The Gstaad Guy Edition

Colin here. I wrote yesterday about the new ways brands are integrating into the conversation via TV, and how it appears to be quite effective. On the other side of the equation: most influencer/creator work is so saturated that it has become a pastiche of itself. Influencers, while once credible, have become commoditized. So much so that many brands are completely re-evaluating their approach to engaging with them. A luxury hotelier recently told me that their marketing strategies were much more focused on people they have actual long-standing relationships with (and a shared vision), rather than rented influencers and the transactional approach that often come with them. 

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Which is why I find one influencer, Gstaad Guy, so interesting, and such an anomaly. He’s a social media character that is making fun of the uber elite. In the words of Forbes, he’s “parodying the lives of the famous and mountainous, mocking the alpine culture of apres-ski, fine wines and snobbery.” 

There are two characters: Gstaad Guy himself, a highly mobile, cigar chomping bon vivant with strongly held opinions, and Cousin Coulton, who is the photographic negative, so to speak: an LA-based crypto loving, streetwear bro that speaks with an American twang and is all about the vibes. Both are spot-on in their send-ups of a particular archetype and have gathered quite a powerful following. It is satire in an atomized, social media form that feels relevant, and above all, hilarious. A tip of the navy blue cashmere baseball cap is also due to Sacha Baron Cohen, who is undoubtedly an influence. 

A bit of backstory on the character creation: 

GG (who declined to state his real name for this interview) says he first created Constance as a joke while Facetiming a friend who was in his Gstaad chalet, annoyed about a masseuse being late. “I impersonated him in a video and sent it over Whatsapp to his mom. She loved the video and forwarded it to every Whatsapp group chat with moms she was in."

"It took off over Whatsapp, especially in Gstaad, but then a page posted it on Instagram, and it went viral.” After coming home from a few weeks of vacation in Asia without an internet connection, he was stopped on the street by a stranger saying “I know you, you’re the Gstaad guy!” GG says he remembers being confused. “I was thinking, ‘'What? Yeah.. I’m the Gstaad guy!’ And that was the spark that led to me setting up the account.”

The handle has since developed a huge international following with the kind of people that hang out at the Monaco F1, have a preferred shade of their Summer Walk loafer, and know their way around St Tropez. And turns out this gang are not above laughing at themselves. 

Why is this interesting? 

As the GG handle grew on Tiktok and IG during COVID, brands soon followed. When you watch the videos, there are integrations with the likes of Loro Piana: Constance wears the brand, visits the Palo Alto store opening, after having dedicated a building at Stanford. The apparel is threaded into the narratives in a fun, and oftentimes tongue-in-cheek way, but it is clear that the brand is in on the joke (and providing expensive product). Again, as I mentioned in my last piece, this is breaking a lot of rules of traditional luxury brand management and is actually quite fun: someone in the marketing department gets it. The other character, Cousin Colton, hypes the Oakberry Acai brand, and multiple presidential suites from hotels like the Alpina in Gstaad, and even Saudi F1 races also make gently branded appearances. 

What started as organic mentions and tongue-in-cheek nods have turned into actual partnerships that don’t feel forced: they feel self-aware and modern. Constance has even launched a real-world Rose brand, offered in exactly the places the character would hang out.  (CJN)

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Thanks for reading,

Noah (NRB) & Colin (CJN)

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