By Tom O’Regan Let us play a little “audience association” game here. I say Instagram. You think kids sending washed-out pictures with captions on them. You would be right. Now, think brands mentioned on the Instagram top ten. You would stay Starbucks, Nike, Red Bull, iTunes and maybe a sports league. You would be half right. Starbucks and Nike are there. But check this out. Five of the top ten Instagram brands are luxury brands: Burberry beat Nike for the number three spot. Also in the mix: Gucci, Audi, Tiffany and Hermès. What is going on here? Breaks for Tiffany Seriously, I am not surprised at this finding, which comes from a new social media research report from SimplyMeasured. It illustrates a very important point about marketing high-end products, especially on digital media. Luxury is aspirational. The 22-year-old guy sipping a Frappucino at Starbucks sees another guy pull out in an Audi A3 cabriolet and he wants one. Probably does not own one. The girls at the next table are talking about their older sister, who just got engaged, and there is an Instagram picture of an engagement ring from Tiffany’s. My point is this: luxury for some customers is attainable. For others, it is desirable. Understanding the difference between aspirational marketing and marketing to affluent customers can affect your media buy, placement strategy, creative execution and messaging. Aspirational marketing can be very effective, depending on the product category. It is not a good idea to put Tiffany’s display ads on Seventeen.com, even though it would most likely get good click rates and views. Tiffany’s belongs in front of customers who can afford its products. For digital marketers, we have seen some packaged goods companies market upscale products very successfully. We have seen automotive and travel companies succeed by appealing to customer segments that want to reach a little further than their budget allows. Well coached Measuring aspiration can lead to new products. If you can measure affinities, interests and passions, you can create new opportunities. Mercedes-Benz is introducing a more affordably priced line later this year, after research showed that it would not cannibalize the top of the line. Coach is another great example of this. In 2001 its sales were stuck. It was still the handbag to have if you were stylish. But there was a whole different audience that wanted to own Coach but could not. One of the things customer data pushed Coach to do was create a new line of lower-priced “wrist bags” that wrapped around a woman’s wrist. During its first 10 months, it morphed into 25 varieties and generated over $4 million in sales. Today, Coach sells more than $40 million-worth of wristlets in 30 different styles. Aspiration will also influence your media buying. Some content does not lend itself to the affluent customer. The design may look cheap, even though the title promises luxury. Some content however, does present high-end products in the best light. I do not think Burberry would attract many affluent customers on a comparison shopping site. However, put it on FashionistaTalk.com, and now we are in business. IT COMES DOWN to audience and passions. Make sure the audience that you seek and buy on digital media aspires to your product and can afford your products. You can stretch the “afford” part of that equation, but not much. Match it up with quality and expertise in content, and the affluent are available online. Tom O’Regan is chief revenue officer of Martini Media, New York. Reach him at tom.o'regan@martini-corp.com.