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From Heritage to Hashtag

Hunter, Vanessa LU (2026) SKOM12 20261
Department of Strategic Communication
Abstract
From Heritage to Hashtag: How Luxury Brands Communicate Authenticity Strategically on TikTok
The definition of a luxury brand relies on distance and constructed myth, which becomes a paradox when demand for transparency increases on social media. The aim of this study is to understand which strategy the brands Hermès, Chanel, and Louis Vuitton used to reconstruct their aura, following the reputational crisis on TikTok during 2025. Furthermore, the study examines how these strategies are perceived by consumers. The study was conducted through multimodal critical analysis (MCDA) of 18 posts and approximately 180 comments. The theoretical framework of the study was based on Rhetorical Arena Theory (RAT), Authenticity theory, and the... (More)
From Heritage to Hashtag: How Luxury Brands Communicate Authenticity Strategically on TikTok
The definition of a luxury brand relies on distance and constructed myth, which becomes a paradox when demand for transparency increases on social media. The aim of this study is to understand which strategy the brands Hermès, Chanel, and Louis Vuitton used to reconstruct their aura, following the reputational crisis on TikTok during 2025. Furthermore, the study examines how these strategies are perceived by consumers. The study was conducted through multimodal critical analysis (MCDA) of 18 posts and approximately 180 comments. The theoretical framework of the study was based on Rhetorical Arena Theory (RAT), Authenticity theory, and the dramaturgical frame perspective, including four different lenses connected to industry practice within the luxury segmentation. The findings show that Hermès, employing strategic silence by not being present at all in the debate on TikTok and maintaining their distance by using the strategy of cultural distance connected to art, protects their myth and aura; this approach results in a lower amount of discursive dissonance compared to Chanel and Louis Vuitton.
This study concludes that consumers increasingly support Chinese suppliers of high-quality replicas by disconnecting the constructed myth from the physical luxury goods and using social status as a marker when constructing their own frontstage on social media. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Hunter, Vanessa LU
supervisor
organization
alternative title
A multimodal critical discourse analysis of crisis communication strategies in the luxury industry
course
SKOM12 20261
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Strategic Communication, Luxury Brands, TikTok, Myth Construction, Transparency, Brand Authenticity, Reputational Crisis
language
English
id
9242556
date added to LUP
2026-06-25 11:25:09
date last changed
2026-06-25 11:25:09
@misc{9242556,
  abstract     = {{From Heritage to Hashtag: How Luxury Brands Communicate Authenticity Strategically on TikTok
The definition of a luxury brand relies on distance and constructed myth, which becomes a paradox when demand for transparency increases on social media. The aim of this study is to understand which strategy the brands Hermès, Chanel, and Louis Vuitton used to reconstruct their aura, following the reputational crisis on TikTok during 2025. Furthermore, the study examines how these strategies are perceived by consumers. The study was conducted through multimodal critical analysis (MCDA) of 18 posts and approximately 180 comments. The theoretical framework of the study was based on Rhetorical Arena Theory (RAT), Authenticity theory, and the dramaturgical frame perspective, including four different lenses connected to industry practice within the luxury segmentation. The findings show that Hermès, employing strategic silence by not being present at all in the debate on TikTok and maintaining their distance by using the strategy of cultural distance connected to art, protects their myth and aura; this approach results in a lower amount of discursive dissonance compared to Chanel and Louis Vuitton.
This study concludes that consumers increasingly support Chinese suppliers of high-quality replicas by disconnecting the constructed myth from the physical luxury goods and using social status as a marker when constructing their own frontstage on social media.}},
  author       = {{Hunter, Vanessa}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{From Heritage to Hashtag}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}