Читать книгу Luxury Brand Management in Digital and Sustainable Times - Michel Chevalier - Страница 50

Professor Bernard Dubois used to start on this subject by speaking of the paradox of luxury goods (see Table 2.2). To achieve success in this field, he said, it was necessary to do exactly the opposite of what was taught in traditional marketing lessons.

Table 2.2 The Paradox of Luxury-Goods Marketing

Source: Bernard Dubois, L'art du Marketing, Paris: Village Mondial, 1998, p. 292.

High price

High cost

Craftsmanship

Limited distribution

Low promotional activity

Advertising with no sophisticated copy strategy

At first glance, high prices, high costs, no manufacturing investment, and a limited distribution do not seem to be normal marketing practice. But the process is based on the creation of a well-controlled scarcity. The product must be known and be visible, but it should also appear expensive and slightly out of reach. Customers must go out of their way to find it. This is a niche marketing approach that can only work when the brand has a strong identity and a reason for being. It also requires a specific aesthetic concept: the product must be easily recognizable and in line with the mood of the time and with the specific fashion trends.