This case study was made possible through the mentorship, insights, and academic guidance of several key institutions and individuals who have deeply shaped its development.

It was conducted as part of the HEC Paris Média, Arts & Création program, led by Professor Thomas Paris, whose courses on creative industries provided the foundation for this research. The program's multidisciplinary approach—spanning marketing with Laura Hoeger, luxury collaborations with Béatrice Lezaun from Chanel, and media innovation with Dimitris Michailidis from Condé Nast—offered invaluable context for bridging art, strategy, and storytelling.

Special thanks are extended to Dr. Yacine Ouazzani, expert in the marketing of cultural and creative industries, whose supervision and insights as thesis advisor at HEC Paris provided critical structure and depth to this study.

Gratitude is also owed to Anne Michaut and Franck Asenkat, professors of the HEC x LVMH Luxury Certificate, whose teachings on brand experience and luxury management informed the analytical framework used throughout this case.

The author wishes to acknowledge the Parfums Christian Dior executive jury—Nicolas Siriez, Edouard Dordor, Olivier Hann, Tomo Tojo, and Lubica Rengifo—for their thoughtful feedback during the 2025 Dior x HEC Paris Business Case Competition, where the foundations of this campaign concept were first conceived.

This work draws upon data and market insights from the Business of Fashion, McKinsey, BCG, and Highsnobiety, which provided the quantitative benchmarks and qualitative perspectives that helped contextualize industry-wide shifts explored in this study.

Finally, the author would like to thank her mentor Emilie Thiout from Chanel, whose passion and constructive insights inspired her to launch YVArtists with confidence and strength.

A Dior Dream explores how luxury storytelling can rebuild emotional resonance with today's increasingly skeptical aspirational beauty consumer.

This speculative influencer campaign for Parfums Christian Dior achieved an average engagement rate of 21% on socials — 5X the beauty benchmark for nano influencers and 10X the industry average(Traacker, Inc)— by applying the YVArtists Brand Bible System℠ a proprietary framework rooted in television writing methodology and academic research on narrative transportation in marketing.

Said research shows a direct and indirect relationship between emotional engagement, storytelling marketing, and purchase decisions (Mavilinda et al.), critical to combatting declining aspirational consumer spend (Bianchi et al.).

The cause of this decline in spending? Scrutiny on the perceived value for money proposed by luxury and premium beauty products, as 63% of consumers do not think these products are higher-performing than mass beauty products (Kneile, Petra, et al.).

Academic research also shows that product stories, communicated by influencers that they trust, can influence consumers' purchase intention by affecting their perceived emotional and functional value (Xiao et al. 211-218).

As luxury consumption is motivated by the functional, emotional, and symbolic value of their products (Michaut), it is critical to master influencer storytelling in this shifting luxury landscape.

The YVArtists Brand Bible System℠ translates brand codes into strategic storytelling through three phases:

The Following metrics are taken from Tik Tok Studio and Later

Platform data, specifically analytics from Tik Tok, show that from a sample size of 130 followers, aspirational luxury consumers are seeking creativity, confidence, and value from their content

The top ten content viewed was a mix between influencer UGC and polished editorial content, but all centered on perceived emotional and/or functional value

Phase 1: Foundations

The Mirror Moment translates Dior's emotional DNA of luck and femininity into a clear narrative identity. To do so, a central conflict that resonates with the audience was chosen.

Through studying current online conversations and industry polling data from the aspirational audience, YVArtists uncovered the emotional truth beneath consumer fatigue: the desire to feel inspired rather than influenced by luxury brands and influencers.

Thus, the conflict type of Man Vs. Society was chosen, drawing upon Christian Dior's rebellion of the rigid post-war female expression to the "new look"; femininity and individuality.

Clear narrative guidelines that inform copy and creative, which can be communicated to key campaign stakeholders and collaborators to maximize campaign effectiveness.

By studying past Dior initiatives and market trends, particularly The Lady Dior Art Project, as well as the rise prominence of creative buyers, i.e. "Cultural Pioneers", that represent 30% of the core luxury buyer market (Stagg, Natasha, and Max Rossi) the archetype of The Artist and The Muse was chosen; this audience values creativity as identity, seeking beauty that enhances self-expression.

The positioning statement synthesizes the brand promise, audience, conflict, and emotional and experiential value into one sentence; this statement is the connective thread for all touchpoints your brand creates.

Consumers associated featured Dior products with personal and creative growth — a luxury of becoming, not just owning.

Phase 2: Narrative Design

The Purposeful Plot is how the desired transformation of your audience takes shape, and directly informs the content that you create; a plot is the sequence of interconnected events within the story of a play, novel, film, epic, or other narrative literary work.

There are several classic plot types which ensure that your campaign's emotional narrative is distinct, memorable, and impactful. The plot type that your campaign implements depends on your brand identity, the target audience, and the desired campaign goal (awareness, engagement, purchase, loyalty, etc).

A Dior Dream implemented the Quest Plot—centering AMOE as a creative woman on a mission to redefine influencer marketing with authenticity and empowerment at the center.

A coherent campaign that felt cinematic — not algorithmic.

A Dior Dream proved that story, strategy, and structure don't just inspire emotion—they drive measurable engagement.

After hundreds of hours studying platform behavior and creative benchmarks—and drawing on lived Gen Z fluency across TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram—YVArtists has developed a proprietary database of hooks, scripts, and formats that translate emotional storytelling into scalable, high-performing content systems through the aid of AI.

Our method encompasses strategy, story, and execution, ensuring your campaigns perform:

When story meets structure, creativity becomes campaign—and emotional—performance.

Reach out to Anngelica-Marie Eshesimua for content collaboration, consulting, or creative direction inquiries.

amoe@youngvisionaryartists.com | Los Angeles & Paris - Available Worldwide