I saved the video almost immediately—right from the first second, it was clear this was a major misstep by the team. However, the video itself only amplified the impact of the headline.
What was in the controversial video? How could it have passed PR oversight before publication? How did the reaction of the involved parties deepen the communication problem, and what could be a better solution?
In addition, I read the article itself, researched earlier interviews with Mr. Pavlovsky, and will add a few details to complete the picture. Finally, there is a path—which I'll share in the article—to overcome Chanel prolonged crisis in quality perception, a crisis that actually began long before this publication and only culminated with this incident. Chanel won't like it, though (hint: it doesn't involve price policy).
Read the article here.
