LinkedIn Goes Consumer
Recently, a colleague shared a Hermès display ad that he’d found on LinkedIn, asking if anyone else had seen it. I raised my hand; consumer brands started appearing on LinkedIn as early as 2019—when Ryan Reynolds bought a stake in Mint Mobile—and I notice every time. Whenever a consumer ad makes its way into my feed, I wonder the same thing: Why? Is the venerable social network going Instagram?
Things have changed at LinkedIn. What started as a professional networking portal is now also a growing consumer platform, attracting a staggering 1.2 billion members and 41% growth in posts over the last three years. Forty three percent of consumers now have a LinkedIn profile; not just business professionals. The Hermès bag landed on LinkedIn because new forms of engagement, content, and advertising are changing the platform.
Reese Witherspoon
For almost two decades, LinkedIn was a space reserved for resumes, professional updates, and company news. But in recent years, the platform’s tone and content have broadened. Influencers, celebrities, and entrepreneurs are now active participants; Reese Witherspoon’s arrival on the platform, sharing both professional and personal brand stories, symbolizes this shift toward consumer-facing content. She’s joined by Ryan Rynolds, Gwyneth Paltrow, Mindy Kaling, and others.
What’s fueling this growth? Disillusionment with algorithm changes, divisiveness, and instability on other social networks has steered everyday consumers toward the stability and aspirational tone LinkedIn provides. Users seek not just jobs, but also authentic conversations.
Cartier and Mercedes-Benz
Consumer brands see new value in reaching the platform’s affluent members. Brands that once spent their social budgets almost exclusively on Facebook or Instagram are using LinkedIn to tell more nuanced stories.
Notable advertisers on LinkedIn include Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Cartier, Kate Spade, and 20th Century Fox. Nike has used the platform to spotlight workplace culture and social impact. High-end retailers like LVMH, Louis Vuitton, Hermès, Dior, Prada, and Balenciaga are broadcasting live fashion shows and launches on LinkedIn, targeting the platform’s growing audience of high-net-worth professionals.
Luxury brands are drawn to LinkedIn because the platform’s members possess higher disposable income and a desire to signal status. Over 30% of LinkedIn users have shown interest in fashion—a number significantly higher than other social networks—and data show luxury purchases spike after career milestones, which LinkedIn’s ad algorithms can target.
Shifting the Boundaries of Content: Consumer vs. Business
The influx of consumer brands and storytelling has changed interactions among LinkedIn members. Posts about wellness, work-life balance, and personal struggles now sit alongside business insights and industry news.
Not everyone applauds this trend. Some of LinkedIn’s longest-standing users push back, leaving comments like “This belongs on Facebook, not LinkedIn!” under personal posts, adding to the ongoing debate about consumer-versus-business users.
Those who dislike consumer ads and content on LinkedIn can be forgiven. Some are genuinely concerned that Reese Witherspoon will crowd out posts about sales kickoff events and team building exercises.
I’m not here to weigh in on the debate; I’m just interested in how the transition plays out. For now, at least, resumes still need a place. Mine is currently posted next to a green Birkin bag. Raise your hand if you’ve seen it.