Coach and Loewe on TikTok:
Lessons in Authenticity From a PR Perspective
Nurul Juhria
Senior Associate
For decades, luxury brands thrived on exclusivity and control where every message curated, every interaction orchestrated for prestige. Yet on TikTok, the world’s most participatory and unpredictable social platform, that playbook has been turned upside down.
From a PR standpoint, this shift signifies more than new messaging tactics; it marks a new shift in brand reputation management. Today, credibility isn’t earned by flawless image but by bold authenticity. Two luxury fashion houses, Coach and Loewe, offer a masterclass for communicators seeking relevance and resilience in the digital age.
Loewe Leans Into Cultural Messiness
Loewe’s PR strength lies in its willingness to surrender control and embrace TikTok’s chaotic, meme-driven culture.
- Humanising the brand: instead of curated grids and sterile visuals, Loewe fills its feed with spontaneous, quirky videos—celebrity silliness, mispronounced brand moments, and even viral leather tomato bags. This transformation recasts Loewe from untouchable maison to playful cultural insider.
- Prioritising relatability: Acting like a creator by collaborating with niche influencers and using trending sounds, Loewe lets creators retain their authentic voice, allowing humour and rawness to shine through. Recent content routinely exceeds a million views, outperforming most luxury peers and underscoring the power of relatability.
- Amplifying viral moments: Loewe turns social buzz into tangible products, as with the viral tomato meme-turned-accessory. By riding the waves of pop culture, Loewe’s PR amplifies (not resists) the chaos, making the brand highly visible and top-of-mind for Gen Z and Millennials.
Loewe illustrates that vulnerability and imperfection can strengthen reputation. By joining cultural conversations instead of controlling them, the brand builds trust and relatability without eroding its luxury identity.
Coach Builds Reputation Through Community
Coach’s TikTok success stems from a strategy rooted in empowerment, inclusivity, and active listening.
- Empowering insiders: Coach transforms retail staff into brand ambassadors, inviting them to share genuine, everyday stories on TikTok. This groundswell is a powerful trust-builder, decentralising the brand voice and multiplying engagement.
- Facilitating participation: The brand moves from broadcaster to facilitator, integrating customer experiences and viral challenges into its storytelling. By spotlighting real people and organic moments, Coach projects authenticity instead of one-way messaging.
- Blending heritage with trends: Coach smartly weaves icons like the Tabby bag into TikTok trends, blending nostalgia with irreverence and making its legacy cool and accessible for younger audiences.
Lessons for PR Professionals
The strategies of Coach and Loewe highlight broader lessons for communicators navigating today’s media landscape:
- Control is out; participation is in: Today’s PR cannot gatekeep but must guide conversations and interactions on social platforms.
- Authenticity trumps polish: Raw, funny, and unfiltered storytelling builds trust exponentially better than staged perfection.
- Community shapes reputation: Brands must facilitate and amplify co-creation, letting audiences participate freely in the brand narrative.
- Cultural agility drives relevance: Rapidly responding to trends and adapting content ensures brands stay present in cultural conversation—and maintain PR strength.