The latest season of Netflix’s smash series Emily in Paris is changing the landscape of brand integration on television, potentially redefining the future of luxury marketing. The first four episodes of season 4, which aired to over 58 million households globally, demonstrate a complex blend of story and product placement that goes beyond simple visual representation.
This season’s effort toward brand integration is especially notable in an era when traditional advertising is losing effectiveness. According to a 2023 Nielsen survey, 86 percent of consumers avoid television advertising and 47 percent use ad blockers online, so luxury businesses are looking for new ways to reach their target audience.
One noteworthy example is the seamless integration of Boucheron, the legendary French jeweler established in 1858, into a major event scene. The brand’s social media account shows on screen, which industry observers believe has the potential to greatly increase its Instagram follower count, which is now at 877,000.
Similarly, the show highlights Ami Paris, a French ready-to-wear business that has grown 30 percent year on year since 2020. The company appears at a fictitious French Open, mimicking Ami’s real-life ventures into sports collaborations, such as its recent collaboration with Puma.
Perhaps most noteworthy is the incorporation of Baccarat, a luxury crystal maker. The episode introduces a fake perfume named “Heartbreak,” which is actually available for purchase on Baccarat’s website for 410 euros. This merging of fantasy and reality marks a new frontier for transmedia marketing methods.
The series also discusses the thriving luxury resale sector, which Boston Consulting Group estimates would be worth 51 billion dollars globally by 2026. A scene featuring Vestiaire Collective, the French luxury resale marketplace valued at 1.7 billion dollars in 2022, exemplifies this trend, albeit with a touch of dramatic license in its pricing—a haute couture dress offloaded by Mindy is purchased for just over 3,000 euros.
While “Emily in Paris” may take creative liberties with certain industry realities, its novel approach to brand integration provides a glimpse into the future of luxury marketing via streaming video. As traditional advertising channels lose effectiveness, this strategy might serve as a roadmap for firms looking to connect with the elusive millennial and Gen Z luxury consumers, who are expected to account for 70% of the luxury market by 2025.
As streaming platforms and luxury brands navigate this new landscape, “Emily in Paris”‘s ability to seamlessly weave brand storylines into its storyline has the potential to create a new standard for digital content creation and marketing.
