#21 Do not look for consensus.
Testing implies looking for consensus: any option could be chosen as long as it is elected by the majority of common consumers. In fact, intimacy with luxury decision makers teaches us that big success as a rule creates a lot of discussion within the company itself. This can be held as a working principle of luxury brand management. The key questions are: How to lead? Are consensual decisions the sign that it will be a lasting success or a temporary fad? Interestingly, in the perfume business – which is dominated by mass strategies – the most successful fragrance launch of the past 20 years, Angel, was chosen despite poor test results. Its success was driven by a minority of respondents that rallied around the product’s new and completely original scent. Religions start the same way: they succeed in creating a sect of militants and advocates.
Contributed to Branding Strategy Insider by: JN Kapferer, excerpted from his book, The Luxury Strategy with permission from Kogan Page publishing.
See all of the Anti-laws of Luxury Marketing here.
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