Barry Mayfield had the entire package. Back in high school he was THE MAN. Quarterback of the football team. Amazing student. Cool with the babes. I was a typical self-conscious and socially clumsy teen. I spent a lot of time and energy trying to hang out with Barry, despite the fact that he terrified me. He possessed a level of fearless worldliness that I could never hope to attain, and I followed in his wake, vainly hoping to soak up just a smattering of his polish and style.
Barry didn’t know it, but he had an amazing brand, and the product world has its own version of these virtuosos of sophistication – the luxury brand. They intimidate. They are brands we hope we’re cool enough to pull off. Just being around them leaves us a little in awe – Prada, Rolex, Sotheby’s, Louis Vuitton, Opus One. Deep in our hearts, we worry we’re just not cool enough to associate with them.
A Constantly Evolving Brand Message
In the traditional world of consumer branding, simplicity is the essence of this kind of marketing, but luxury brands take the exact opposite tack. Luxury brands must be complex, mysterious, and a wee bit intimidating. The customer is always kept on her toes. She must always feel that there is more to the story. Chanel hired Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese to direct this aspirational ad about a powerful and gorgeous man obsessed with a woman. She is self-assured, confident and ultimately elusive. She is the person you hope you’re cool enough to be.
Luxury manufacturers continually evolve a story so the fantasy is never the same. Just when you think you have these brands figured out, they quickly change the game on you. It is this mysteriousness and elusiveness that builds the romance. Luxury brands are like a beautiful, high-class, temperamental woman who is never predictable. Prada created this short film that just seems kind of weird, but that’s the point. They always want to keep their customers guessing.
There are several different classes of luxury product customer, each with a distinctive emotional need. On one end of the spectrum is the conspicuous flaunting of status. The primary job of these purchases is to impress friends, associates, and even strangers. It is a delectable display of power, wealth, achievement, and social status. It has its foundations in self-esteem. In the words of Donald Trump, “Money is a way to keep score.”
That Gucci bag has a strategically placed logo that leaves no doubt. Gucci recently teamed up with Christie’s to combine the power of these two luxury brands. Christie’s invited vintage purse owners to get a free appraisal of their favorite classic vintage Gucci bag.
Sure, ostentatious social climber is one category of luxury buyer, but there is also a very quiet and private emotional marketing identification for many top brands. These extremely wealthy customers have moved beyond the need to flaunt their wealth. Luxury brands are about a personal reward and a personal reaffirmation of the status they have achieved. They do not need others to tell them they have arrived.
This sort of etherial emotional marketing is something that is too far out for the pragmatic advertising world of everyday consumer needs, but what can we learn from these masters of fantasy brand building? Everyday consumer brands like ESPN, Nike, Virgin, Crown Royal, and Volkswagen have all created emotional marketing that challenges their customers to step up.
Don’t limit your brand to the boring business of fulfilling basic needs.
Luxury branders found out decades ago that most products will meet the basic needs of their customers. A Louis Vuitton bag does not carry personal stuff much more effectively than one from Samsonite. Louis Vuitton made sure its product was top quality, but then it was smart enough not to hang its brand on a piece of leather with wheels. Instead, it was all about their customer’s desire to dream. What are the dreams of your customers?
Customers want products that will lift them up.
Most consumer brands base their audience appeal on pragmatically meeting customers needs in a mind space that is comfortable and familiar. Acknowledging your customer where they are at is an important first step, but could your brand rise above the herd by tapping into your customer’s aspirations? In this ad, Nike challenges all of us to persevere and keep going through the pain. The act of strapping on a pair of athletic shoes makes us feel like one of the elite few who can endure the punishment and win.
Find the balance between compelling features and aspirational desires.
Identify the best functional features of your product, then do a little bit of dreaming. Wal-Mart’s advertising showed customers the good life that was possible for those who shopped wisely and saved for the important things. In this ad it took the core competency of saving and made it something greater. Aveda took the concept of natural ingredients in cosmetics and turned it into a brand position to care for the earth and her people. They help sooth an entire generation’s guilt for plundering the natural resources of the planet. Watch how this fan has turned this brand into a personal identity statement.
Find the aspiration behind a customer’s need for your product.
Starbucks founder Howard Schultz reinvented the coffee business by tapping into a generation’s unrealized need to feel coolly European and hang out in tall-ceilinged, blond-wood coffee shops. Coffee is a catalyst to an entire experience designed to accentuate the customer’s feeling of international style. Watch here this profile and you’ll see Schultz’s passion for a mission greater than coffee, “We aren’t in the business of filling bellies. We’re in the business of filling souls.”
Give your customer an opportunity to move up within your own brand.
As your assets and tastes mature, American Express moves you from a green card, to gold, to platinum. Armani will sell you a $3000 dress, but will start you out in high school with a pair of jeans. The brand is designed to grow. In this ad, Megan Fox is sexy, confident and clearly in control.
Mercedes changed their brand identity from being a luxury brand, out of reach for only but the most priveliged, to one of inclusiveness. Mercedes designs entire product lines to meet you with the right price and the right brand image at each critical stage in your life. You will start with a C-class in your 30s, move into an E-class in the career driven 40s, an S-class in your 50s, and return back to the C-class when you leave the workforce.
This is part three of a series on luxury branding using emotional marketing.
Read part one here.
