“The Louis”: Sailing Us Toward the Future of Branding

The future of branding will be built on culture, entertainment, and even imagination

A cruise ship named The Louis — in fact, a construction fence for Louis Vuitton’s new concept store, recently stole the crown as Shanghai’s top photo hotspot, surpassing even the iconic Wukang Building, the city’s most famous historic site, designed by the legendary architect Hudec. The Louis made its “maiden voyage” on June 26th and instantly became a citywide sensation.

It felt like the whole city rushed to witness this installation, anchored in the heart of Shanghai’s most vibrant commercial hub: West Nanjing Road. When I arrived, the scene was exactly what the Chinese call “people mountain, people sea” (人山人海). In my two decades living in Shanghai, I had never seen such a crowd — nor such excitement — sparked by a commercial stunt. Sophisticated and discerning as Shanghainese are, this response was genuinely astonishing.

Within just one week, The Louis sparked a wave of content, conversation, and social buzz. One of the most fascinating and amusing threads is the so-called “sharp corner affiliation” in Feng Shui, which is believed to channel negative energy toward the neighboring Starbucks Reserve Roastery directly facing it. Some say the Starbucks store is safe, protected by its two-tailed siren; others suggest that an iceberg-shaped barrier should be erected to counter this massive, Titanic-like presence. I couldn’t help but be entertained by these stories, rich in metaphor, methodology, and a vivid imagination that blends tradition with pop culture.

But I’m not here to repeat what’s already trending online - there’s plenty of that. Instead, this installation led me to reflect on what it reveals about the future of branding, especially after revisiting Douglas B. Holt’s How Brands Become Icons.

Farewell, Mind-Share Branding

As a marketer trained in the traditional mind-share branding methodology from the 1970s, I was once expected to craft proposals and reports that revolved around functional benefits, emotional benefits, and differentiated brand propositions — all to capture abstract associations a brand should “own.” But today, this framework feels outdated.

In an age where people’s attention is extremely limited, no one has the time or patience to digest a brand’s message as if reading a manual. Since the rise of the internet and smartphones in the 1990s, a brand has mere seconds to make a first impression, and often, that impression determines its fate.

Modern branding is now a battle for attention. As a result, many marketing strategies prioritize visual impact, aesthetic experience, and content that’s instantly shareable, designed to spread like a virus across social media.

Enter The Louis. This installation doesn’t just compete for attention, it transcends it. It elevates branding to the level of totem worship, turning itself into an iconic monument — a modern-day Titanic, with the Louis Vuitton monogram as its cultural emblem. Some critics say it’s the apex of consumer fetishism. Perhaps. But it’s also a beacon of where branding is heading.

The Future: Culture, Entertainment, Imagination

In How Brands Become Icons, Holt argued that the future of branding lies in the collaboration between Madison Avenue and Hollywood. Yet, he was skeptical about brand content ever competing with cultural content like movies or television because audiences wouldn’t actively seek out media tied to commercial sponsorship.

Now, The Louis puts that doubt to rest. The cinematic spectacle of this cruise-ship installation has become a citywide phenomenon,  surpassing even the historic Wukang Building in popularity, not to mention competing with box office blockbusters, all driven by the commercial power of the iconic luxury brand Louis Vuitton.

Why does The Louis resonate so powerfully? I believe Louis Vuitton did one thing exceptionally well: it captured the zeitgeist of Shanghai.

Amid global uncertainty, trade tension, high unemployment, and geopolitical stress, many Chinese, especially the younger generation, feel stuck in a cycle of involution (内卷). They long for distraction, relief, and a hopeful escape. The Louisprovided exactly that, not just as a spectacle, but as a symbol of prosperity, ambition, and future possibility. It’s not just a retail stunt; it’s a cultural release valve. With its monumental presence and dreamlike optimism, it taps into a collective yearning for hope and escape.

According to Louis Vuitton, the ship’s form pays tribute to Shanghai’s port culture, the “Gateway to the East,” while also nodding to the brand’s heritage in crafting trunks for transoceanic voyages. Today, Shanghai needs this kind of symbolic optimism to restore its economy, culture, and confidence, still recovering from the lingering traumas of the pandemic.

Beyond Branding: Creating Cultural Moments

I’m not sure whether The Louis will remain a one-off stunt, with no precedent or successors. But it has undeniably raised the bar.

The role of a brand manager now goes far beyond strategy decks and positioning statements. Today, marketers must also be sociologists, historians, and cultural activists. They must create content that serves not only to communicate, but also to entertain, inspire, and emotionally engage, especially during times of social and economic uncertainty. In this moment, audiences are no longer looking only for products. They’re searching for meaning, joy, and imagination. The Louis shows us that branding’s future lies not just in selling things, but in creating cultural gravity by building experiences so imaginative, so emotionally charged, that people don’t just notice, they care.