NFT Inspiration – Ideas From Popular Luxury Brands

Scarcity, originality, and a sense of community are among the key parameters fueling luxury brands. And this is applicable to luxury fashion, premium automobile brands, and luxury beauty brands too. Only by making a strong connection with their customers and consistently delivering unparalleled quality and creating unique products and experiences do these luxury brands manage to sell even the most expensive products. Does all that sound somewhat similar to the concept of NFTs too? True indeed. NFTs also thrive on rarity, the pride in ownership of the concerned asset, and the singularity of design. That’s why we are going to talk about NFT inspiration from luxury brands in this blog. 

NFT Inspiration from Luxury Brands 

Brands, celebrities, and even sports teams have all been introducing their own NFTs. Some do it to enrich their marketing strategies. And others do it as a way to reward loyal customers to even engage them more proactively. While the objective might be different for each brand, one trend remains and that is – NFT does make a difference in marketing. 

However, when it comes to adopting NFTs for a luxury brand, there are some challenges. Luxury brands thrive on the brand image they have built over the years. A small miscalculation is all it takes to bring the brand down. The NFT the brand introduces should somehow connect with the unique personality that customers connect with the brand. And the brand should also be cautious about who it partners with and how it promotes its NFT. Because there is a lot at stake. So, the brand’s NFT not performing well or its design or marketing not resonating with the brand can turn out to be an expensive mistake. So, how do well-known luxury brands tackle these risks and get their NFTs to make the cut? Let’s find out. 

1. Gucci 

Gucci’s recent collaboration with Superplastic for the launch of SuperGucci NFT is recent news. But the brand entered the world of NFTs a year ago with its NFT based on its Aria collection.  Gucci’s famed collection Aria was launched in 2021 to mark the 100th year anniversary of the brand. The first NFT was an artwork based on the short film created for the Aria collection. 

In the case of startups and small businesses getting into the world of NFTs, the funds gathered often go into the growth and expansion of the business. Most big names in the industry make this additional source of revenue work in the brand’s favor by donating them to a noble cause. Similarly, Gucci announced that proceeds from its first NFT would go to UNICEF. 

Brand image is something that luxury brands like Gucci cannot compromise on. One of the surest ways to strengthen brand image is through intuitive corporate social responsibility activities. By tying several milestones like the 100th year anniversary and the first NFT launch with a contribution to UNICEF, the brand added another feather to its marketing cap. 

The recent SuperGucci shows the brand’s strong digital transformation strategies. The brand partnered with Superplastic, a company known for its character-based products and animated celebrities among others. 

This NFT collection includes Superplastic’s popular characters Janky and Guggimon. The Janky series includes scenes from the Aria short film and the Guggimon features signature patterns and symbols associated with Gucci. 

To come up with strong branding designs that can create such strong visual cues for your brand, try a Kimp subscription. 

2. Burberry 

Some try NFTs for profits and others for the thrill of collecting them. And there is one other purpose for NFTs and there are just a few brands like Burberry that fully tap into the utilitarian aspects. Yes, we are talking about the in-game NFTs from Burberry. 

A next-gen gaming company Mythical Games and Burberry together introduced Blankos Block Party marking the latter’s entry into the world of NFTs in 2021. 

Burberry’s NFTs were about vinyl toys, particularly a character named Sharky B. These were not just digital assets for trading but also assets that could be used within a game on a blockchain. In short, besides the original value of your NFT, you also get to explore game assets like armbands, jetpacks, and the likes. Of course, the character featured Burberry’s well-known TB monogram. 

As a continuation, the brand also released another set of NFTs for the game this year featuring Minny B, a unicorn. These were again made available for the multiplayer mini-games from Mythical Games. 

Kimp Tip: Coming up with a custom character is an NFT design trend you can never go wrong with. When you design a custom character for your brand you can easily extend the idea and use the character in your marketing designs and even videos. Or if you already have a mascot, fine-tuning it with design elements you wish to incorporate into your NFT design will make the brand connection stronger. 

Whether you want to have custom characters designed for your NFT collection or for your marketing in general, the Kimp team is here to help. 

3. Louis Vuitton 

Burberry is not the only luxury brand that tied its NFT to a virtual game. Roughly around the same year that Burberry’s first NFT came in Louis Vuitton had also announced “Louis The Game”. 

Louis Vuitton launched a fun game featuring a protagonist named Vivienne. The goal of the game is to explore the gamescapes and find the 30 hidden NFTs. And the game visuals were carefully crafted to give every player a virtual tour of the brand’s history. Now, how cool is that!

