Branding

Creating Luxury Appeal for Any Brand

Headshot of Jeanette McMurtry
By Jeanette McMurtry

So why do many of us spend $55,000 and more on a luxury car that Consumer Reports says won’t perform as well as a much cheaper brand?

And what makes women buy that $40,000 Gucci crocodile handbag when, functionally, it does the very same thing as a $40 knock-off from Target?

According to my friend, Harlan Bratcher, who has been creating and defining luxury as a C-level executive for labels such as Calvin Klein, Armani and Reed Krakoff, it’s all about emotion.

“We don’t necessarily buy a luxury product because of how it’s made, or even its style, but more so because of how it makes us feel,” says Bratcher.

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Headshot of Jeanette McMurtry

Jeanette McMurtry

Jeanette McMurtry is a psychology-based marketing expert providing strategy, campaign development, and sales and marketing training to brands in all industries on how to achieve psychological relevance for all aspects of a customer's experience. She is the author of the recently released edition of “Marketing for Dummies” (Fifth Edition, Wiley) and “Big Business Marketing for Small Business Budgets” (McGraw Hill). She is a popular and engaging keynote speaker and workshop instructor on marketing psychology worldwide. Her blog will share insights and tactics for engaging B2B and B2C purchasers' unconscious minds which drive 90 percent of our thoughts, attitudes and behavior, and provide actionable and affordable tips for upping sales and ROI through emotional selling propositions. Her blog will share insights and tactics for engaging consumers' unconscious minds, which drive 90 percent of our thoughts and purchasing attitudes and behavior. She'll explore how color, images and social influences like scarcity, peer pressure and even religion affect consumers' interest in engaging with your brand, your message and buying from you. Reach her at Jeanette@e4marketingco.com.

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