The art of subliminal luxury branding

Getting loud and on the face is the primary mantra for luxury branding. However, there is a relatively small, albeit growing and loyal segment which still believes in subliminal appeal of luxury. Branding to them is very difficult and thus is an art. They loathe brands that do not have class and go all out to showcase their products in the most brazen way. They loathe the brands which are popular with customers. 'Money can't buy you class', that is the moot point that drives this genre of customers. For a better understanding of subtle and subliminal branding, let us first understand the buyer categories who needs to be lured in Connoisseurs and Aesthetes (reference 'Decoding Luxe').

Let's first meet the Connoisseurs. This genre is passionate in certain areas of interest and makes it a point to be well informed and knowledgeable about it. These categories could be art, scotch, wine, watches, writing instruments, cigars, horses and others. These connoisseurs get together and appreciate the finer aspects of their passion. They look down upon people who do not share their passion. They form clubs and get together for a quiet appreciation of the luxury of creation. It may be a horology society or a wine club or a scotch club or a cigar group. Being rich is a necessary but certainly not a sufficient condition for being a part of this exclusive group of connoisseurs. You need to belong to a certain class to be a part of this group.

They will spend their time and money in pursuit of the collection of personal passion points. They make the pursuit of their area of passion a mission and pursue it with zest. When it comes to limited editions or handcrafted editions or spirit of the bygone era, these connoisseurs will not bat an eyelid for spending a fortune.

And then comes the Aesthetes. To this genre, the brand is much less important than the design. Aesthetes are luxury consumers purely because they have arrived at a state of income due to which they can indulge in their love for design among luxury brands or products. They will shell out a bomb because the object of desire is hand stitched and not because of the label. They pride themselves for having an eye that picks out the unique and bold in design. Again money or the brazen display of affluence is frowned upon by this category of buyers. They are more into the appreciation of finer things of life, and money surely can't develop that faculty.

The difference between them and the connoisseur is that the latter has certain passions which they follow with zeal and the quality and craftsmanship are very important. However, for the former category, it is the aesthetic appeal, the look, the intricacies of the design that appeal to their senses. They are also likely to pursue this aesthetic across categories, unlike a connoisseur.

Thus comes the art of subliminal branding, which is the key to engaging both these customer categories. Brands need to focus on the story, the creativity and the uniqueness of a product and certainly not on the price point. It is very difficult to lure these two categories with the usual razzle-dazzle that works for the majority of customers. On the contrary, bling drives these customers away from a brand. They are a serious lot, who has the potential of being loyal as well as brand ambassadors, spreading the good word. The key to make these two categories loosen their purse strings is to be subliminal and low key. These customers usually come from old money and thus are not dazzled by luxury or rather price tags.

They look for something unique in the product so the branding has to be specific to showcasing the uniqueness of it. The brand story has to be told in a manner that attracts the interest of these Connoisseurs and Aesthetes. Be it the uniqueness of the design or the man hours spent by a master craftsman or the rarity of the raw material, the brand story has to appeal at a subliminal level using these levers to the customers. For example, a rare brand of shawl Shahtoosh, meaning King of Wools, is now a banned item. It uses the wool from a rare Tibetian antelope. Master artisans weaved delicate hair, which measured between 7 and 10 microns, to make these shawls so fine that they can be passed through a wedding ring. The mere collection of wools from these migratory animals moving down from Mongolia to Tibet takes years. The branding of Shahtoosh thus will have to be on the rarity and not on the price tag to appeal at a subliminal level.

The author is a luxury commentator and author of 'Dark Luxe' and 'Decoding Luxe'