While most brands stick with airdrops and auctions for NFTs, Louis Vuitton’s approach of allowing users to play and win them is pretty impressive. With almost 2 million downloads so far, the brand also released the 2nd chapter of the game and has promised more levels in the near future. On the whole, this has turned out to be a means of continuous engagement for the brand. 

Kimp Tip: In the game, you are also exposed to the signature LV monogram and other symbols associated with the brand. So, by the time a user finishes playing the game, the user will be more aware of the brand and also be able to instantly recognize the brand’s visuals in the future. 

This is a useful hint to take into consideration when you have to create social media videos or video ads for your brand. When people are engrossed in a video, they will subconsciously register any information you present. That’s why, when you create videos it is important to use your brand colors intuitively and also your brand mascot or symbols, logos, and other design elements close to your brand. 

Regularly creating on-brand videos feels like a challenge? Leave it to the Kimp team and you can rock your video marketing game. 

4. Vertu

About two decades ago there was a luxury mobile phone brand that tried to make history with its handmade smartphones. But then the brand did not progress as predicted. Not many saw the phones from this brand as tasteful designs. Yes, we are talking about Vertu, a subsidiary of Nokia. 

Vertu recently made a comeback and NFTs have a role to play in it. While most brands have been focusing on the digital perks of NFTs, there are only a few that have connected physical merchandise and NFTs and Vertu is one among them. Its recent smartphone Constellation X ULM is up for grabs and you can only buy the phone with NFTs. 

To come out of a setback in branding or to catch up with your audience after a brief period of inactivity for your company, leveraging the latest trends (like NFTs) is a great idea. And this is exactly what Vertu has done. 

While buying the new smartphone is one way to use Vertu NFTs, another option is to use the NFTs to join VERTUVerse, a business club. Of course, both these come with the additional perks of future airdrops and other rewards. The more value you create for your NFTs, the better the chances of your NFT gaining momentum! 

5. Mercedes

One of the common trends you will observe in the world of NFTs from popular brands is how many of them release NFTs connected to their iconic products. And Mercedes, one of the leading luxury automobile brands joins this list. 

G-class has been a trendsetter for the brand and so the first NFTs from Mercedes were created to celebrate this model. The first set consisted of five designs created by five different artists and the collection was called NF-G. 

These NFTs from Mercedes worked because each of the digital pieces was created to be as unique as the G-class. Even the recent NFTs from the brand have incorporated the bold themes and colors that the first set featured. While too many bold colors and eclectic themes have not been part of the brand’s marketing collateral, these NFTs flexed the rule a bit. But the designs still feel connected to the brand because they manage to capture the strength and sophistication that the Mercedes cars are known for. 

NFT Inpiration: Common NFT Design Lessons From These Luxury Brand NFTs

Stay consistent in branding 

In the case of the Superplastic x Gucci collab, the idea worked because people instantly connect Janky and Guggimon characters with Superplastic and the iconic Diamante pattern with Gucci. Both these brands have been consistent with using these symbols in branding and marketing. And in the case of Gucci the patterns appear across a variety of merchandise. 

So, having a custom character to carry your brand or regularly using relatable symbols that connect with your brand are ways to create excellent brand recall. And once you reach this stage you can use these patterns or characters or symbols in your NFT design. Or if you are introducing NFTs at an early stage, incorporate design elements that you wish to reuse in your other marketing designs too. 

Only when the connection between your brand and your NFT design is clear the brand reputation will help the NFT grow more popular or when the NFT gains traction, the brand gets stronger. 

Create designs that capture your brand message accurately 

From the way Burberry reacted to its “gang-wear” label and rebranded in the year 2018 to its recent entry into the world of NFTs the brand has been consistently proving its love for innovation. And when you stay consistent with your brand message across different ventures it makes a difference. 

You might have a strong message or a purpose behind your brand itself or your rebranding strategy. But how will your target customers know about this? Your marketing and branding designs have a role to play. They should be designed so as to resonate with your brand personality and deliver your brand message clearly. Even as you enter the world of NFTs and other emerging trends, ensure that the visuals and the other forms of content do not deviate too much from your brand’s message.  

Materialize Your NFT Inspiration With Kimp

The thing about NFTs from premium brands like the ones on our list is that they give the users a similar sense of pride as owning one of the expensive premium products offered by the brand. Even with the digital assets these brands, therefore, manage to create a sense of community and strengthen their relationship with their customers. If you wish to replicate these ideas for your brand and create NFTs that add a deeper meaning to your marketing, the Kimp team is here to execute your design ideas. A custom character to represent your brand, illustrated objects that reflect what your brand does – we can make them all happen! 

Sign up for Kimp’s free trial now.