The Anti-laws of Luxury Marketing

 A basic yet effective roadmap for luxury brands: Branding Strategy Insider

Japanese fall OUT of love with luxury

"Japan became the world’s “only mass luxury market” in the 1980s and early 1990s, when Japanese consumers saw ownership of a Louis Vuitton bag or Hermes scarf as a middle-class rite of passage. Then ..." FT.com 

Why not? by Virgin

Virgin's recipe for business success - Inside Entrepreneur - "Challenge your business to innovate by asking the unaskable, challenge industry norms and always ask, why? And then more importantly, why not?"

Albert by Richard

Virgin's recipe for business success - Inside Entrepreneur - "Einstein said 'it is impossible to solve a problem by using the same thinking that created it' and that's spot on. Innovation, both large and small, is imperative for sustainable value creation"

Virgin's little book of goods recipes

Virgin's recipe for business success - Inside Entrepreneur - Entrepreneur - Virgin

It's all about culture

Gill Linton: Does the Fashion Industry Know What a Brand Strategy Is? -"A good brand strategy creatively reframes what the brand stands for in culture beyond a product description and tactical marketing ideas. It’s a directional creative idea that drives everything the brand does, and goes much deeper than the surface aesthetics of the fashion business"- PSFK

The Awesomeness Manifesto

Revolutionary? You decide. The Awesomeness Manifesto - Umair Haque - HarvardBusiness.org

“Building Customer Loyalty Through Brand Equity”

“Building Customer Loyalty Through Brand Equity”: "Your identity defines who you are and more importantly why you are in business. You should focus defining yourself strategically rather than the functions you perform. Focus on your core values, core differentiators and the markets you serve. Know who you are with confidence and conviction and your customers will come to rely on that identity."

People's engagement is key

Interbrand Geert van Kuyck Royal Philips Electronics Chief Marketing Officer: "We, in fact, track our people's engagement with the brand as a key performance indicator. This needs to be taken personally to be effective."

Customer experience at Philips

Interbrand Geert van Kuyck Royal Philips Electronics Chief Marketing Officer: "Controlling the consistency of the customer experience, from the sales personnel, to product’s functions and design down to after sales service, will be the highest priority. Developing and aligning these experiences is the challenge of the coming years and requires a much more integrated and holistic approach. Gone are the days when marketers relied on messages and focused on communication alone. Communication based marketers that focus their efforts on trying to 'control or harness' the new and fragmented media landscape soon realize they cannot…the controllable is what you do for your consumer or customer."

Brand coherence is the future

Interbrand David Bickerton BP PLC Director of Communications: "How do you see the marketing of brands changing in the next five to 10 years?They’ll be more open and dialogue based. There will be a greater focus on internal brand coherence"

CSR will be your edge (ING)

Interbrand Isabelle Conner ING Global Head of Marketing in Private Banking: "With the recent crisis in financial services, there’s a high level of distrust and skepticism among consumers. The company that convinces customers that they are worth their trust will win, as these loyal clients will be the true promoters of the brand.Also, corporate responsibility is increasingly critical; it’s no longer enough to do no harm. Consumers want to see firms give back to society and do good for the planet."

Experiences beyond expectations

Interbrand Isabelle Conner ING Global Head of Marketing in Private Banking: "Customers will embrace brands that deliver an experience that exceeds their expectations. This also implies that the most important promoters of a brand will be existing customers, as they will share their positive experiences with friends, family, colleagues, and broader online communities."

Holistic marketing is the way (KFC)

Executive Vice President Marketing and Food Innovations, Yum! Brands (KFC): "Stay relentless in uncovering new consumer insights. Proactively attack the biggest barriers your brand faces. Take a holistic approach to marketing...the business is marketing and marketing is the business. Contemporize your brand equity and don’t lose relevance. Innovate, innovate, and innovate!"

Co-creation is the way (Moët & Chandon)

Interbrand Marc Jacheet Moët & Chandon International Marketing and Communications Director: "Other up-and-comers are “collaborative” brands that have created a perspective of co-creation with their consumer—for example, through iPhone applications."

Creating and renewing your universe (Moët & Chandon)

Interbrand Marc Jacheet Moët & Chandon International Marketing and Communications Director: "Brands that are able to create a universe, values, and are able to renew and innovate will grow in value. Those that are not able to do this will face tough consequences."

Balance in life (American Express)

Alison Bain, VP Head of International Advertising, American Express: "For example, our own trend research shows that consumers are re-evaluating what’s important to them. It’s no longer simply about the next career move or step up on the property ladder. Consumers are still spending their hard-earned money, but they are also adopting a more rounded approach to life. They are investing in new skills and hobbies, they are looking for experiences rather than just accumulating “things,” they are considering working part-time for the first time in their career, and they are spending more quality time with their family and friends.As American Express, we must be mindful of these changes and ensure that we continue to add value and remain relevant to their lifestyle, satisfying their particular needs and wants."

The “service” moment of truth (American Express)

Alison Bain, VP Head of International Advertising, American Express: "The “service” moment of truth has always been the cornerstone of the American Express brand, and we believe this will become even more important over the next few years as consumers become more dependent on service brands for support in a number of areas of their lives.Providing superior customer service that goes above and beyond the norm is something we place considerable emphasis on within our organization."

Brand Truth (American Express)

Alison Bain, VP Head of International Advertising, American Express: "Building a successful brand is all about establishing a clear point of view based on an authentic brand truth. This truth needs to be real at the point of delivery and needs to be evident at every touchpoint along the customer journey, regardless of whether you are speaking to prospects or consumers.This point of view needs to be simple and something consumers care about—relatable and relevant to their lives."

Brand Truth II (American Express)

Alison Bain, VP Head of International Advertising, American Express: "The key is to have a very clear brand architecture and hierarchy that all brand managers follow. At Amex we have strong and differentiated products, each with their own unique benefits and personalities. However, all are underpinned with the unifying brand truth that Amex offers superior, unrivaled service. This enduring brand truth needs to shine through, whatever the product."

Gucci President' branding lesson

Interbrand Patrizio di Marco Gucci Group President and Chief Executive Officer

The Red Thread

Interbrand The Red Thread: The true power of a well-managed brand Jez Frampton

Brand > Product

"You don’t make money building better products; you make money building better brands."

The Opportunity Economy

The Opportunity Economy

Why Green Is Growing (When Not Much Else Is) - HBR.org

Why Green Is Growing (When Not Much Else Is) - HBR.org: "“Smart companies now treat sustainability as innovation’s new frontier,” write Ram Nidumolu, C.K. Prahalad, and M.R. Rangaswami."

The Only Way is Up

The Only Way is Up: "Price is what companies put on the tag. Value is what lifts her world, a priceless feeling you deliver."

The Only Way is Up

The Only Way is Up: "Unleash a Big Idea across every touch point. The more people participate in an idea, the bigger it gets.
Your job: deliver ideas that travel."

The Only Way is Up

The Only Way is Up: "Consumers are beyond rationality, beyond benefit face-offs. People want joy and happiness. As they reframe choice and value, you must give it to them."

The Only Way is Up

The Only Way is Up