Brand Hype vs. Halo
There’s an entire world of marketing terminology relating to brands and their performance, and two favorites are hype and halo.
While hype refers to a brand that promotes their image above the quality of their products, the halo effect is about a consumer’s positive relationship with a brand and their wares. As Mitchell Grant points out in an Investopedia article, halo is correlated to “brand strength, brand loyalty, and contributes to brand equity. “ Basically, while hype thrives on scarcity, novelty, and constant new releases that elevate a product’s perceived value, halo allows that once a customer has a positive experience with a brand’s product or service, they are predisposed to think positively about it overall.
In a recent article, brand-builder Ana Andjelic recently wrote about hype vs. halo. She started by discussing why Bernard Arnault is master of the former and Hermès is a perfect example of the latter. According to Andjelic, Arnault has driven global buzz through making the hiring and firing of creative directors public events and hyped seasonal collaborations, like the 2017 Supreme and Koons partnerships. More recently, Andjelic sites the excitement over the LV Murakami bag reissue, which led to a line for it in Louis Vuitton’s SoHo store.
Photo of the facade of Tokyo Ginza's Matsuya's Department store decorated with Takashi Murakami motifs for Louis Vuitton courtesy of Ned Snowman / Shutterstock.
She contrasts this with Hermès which she says despite not having created a single new hit in 42 years since the launch of its Birkin bag, recently overtook LVMH as the most valuable luxury company. Andjelic also points out that Hermès uses handbag sales to introduce clients to other product categories (a point I found confusing, since this is a sales tactic every luxury brand employs).
While I understand what Andjelic is saying overall, I think she’s overlooking an important point. Sticking with Louis Vuitton and Hermès as our example companies, I agree that Arnault and LV employ hype as a marketing tactic. The fact that the house decided to rerelease the Murakami collaboration – going all the way back to Marc Jacobs’ tenure, which spanned the years of 1997 to 2014 – to generate sales is telling.
But saying that Hermès hasn’t had a single hit besides the Birkin in the last 40-some years is not exactly accurate. First, the Birkin may be the only bag social media knows, but the Constance, Evelyn, Bolide, and Garden Party are all bags with an audience; just because people outside of the Hermès universe don’t know about them does not mean they are not highly desirable.
Photo of Hermès Birkin handbag courtesy of photo-lime / Shutterstock.
And ditto for their RTW, “H” belts and scarves (the later two categories have received huge amounts of press and customer attention over the years). Hermès’ extraordinary product line is strong across categories and that is why there is a halo effect. It’s not just because they have one great bag, but rather purchasing any of their beautiful, well-designed and well-crafted products provides entry into a completely considered universe.
The problem for LV is though the brand has tried to build a full product world, what else is desirable other than their leather goods and luggage? I’ve yet to see anyone in their RTW, despite the praise fashion media lavishes on Nicolas Ghesquière’s collections, and likewise for their other products (maybe shoes is another strong category). LV is a leather business – bags, small leather goods and luggage – and as a house that is primarily known for one category, that product needs to drive the entire brand.
Yes, as Andjelic rightly points out, a brand needs to be strong, but that’s not enough; I believe everything ultimately hinges on the product. A brand needs more than just a cohesive strategy, a clear identity, and a compelling narrative—it must be backed by product that embodies and reinforces that story. You can’t build a brand on marketing alone; it needs a purpose, and that purpose must be rooted in the product itself—from its design to its quality.
So, while Andjelic claims that “hype comes from halo and is driven by the passion of the brand fans, not manufactured by marketing,” I would argue that it all starts with the fundamentals: the product and the brand's core values. Hype and halo can be useful marketing tools, but they only resonate when built on a strong foundation of thoughtful design, craftsmanship, and authenticity. That’s what truly shapes the customer experience.
Photo of Hermes orange box with Bolduc ribbon courtesy of Dani Ber / Shutterstock.
