Hermès launches first podcast series

By

Tanissia Issad

Translated by
Nicola Mira

Published
Feb 19, 2019

Hermès is hitting the airwaves. The French luxury label has launched its first podcast series entitled “Le Faubourg des rêves” (the district of dreams), available in eight episodes in English and nine in French. In each of the 10-minute podcasts, listeners will make the acquaintance of some of the key figures at the fashion label and its long-established Parisian flagship at 24, rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré, following them in their daily activities.

 
The first episode, for example, is dedicated to Pierre-Alexis Dumas, heir to the family business and Hermès’s creative director. Camille Parenty, the director of the Faubourg-Saint-Honoré store is instead featured in episode three, while the sixth focuses on Véronique Nichanian, the creative director of Hermès’s men’s lines. One of the artisans from the atelier for special orders, Valérie Benardeau, is featured in the eighth episode, while Elisabeth Thiry, cook, and Yasmina Demnati, chief gardener, bring the season to a close.
 
The podcasts are available on the label's website and on other podcast and streaming sites. They are a formidable communication tool for Hermès: first of all internally, as they allow key figures in the label's organisation to have their say, highlighting their work for the listeners. Secondly and above all, externally, as they afford direct access to the luxury label’s inner workings. Hermès isn’t the only luxury group to have understood the appeal of podcasts. Though the latter aren’t regarded as an innovative channel for brands to advertise on, they are actually used to create new content and enhance a label’s story-telling capabilities.

It was for example the case for Chanel with the ‘3.55’ podcasts in the autumn of 2017, or perfumery chain Sephora in November 2017. More recently, Veuve Clicquot broadcast ‘The Veuve Clicquot Tales’, Lancôme worked with magazine Madame Figaro on a series of wellness-related podcasts called ‘Happiness Therapy’, and perfumer Guerlain launched the Olfaplay podcasts on scent memories in November 2018.
 
Hermès recently reported a record revenue result for 2018, with sales worth €6 billion in the year, equivalent to a 7.5% increase over 2017. Half of the revenue was produced by the leather goods and saddlery division.