Every entrepreneur strives for differentiation.
Every successful business owner knows why branding matters. And they know how branding can affect consumer behavior. Whether it's a small leather goods manufacturer, a high end coffee shop or an artisanal chocolate company, everyone wants to have a logo or mark that is distinguishable and memorable and proprietary.
Good branding is good branding. But what about the concept of luxury branding? What is the difference between that and just plain ol' regular branding?
Experience. The right kind of experience. Allow me to explain. Take for example two car salesmen. One works for KIA and the other works for Aston Martin. Both have been selling cars for over 10 years. Both are top sales people. You are about to open a dealership selling Bentleys. You need to hire a sales person to handle the showroom. The KIA salesman is asking $50K a year. The Aston Martin guy is asking $50K a year. Who would you hire? When you are dealing with a high-end clientele, there are no compromises. You only have that one moment, that one chance to make a good impression. Sometimes it's the difference between making the sale or not. It's a matter of resonating with your target audience or not. High net worth individuals (HNWI) have seen it all. They have traveled the world, they have tasted it all, they appreciate art, history and expect only the very best in sophisticated design, service and experience. As a business owner, starting a new venture, are you willing to take the risk of hiring someone who has never dealt with your intended audience? You see the KIA salesperson can definitely learn to handle and ultimately service the Aston Martin clientele but do you, as a business owner have the luxury of that learning curve? They may be good at what they do, but are they good for you? So is luxury branding concept valid? Is there such a thing? I would argue yes and yes. In the world of luxury and exclusivity the expectations are different. The design sensibilities are different. The feel is different. The mood boards are different. And ultimately the rules are different. It's a matter of learning them, honing them and occasionally breaking them. 😉 Since starting my branding design firm I told myself I was not going to learn to sell KIA cars. Nothing wrong with KIA cars. I simply wanted to focus on learning how to sell Aston Martins.
-Christos Joannides