Not Your Mother's Tiffany: Tiffany & Co.'s controversial rebranding campaign

Renowned luxury jewellery brand Tiffany & Co. last month rolled out a campaign with the phrase ‘Not Your Mother’s Tiffany’ as its slogan. The campaign is said to be a strategic move by the brand to entice younger customers. However, the campaign sparks backlash as some people see this campaign as overlooking longtime loyal fans, especially due to Tiffany & Co.’s status as a trans-generational brand as their products are often passed on from mother to daughter, highlighting its classic and timeless style. Entrepreneur Rachel ten Brink even tweeted that the campaign ‘disses’ Tiffany's existing customers, while another user sees it as an offense towards middle-aged women.

With videos circulating across social media and posters plastered all around New York and Los Angeles that feature young, edgy-looking models, the campaign also marks an early sign of the brand's new chapter as well as its new direction under LVMH. As reported by BoF, by 2025, Millennials and Gen Z will account for 45% of global luxury sales. That is why over these past few years, the public has noticed that Tiffany & Co. has been attempting to resonate more with this particular target group. The brand’s collaboration with Elle Fanning and A$AP Ferg as well as its recent campaign that features Chinese superstar Jackson Yee can be seen as examples of this strategy.

As reported by Marketing Brew, some luxury brand marketers consider this as a wrong move. They expect that a brand as iconic as Tiffany & Co. would use a more unique approach to appeal to younger customers. Plus, the ‘not your mother’s’ slogan is deemed as a total cop out. However, some also think that this positioning is effective, as we are in a time when relevance is everything, and brands might need to lure the next generation of loyalists.