Rolex and Social Media: How the golden crown resonates with the Youth

What is fascinating for young people nowadays? That's quite a hard question to answer. If you consider the increasing globalization such as the growing digitalization, it seems obvious, that the new generation has whole different access to certain topics like luxury than previous ones.

Especially social media fuels this phenomenon. In fact, numerous young adults and teenagers experience luxury over social media. Nowhere else is status and wealth so omnipresent as on social media.

It's no longer uncommon that 14-year-old Liam’s deepest wish is a Rolex for his birthday.

Rolex enjoys extreme hype on social media. Young people in particular are often confronted with the brand through posts on social networks, as influencers and musicians praise the brand in their videos or song lyrics. But Rolex itself also has its own social media accounts.

That's why Generation Z wants Rolex

"Broadcast yourself!", "Be your own Creator", “Anybody can make it”. What a crazy time to be alive, when a 10-year-old can become filthy rich by unpacking toys online.

Yes, the influence of social media must have become super dominant to everyone by now, if you consider that companies mobilize millions to advertise their product on social media.

Individuals are the head of armies of followers. It's not uncommon that they reach millions of views.
Natürlich gliedern sich auch Luxusuhren, und insbesondere die Marke mit der goldenen Krone, in diese spannende Episode ein.

In this context, It's important to note that Rolex is certainly part of a luxury-overarching trend shift.

In fact the interest of the youth regarding luxury goods increased in the last years.

Certain social media posts make it so desirable to be very young, extremely wealthy. It also creates the urge to show your success.

Social Media - you are what you wear

In order to investigate why luxury goods, like Rolex watches are relevant among the youth, we need to understand how social media functions in the first palce.

In fact, it's no coincidence that young people are increasingly interested in products that go beyond their budget.

Social media by itself is a vast portal that provides access to Rolex as a brand.

Nearly every youngster has social media accounts and consumes content there in 2023, while the touchpoints with such topics were much rarer in former days.

Back in the past, normal people were not confronted that much with luxury. You had to buy specialized magazines, while the maximum exposure to luxury watches was through advertising posters.

Rolex's watches are admired by more and more young people nowadays, because there is a much lower entry barrier than in the past.

Filter bubbles

But people don't just see a Rolex watch and immediately want one. It's more of a gradual process.

In fact, it's all about how these platforms actually work. The goal of each platform is to show the user as much advertising as possible. And It's realized by algorithms which goal it is to drag the users' attention as long as possible.

This means that the algorithm recognizes whether you like a post based on the smallest of indicators, e.g. if you look at a post on a certain topic for slightly longer than others, open the comments section or click on "Like".

And on this data basis, similar topics are repeatedly suggested to you, which leads to continuous exposure. This phenomenon is also known as a filter bubble.

At the same time, this means that today's young people come into contact with luxury goods much more often and more intensively. The only logical consequence is that most young people who are confronted permanently with luxury content also admire possessing these things. erwerben möchten.

Youthful recklessness

However, the algorithm by itself isn't the sole reason why Rolex goes down well with the youth. Young people are often during the development of their personality, making them highly susceptible to external influences.

In the same breath, Social media provides the ideal platform to influence these young individuals. It is no exaggeration to say that plenty of teenagers spend more time online than with their own family.

Additionally, it's worth mentioning, this group is, as already said, pretty influenceable. The luxury related content suggested to them becomes normal. While in former days, there were hardly any interfaces, nowadays, Rolex can easily dominate the For-You-Page of a 14-year-old.

But this constant exposure also leads to a distorted perception of reality, so that a youngster comes to believe that it's normal and obligatory to wear an expensive Rolex at a young age, as it's portrayed on a daily basis in social networks.

It's an open secret that, in reality, the digital world isn't necessarily representative of the reality. But when it comes to self-staging, following the "Fake it till you make it" mantra, influencers are unbeaten.

And that's where the problem lies. This perceived normality of luxury goods increases the pressure on youth to afford something like a Rolex. Being young and successful feels like an obligation to them.

“How much is your outfit worth?”

But it's not all about the social media algorithms and naive young adults.

Luxury has become quite popular and trendy among teenagers.

Formats like "How much is your outfit worth?" reflect this exact phenomenon.

In these kind of videos, people on the streets are asked about the total value of their outfit.

Videos like "How much is your outfit worth Richkids Edition Switzerland" or "How much is your outfit worth? - Rich Girls 2.0" generate millions of clicks. Many teenagers showing off their Rolex watches turn up there. 

But the resonance on is not exclusively positive. The topic of luxury and status seems to be controversial among the upcoming generation.

But without any doubt there is interest in general.

Influencer - Modern heroes

At the same time, it is out of question that influencers have the biggest influence on the youth. They're modern heroes to them.

There are influencers for any kind of industries: gaming, beauty, fashion, comedy etc. But all of them have one thing in common, they are wearing and presenting expensive goods such as Rolex watches.

This is hardly surprising. The business with digital reach yields millions thanks to cooperations, advertising and placements such as merchandising.

In this frame, it's obvious that fans are obsessed with their idol. They want to be like their star in every single facet. Consequently, they also adore the same watch.

There are Influencers who show their watches in specific, and these who just wear them. Some individuals like Adin Ross for example even show their whole collections in their livestreams.

There are also influencers who have made the luxury watch sectoe to their very own niche. There would be Nico Leonard, who's got over 1.5 subscribers just on YouTube. His videos reach hundred thousands people regularly.

But not only Influencers praise Rolex. It is at least as popular in the music industry, especially in the Rap Genre.

It's no secret that rap is one of the most popular genres among the youth. Rolex is an absolute symbol of status, which is often used in lyrics such as music videos.

Lines like „Rolis that don’t tick tock. Audemars that´s losing time“ from Jay-Z are super common for Rap. It seems like there's no rapper out there who doesn't mention at least one luxury watch brand in a song.

The musicians specify on one feature, which would be that their Rolex watches aren't ticking. Because cheap quartz movements, which are mainly used for replicas, have ticking hands. This is intended to demonstrate their social advancement by showing the world that their Rolex watches are real.

But this presence creates also awareness for this topic. Listeners become curious about Rolex, if they hear it again and again in their favorite songs.