Luxury Influencer Marketing Strategy: Mappin & Webb + Lydia Millen

Mappin & Webb was looking for a pairing with an influencer that would help continue to move it from only a heritage brand into consideration for a younger audience. Their jewellry company has held a Royal Warrant since 1897 and its master craftsman currently holds the title of Crown Jeweller.

In the past, companies at the top end of the market brought in big names. Tiffany paired with Beyoncé and Jay-Z. Bulgari cast Zendaya. The challenge was to create a campaign that could work on a smaller scale due to celebrity access or budget considerations.

To find the right partnership, Prohibition started with the audience, not the follower count. By looking at what a creator’s existing content, you can make assumptions about their audience’s taste and spending. Next, they checked whether that assumption matched the brand, not the product category.

A smaller creator whose audience already behaves like your customer will outperform a larger one whose audience only overlaps on demographics.  Prohibition mapped that audience to influencer Lydia Millen.

Millen’s Influencer Value

Millen’s content has always centered on aspiration built from detail. Her content was focused on styling, interiors, countryside living, a slower and more considered version of luxury. Her audience follows her for the same reason people walk into Mappin & Webb rather than a high street chain: they want the version of a purchase that feels considered, not impulsive.

How to Create a Luxury Influencer Partnership that Works

• Audience overlap over follower count: the creator’s existing audience already wants what the brand sells, so the partnership reads as natural rather than paid
• Content format match: a brand built on considered purchases needs a creator whose format is considered too, not a creator whose content is built for speed
• Longevity over a single post: a one-off ad reads as a transaction. A creator who returns to a brand across multiple campaigns reads as an endorsement
• Heritage that holds up to scrutiny: claims of craft or history need to survive a follower asking a question in the comments

For the One Carat Diamond Collection campaign that started in the run-up to Christmas, the influencer campaign accomplished their objective for the Mappin & Webb + Millen partnership with results that included:

• More than 1M total video views ​and 1.8 million total reach with video and campaign photography
• 32% increase in branded search
• £6.57 topline ROI
• Shift in social audience to younger age

You can more details with articles about the campaign at:

• PPR Case Study | Mappin & Webb | Influencer Campaign
• Luxury Influencer Marketing: Mappin & Webb x Lydia Millen