What comes to mind when you think of luxury? Brands like Louis Vuitton? Christian Dior? To the students pursuing their MSc in Marketing Management and Digital (MMD) degree at ESSEC Asia-Pacific, the chance to collaborate with the Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) was a pleasant surprise.

MMD X ACM: The Art Of

The digital marketing competition was designed to promote the national museum’s Life in Edo x Russel Wong in Kyoto exhibition. This event showcases traditional woodblock prints from the Edo period alongside contemporary photographs of Kyoto by famed Singapore photographer Russel Wong.

The stakes were high. Ten teams from the MMD program had to battle it out to develop a top digital strategy. Out of the ten, one team prevailed, and only one candidate from the group was chosen to intern at ACM and execute the ideas throughout the exhibition.

This was a massive appeal for MMD Student Xeena Morales. There will be a world of difference when you’re implementing everything you’ve thought of,” she exclaims.

The lessons learned were aplenty as the students charged toward the finish line.

The Richness of Lessons Learned

For French-national Lara Dessainte—whose team’s ideas initially revolved around Instagram contests, partnerships, and the creation of personalized experiences—the challenge was to rise to the occasion of a real-world test.

The competition was a valuable experience as it “allows us to see the real challenges that companies face.”

For others, like Xeena’s team, it was a good exercise for applying strategies they’ve learned in class to a different market.

Luxury Personified

Questions like “How do you tell the story?” and “How do you create an intimate experience for customers?” formed the foundation for their strategy. While answering, they challenged their conventional definitions of luxury, student Ng Yue Ning shared.

“We’ve realized that luxury isn’t just an actual good. It can be an experience or lifestyle as well,” she explains.

Ultimately, Xeena says, “Luxury isn’t about positioning; it’s about uniqueness. We want visitors to have a unique experience from start to finish. To do that, we have to offer an equally unique strategy”.

Which team stole the show? Read the final story in a three-part coverage of ESSEC Asia-Pacific’s collaboration with the Asian Civilisations Museum. Alternatively, check out the first article: a primer on the partnership. Life in Edo x Russel Wong in Kyoto is exhibited at the Asian Civilisations Museum until 19 September 2021.