Comments on: Luxury Brand Community Forums: a Look inside the Buyer’s Mind

By: Sylvielavoiet

Sylvielavoiet — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 21:48:42 +0000

Bonjour
J’viens de m’souscrire sur le forum! Vous m’avez l’air d’un gang de passionnes de plein-air et de tourisme a quebec , je crois qu’on va reussir a s’entendre car je part en vacances cette ete au Saguenay!! Ça l’air magnifique
Tk, jvous re-ecris dans pas long..

By: Beth Harte

Beth Harte — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 01:11:24 +0000

@LeylaFarah, @ArikHanson, @AnBui, and @HeatherRast…thank you so much for resurrecting this post and re-starting the conversation!

@ArikHanson, having worked in the private golf industry (marketing s/w to these folks), I can tell you that there is an interesting lag time for technology. Back in 2002 high-end golf courses didn’t even have email (most managers used their own AOL accounts). Without email, they couldn’t even communicate with members. Lots of snail mail and member bulletins. (And yes, I said 2002.) It would be interesting to see if things have changed over the last 6-7 years.

@HeatherRast, feel free to go off on your tangents, it’s okay… we always follow you anyway. I think you are right about needs though…sometimes they are really wants generated by self-induced psychological pressures. I see that a lot in the forums…wanting to fit in, have a bag to show off, etc.

By: Heather Rast

Heather Rast — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 01:05:26 +0000

Hi, Beth. It’s interesting to read about luxury when so much is being written about economizing, both consumer-oriented and business budget stretching.

I’ve studied consumer behavior (motivations, decision-making criteria, emotional connections) and concur with you and Frank as Maslow’s hierarchy applies to us all.

For me, the fascinating part of this topic could be the evaluation of our ‘needs’ filters and how we consumers rationalize purchases…after all, one man’s luxury is another man’s staple. In what categories is private label acceptable? Where would I absolutely never deign for imitation?

Furthermore, what about the area where luxury and indulgence converge or even overlap? One of my favorite resources (definitely an investment at the annual subscription price!) has been Iconoculture (http://iconoculture.com), which draws relationships between behaviors and trends and provides great insight into consumer interest and movement. In the past, some of their research has shown that indulgence is attainable by all due to its subjective and thus scalable nature–not to mention the psychological reasons we behave that way.

I’ve probably taken this a little into left field, but you guys got my mind going…thanks!

By: An Bui

An Bui — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 23:01:52 +0000

Beth, great post on Luxury Brand Communities. I've previously studied them in the context of a new advertising initiative, and you're spot on regarding the emotional aspect of decision making regarding luxury purchases. Affinities also tend to run deep, which is great when brand managers can capture the hearts of these consumers. An Bui’s last blog post..Two Cents: Organizational Entropy & Information Abuse

By: Arik Hanson

Arik Hanson — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 22:57:33 +0000

Funny, as I was reading your post I couldn't help but think of how these same concepts might impact the golf community, which has historically trended on the wealthier side. This crowd is just as passionate. For many, buying new clubs or playing a new course (think Pebble Beach) is a visceral experience. Yet, I don't see many of the larger players--Titleist, Addidas, Cobra--engaging their customers in online conversations about their brands. Maybe they're just too entrenched in the face-to-face sell, but I would agree with your advice that if I were a brand manager for one of these companies I'd be out there listening to what my customers were saying about my brand--at the very least. That's astute advice for a number of industries right now... Arik Hanson’s last blog post..My New Year's Resolutions: Five things I resolve not to do in 2009