Are You A Luxury Brand?

Image via Lexus

Do you think of yourself as a brand? If you do, then you can empower yourself to think about what you have to offer other brands. All brands need to establish what they stand for and what they want others to think of when they hear their name.

1) What Are Your Brand’s Values? (Example: Starbucks (SBUX) and Nike (NKE) have brand values associated with excellence and connection.

2) Do The Brands You Buy Reflect Your Brand As A Person? (Example: Why do some people prefer Trader Joe’s versus Vons?)

3) What Are 3 Words That Describe Your Brand? Mine are Passion, Integrity and Joy. I use this to be my compass before I make a decision. For example, if I get an offer, am I passionate about it? Do the people making the offer have integrity? Does it bring me or someone else joy? If yes to all three, then I do it!

Now that you can start to think of yourself as a brand, are you a LUXURY brand?

Luxury is anticipating a need before you know you even “need” it. Going above and beyond the expected is what true luxury is in today’s market, regardless of your price point.

Here are 3 brands that give their clients the extra something that makes it a luxury.

· Lexus (TM) has a unique way to give people a new way of listening to music as if you’re at the performance. Mark Levinson specially engineers audio systems for the acoustic environment of each Lexus model it is featured in. This unique collaboration creates extraordinary sound; with nothing added or removed from the performance. Their tag line is : “Don’t just hear sound, experience it, every time you drive.”

· Banana Republic (GPS) put phone chargers in their flagship stores so people could recharge their phones when they shopped as a way of elevating their brand. An unexpected surprise turned out to be an increase in sales as people spent more time shopping while they waited for their phones to fully charge.

· The Cosmopolitan Hotel Las Vegas (BX) keeps the curtains closed so the room stays cooler. When a guest arrives and opens the door, the drapes majestically open automatically revealing a view while you’re still standing at the doorway.

What do all three of these brands offer? A STORY that their customers can tell their friends. If you want to create brand ambassadors that tell their unexpected luxury experience, then think about what you can offer that is free, unexpected and has the wow factor.

John Livesay is The Pitch Whisperer, who is a keynote speaker to luxury brands and shares lessons learned from his award winning career at Conde Nast. His keynote talks teach luxury brands how to be irresistible so they can instill in their customers the “Gotta Have It” feeling. When that happens the brands creates loyalty and a story that gets the crucial word of mouth in high gear across social media.

To Book John for Your Next Event: Email [email protected] Or call The Speakers Group at 615-526-6600