Ten Years of The Social Formula: How We Entered the Luxury Industry
Daša Runić reflects on working with Veronica, building luxury client relationships in London and Dubai, and ten years of The Social Formula.
By Daša Runić- 2 min read
On this page 4
As we celebrate ten years of The Social Formula, I’ve been looking back at the people and projects that helped shape the agency. Our story in the luxury industry wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Veronica, our business partner during 2017, 2018 and 2019.
Veronica came from a luxury business background in London. Through our collaboration, we connected with companies such as Innerplace and Tempus Magazine, as well as other businesses in London and Dubai. Those relationships opened doors to projects that became an important part of our portfolio—and taught me lessons I still carry into our work today.
The importance of trust #
The biggest thing I learned from working in this industry was how much trust matters.
One relationship led to an introduction, which led to another client, and then another. We built our portfolio through those connections and through the work we delivered.
When someone recommends your agency, they are putting their own reputation behind you. I have always taken that seriously. A recommendation may open the door, but what you do next determines whether people will recommend you again.
Working with Veronica helped me understand how closely connected this industry is, and how much long-term relationships can mean for a growing agency.
Understanding the audience #
Another thing that stood out to me was the connection between seemingly different luxury businesses.
A hotel, a car company and a jewelry brand sell very different things, but they may be speaking to the same people: an audience with the means to choose these products and experiences.
That makes understanding the customer particularly important. You need to understand their interests, expectations and the places and brands that already have their attention.
For us, experience with one luxury business helped inform our understanding of others. Each project added to our knowledge of the audience, while still requiring us to understand what made that particular brand special.
Taste matters—and so does knowing the brand #
Working in luxury also taught me how important refined taste is when presenting a brand.
The photography, design, language and overall presentation need to feel right for the business and its audience. Every choice contributes to how people perceive it.
As an agency, you have to understand that identity well enough to represent it consistently. Beautiful content is part of the work, but knowing which images, words and ideas belong to a particular brand is where your judgment matters.
These projects helped us develop that judgment and brought a new perspective to our creative work.
The people behind our agency’s story #
Looking back, I’m grateful to Veronica for the connections she brought and for everything we learned through working together.
When we talk about ten years of The Social Formula, we naturally talk about our clients and projects. But the people behind those opportunities deserve to be part of the story, too.
Our collaboration with Veronica helped us build relationships in London and Dubai, grow our luxury portfolio and better understand an industry where trust, taste and personal recommendations carry so much weight.
Ten years later, those lessons are still part of how I run the agency.
— Daša
Watch the video on Instagram:
