Emily in Paris… a marketers’ view

Emily in Paris is back for season 3, and we get to spend our Christmas break back at Savoir, lusting over Emily’s clothes and shouting at the TV about her questionable relationship choices.

For anyone who works in marketing though, it’s hard not to compare Emily’s work with your own and envy the ease with which Savoir’s marketing campaigns seem to happen. So for those non-marketing peeps, we’re looking at what the show gets right and what doesn’t quite live up to the real world.

Social media marketing is easy, isn’t it? 

With everyone and their mum now using social media, a lot of non-qualified people see social media marketing as a bit of a fad and it is often seen as an easy job. Well, we’d like to introduce all those people to algorithms and KPIs. Social media is an ever-evolving landscape, thanks to the constant updates from the platforms and the wide-ranging audiences. And when you’re managing it for a client you usually have tough targets to meet.

Emily doesn’t seem to have these same stresses though, or for that matter, a requirement for client approval on posts. I have never seen a contract that just allowed for ad-hoc posts of whatever the heck you fancy. In real life, it looks a little more like rigorously planned posts scheduled weeks in advance in line with a strategic plan. Don’t get me wrong there is ALWAYS a place for reactive content, which we will touch on shortly, but again there are usually a few approval processes and KPIs on these.

Remember her ‘viral’ post of the Pierre Cardault dress on the floor surrounded by cigarettes? She only questions the suitability of the post the next day and how this portrays the actress who had been wearing it or the brand itself. In reality, a post like this would have needed to sign off by multiple parties before it went live. Let’s also not forget the hastily posted snap of the Pierre Cardault suitcase with a key competitor.

Becoming an influencer ‘just happens’

When Emily arrived in Paris with a mere 48 followers (unrealistic for a start for someone who works in social media marketing and lived in Chicago) a captionless selfie with #roomwithaview saw her following grow overnight. Let me tell you now, this DOES NOT happen. More likely you get the usual 1-3% engagement rate which usually consists of your mum and an ex-boyfriend you really should block.

The likelihood of a single post boosting your following overnight is very low. There are social media stars who have become influencers in a very short space of time, but there is usually a very valid reason for this – often down to highly relatable content or a viral post, not a context-less selfie. But most influencers work incredibly hard to build a following and craft their content and brand partnerships.

Influencer marketing is powerful

Influencer marketing is going nowhere and we can only see this getting even bigger in 2023. Harnessing the power of influencers is key to many brands’ marketing strategies and businesses are leaning more towards social media stars than celebrities to endorse their products. Influencer events like the one Emily attended in season 2 are becoming more and more commonplace for product launches. Schmoozing with a carefully curated list of relevant influencers can help form future relationships for your brand.

Reactive marketing always has a place

If we ignore the lack of client approval. Emily does seem to understand reactive marketing – the dress picture comes into mind again here.

Staying up to date with the world and what’s going on in the news is part of every marketer’s job. Harnessing trends and relevant news stories for your content is vital. The key word here though is RELEVANT – stick to your brand values and content that holds true to your business.

Think outside the box

From bed installations to celebratory spray champagne, Emily does have some pretty creative campaign ideas that any marketing agency would love to pitch. Anyone in marketing will tell you that inspiration is everywhere and sometimes a campaign idea can spring to mind when you least expect it. Emily proves this time and time again by finding inspiration in art gallery exhibitions and evenings out.

Know your audience and listen to them

‘Sexy or sexist?’ – a poll put to customers for one of Savoir’s clients, proved that their original campaign idea might not have played out too well with their target audience, and landed them in a potential PR sh*tstorm. Emily is actually pretty good at understanding customers and their experience – ‘Your perfume isn’t just how you smell – it’s how you feel’, and seems to excel in executing authentic campaigns, that resonate with customers.

Content is King  

“It is not just about followers, it is about content, trust, interest, and engagements.” – Emily nailed it with this statement, and it’s one almost every Marketer can agree with. Quality and building a community is key to any marketing and that is how you form a foundation from which to sell. Don’t get hung up on ego metrics like follower count and instead focus on engagement rate to hone and perfect your content.

For marketing questions or a hand with your next project, get in touch with the Flaunt team. Follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram for marketing updates and insights.