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How can Brands appeal through authenticity? – A brand mission must be lived to be taken seriously. A myth must be embraced to work. A lived and felt purpose is what people experience as ‘authenticity,’ the ‘truth’ behind a brand. Continue reading
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An interview with Prestige brand creator extraordinaire Ramdane Touhami. He is the mind and myth-maker behind brands like Cire Trudon and L’Officine Universelle Buly. You will also find plenty of background materials in this podcast note. Continue reading
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Yes, Burt really existed. The wild-bearded man on the brand’s logo was a documentary photographer turned beekeeper after moving from Manhattan to Maine. He left behind the trappings of a rather privileged upbringing to live in a converted turkey coop in the backwoods (where he … Continue reading
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Most of us associate Patagonia with the rugged, southernmost tip of America and/or with a brand of colorful, high-tech, high quality (and somewhat high priced) outdoor clothes one would wear to explore that place. And most of us have at least a feeling … Continue reading
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What do if you like cocktail parties or ‘having a drink with the mates’ but not the alcohol that usually goes with them? Ben Branson often felt silly, sometimes socially stigmatized with his glass of (sugary) water, juice or ‘mocktail’ in hand – who … Continue reading
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Storytelling has become the hot topic as the mainstream of marketers discovered that stories can make us relate to- and remember a brand more fondly than a cold sales pitch. But marketers who seek to elevate their brands beyond the material … Continue reading
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Many definitions of myths talk of ‘lies’ – or at least ‘a stretching of the truth’. So we shouldn’t really care much for them. Yet, myths have not only been told and re-told across the millenniums, they have been consistent in their content and construction … Continue reading
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In this episode we talk to Maria Sebregondi, co-creator and VP of Brand Equity & Communication at Moleskine, the storied, little black notebook brand. Since its creation in 1997, Moleskine has become a favorite tool among urban knowledge workers and everyone who still feels … Continue reading
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We had the honor to be invited to talk about ‘Ueber-Branding’ by the Fashion Institute of Technology and the Luxury Marketing Council in New York and also bring along a panel of friends from Moleskine, The Laundress, CO Bigelow and Dunnhumby. … Continue reading
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We are discussing Brunello Cucinelli, the ‘Cashmere King’ and his eponymous brand with David LaRocca author, film maker and scholar of philosophy. David, like us, has been fascinated by Brunello, who says he is guided by the great historic thinkers … Continue reading
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There’s a new German player in the super-high-end distillery market: The Wolf. The Wolf calls itself a ‘Weissbrand’ (white brandy) since it is made from grapes, like cognac or other brandies. But it is steel-container and not barrel-aged, which explains … Continue reading
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“Beauty is hope. It’s about our dreams and aspirations. Yet, as with everything, digital has made reality creep up on it big time. Where beauty brands, especially prestige ones, once fancied themselves as hovering above the fray in a realm … Continue reading
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After some 4 years, 75+ interviews, 150 cases studied and uncounted conversations Wolf Schaefer and JP Kuehlwein are proud to present their latest book ‘Rethinking Prestige Branding – Secrets of the Ueber-Brands’ (Kogan Page Publishing). You can order it online (links below) … Continue reading
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The Mini is a runaway success by most measures – except size, maybe. Who would have thought that this quirky, tiny car could carve out significant market share, again, when most other brands were talking size, comfort or power? And … Continue reading
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In Part I we looked at how premium brands use own flagship stores and retail partners that project exclusivity to keep their glow while extending their distribution. Horizontal geographic expansion around the globe – rather than penetrating a single market … Continue reading
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Novalis, an author, poet and philosopher of Early German Romanticism (1772-1801) once wrote: By imbuing the meaningless with meaning the ordinary with a sense of mystery the known with the dignity of the unknown, and the finite with an infinite … Continue reading
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We say in our premium branding model that “the first rule is to make your own” as one strives to develop brand myth and meaning. – It’s ‘Mission Incomparable’. Many premium brands are about identity construction. They help customers to … Continue reading
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This is a tale of two bottles. A bottle of soy milk that stands out and tells a story and a bottle of perfume that inserts itself into the saga that is Hermès. Both have in common that the stories … Continue reading
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During religious or national holidays, we are reminded of the global power of legends, or one legend in particular. Without stepping on any religious toes I think it’s save to say that we need stories to believe – and make … Continue reading
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Last week I wrote about the balance between style and substance and how easily the former can undermine or overpower the latter. A fascinating and limitless topic, which easily sustains another week. So, here we go again, a bit deeper, … Continue reading
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– the Australian boutique Beauty Care brand founded in 1987 – intuitively masters the art of “class branding”. It is a perfect case to illustrate key principles that – when lived by – can lift a brand above the masses. Of course their … Continue reading
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The Disillusionment of a Prestige Brand Believer. Eugene Rabkin is “Making The Case Against Fast Fashion Collaborations” in a popular Op-Ed on the Business of Fashion (BoF) blog. He is joined in his criticism of the “democratization of fashion” and the “irresponsible consumer … Continue reading
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