Why Elevated Brands Need an Elevated Agency

By Miranda Champoux

Exclusive brands focus on their quality, comfort, and beauty. While a simple branding strategy has worked for many luxury brands in the past, that is no longer the case today. More and more consumers are affected by what they see online, which is why luxury brands need an elevated agency to handle their web design and branding strategy.

It isn’t so simple to find the right agency for your digital marketing strategy. Luxury brands need agencies with specialized knowledge about the art of luxury and why consumers continue to desire it.
 
 
 
“It always has, and always will be about The Details”
— JAKE CANO, Executive Creative Director of Gregoria Group.
 
 
 
 
Luxury is difficult to define because it doesn’t just boil down the physical aspects that make luxury products. Luxury brands and products all include high-quality materials, impeccable design, and a high price tag. But if that was all it took to market a luxury brand, then everything from smartphones to well-designed appliances would be considered luxury items.
 
The key to marketing luxury is accurately representing the elevated quality, comfort, elevated living, and elegance that comes with luxury products. In short, it’s about getting every single detail right to evoke perceptions of refined living.
 
The idea of luxury is also changing as time goes on. More people are starting to identify luxury as something more personal, where the core brand pillars focus on similar values. Consumers now don’t just want a great product, they also want a completely personalized experience. Luxury brands must not only exist just to sell something. No, they must also communicate a sense of purpose.
 
 
 
 
Consumers Purchase Luxury Goods for Different Reasons
 
 
To truly understand how luxury branding works, you have to know why consumers purchase luxury goods in the first place. You need a marketing agency that understands luxury. Traditional marketing strategies from run-of-the-mill digital marketers won’t work, because those who desire luxury products have different motives than the general market.
 
Proof They Can Afford It
One reason consumers spend their money on luxury products is to show others they can afford them. The desire to prove you can achieve more than your neighbor isn’t anything new. In this case, your luxury product proves the consumer can afford a lavish lifestyle. They’ll often use ownership of luxury goods to console themselves if they’re uncertain about other aspects of their lives. In short, these consumers will spend more money to compensate for a perceived power deficit in their lives.
 
THE ART OF FASHiON
Some people buy luxury items because they appreciate the design, materials, and creative process that went into the creation of the product. This is particularly true for luxury fashion brands. Those who purchase Tom Ford, Dior, Versace, Givenchy may have many reasons for buying the items. But choosing luxury clothing over designer or off-the-rack clothing is very personal, and they usually will choose them according to their own taste and what the brand represents them. This includes those who will invest in luxury goods if they believe them to truly be superior quality.
 
SYMBOLS OF STATUS
Perhaps one of the most compelling reasons consumers purchase luxury products is because they long to own status symbols. Status symbols communicate to others that you have money and that you’ve “made it.” These consumers also believe luxury goods show what economic and social class they are in. In fact, status-seeking is a significant motivation for many luxury buyers. They long to inspire envy in others and use status symbols to display their wealth and power.
 
True Luxury Uses Quiet Signals Rather Than Loud Signals
 
Luxury brands need to be able to convey complex messages that attract luxury consumers. This message conveys quality, status, and taste. As a general rule, wealthy consumers don’t want flashy or loud branding on their clothes, cars, and other possessions. This is because those who are truly wealthy don’t rely on their luxury goods to signal their economic class.
 
A good case study for this phenomenon is what handbags wealthy people use. You may find some American celebrities sporting handbags with large logos or branding, but wealthy people understand that small logos with high price tags aren’t as easily imitated. As luxury handbags get more expensive, the smaller and more subtle the identifiable logos become.
(Those who carry a subtle Saint Laurent, Celine, or an Akris silhouette are serving up sophistication, elevation and a fashion education.)
 
What does this mean for you? You can’t instantly brand something as luxury and expect it to stay that way. Loud signals are an easy shortcut, and your consumers know it. Good luxury brand marketers understand the influence and nuances of the market. They also must understand changing market trends to be able to keep your brand favorable among the elite luxury consumers. Your clients are as complex as their social media feed. The only way to “show them what they didn’t even know they wanted” is through obtaining insider information from services like WGSN… or having a staff like ours who read and visually read the multifaceted material world in which we live. It kills us. It also gives us life.
 
Elevated Brand Marketing Requires Specific Knowledge
 
Consumers need to feel like your brand evokes a luxury lifestyle before they purchase luxury-priced products. Once they reach that point, your brand also needs to stay a status symbol. Otherwise, your consumers will stop buying your product. If they feel like your brand is becoming too accessible, status symbols evolve past your product, or the perceived value declines in another way, your brand will fall out of favor.
 
Gregoria Group knows how to effectively create and market luxury brands to the right consumer. Today’s consumers are knowledgeable and heavily influenced by word-of-mouth and online digital presence. Your web design, social media presence, and online advertising need to be in sync. You can’t afford for your brand identity to fall flat.
 
Gregoria Group has specialized knowledge in luxury brands and simply-chic website creation to give your consumers the experience they expect. They understand the unique luxury brand marketing aspects, which are:
 
  • Performance – Luxury products must be top quality physically, but they must also appeal emotionally to consumers. Gregoria Group knows how to take your brand’s unique identity and showcase your unique details for the right buyers.
  • Pedigree – A luxury brand has an extraordinary history. This history doesn’t have to date back a long time, it just has to add to the mystery and luxury surrounding the brand.
  • Scarcity – By definition, luxury is not available or accessible to everyone. The brand and products are exclusive, limited edition, and too expensive to justify for the average consumer.
  • Pricing – Luxury products have higher pricing. You must be able to justify high prices by maintaining a high perceived market value. Brands must be able to provide an experience, both online and in-stores— #omnichannel
  • Mystique – Mystery and exclusivity go hand in hand. If there’s a unique ritual or difficulty obtaining your brand, it will help create a higher brand value with higher pricing power.
 
 
 
 
 
The Gregoria Group is passionate about fashion and luxury, and they can effectively market your luxury brand to an exclusive clientele. Whether you need a fresh approach to branding identity or eye-catching web design, they have the expertise to get what you need.
 
 
Contact Gregoria Group for more information on how to elevate your brand.
 
@GregoriaGroup 212.320.8909 Hello@GregoriaGroup.com
 
 
 
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