Belmond

Placing Belmond in a class of its own—translating brand to experience

Engagement Details

[I]

Making the master brand Belmond ‘famous’,  fuelling their vast growth ambitions.

[II]

Creating a best-in-class digital ecosystem, bridging their rich heritage and bright future.

[III]

Reimagining loyalty & defining the role  of ‘clientelling’ for the brand’s  Very-Important-Guests with a  newly launched loyalty programme.

The Challenge

In 2017 the Belmond team engaged Matter Of Form in the first phase of a serial creative partnership to make the Belmond brand famous, fuelling their vast growth ambitions alongside an aggressive acquisition strategy. Belmond needed a digital ecosystem designed to scale - allowing each of the portfolio properties to express their individuality while sitting within a uniform design, content and technology framework. We then turned our attention to the future of loyalty for Belmond following LVMH’s $3.2 billion procurement of the business.

The Approach

The Belmond audience is energetic, and with more travel than ever before, a sense of adventure is found further and further from the norm. A conversion-first approach wasn’t right here, instead, we confidently put content between the customer and conversion to get them to buy into the Belmond lifestyle.

Following the success of the digital transformation, Belmond re-engaged Matter Of Form to define what loyalty looks like for them; ultimately to design a model far more meaningful than other loyalty schemes while still leveraging the impressive scope of tech LVMH offers. We used our Brand Interactions framework to ideate meaningful points of service and connection along the end-to-end VIG experience.

The Outcome

Belmond’s ‘digital competency’ was credited by Bernard Arnault, CEO of LVMH, as one of the reasons for the game-changing acquisition and represented a clear, bold move from focusing on luxury products to experiences. Belmond’s digital ecosystem has become a best-in-class example for luxury hospitality brands, recognised and admired globally.

Once we turned our attention to loyalty, we named and branded a concept that was then realised in a service blueprint to ensure it would be effective to operationalise. Initially piloted by Belmond with 50 Very-Important-Guests (VIGs), the loyalty club is now one of luxury travel’s worst-kept secrets and coveted by many generations of adventurers who have a taste for opulence.

Brand Design

Consulting

Digital Experience

Overview

Everyone knows The Cadogan, Hotel Cipriani, the Orient Express. Be it through dinner party stories, headlines or experiences firsthand, they’re names that carry cultural weight and social significance. But the master brand behind them wasn’t always as well known.

Established in 1976, Belmond has been a pioneering force in luxury travel for over 40 years, building a diverse portfolio of the world's most thrilling adventures, cruises, dining experiences, safaris and train journeys for discerning global travellers. After years of ‘disappointing investors’ according to the Evening Standard, the Belmond brand needed to become famous to fuel their vast growth ambitions alongside an aggressive acquisition strategy.