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LUXURY BRANDING: WHAT IT TAKES TO BE RECOGNISED AS A LUXURY

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LUXURY BRANDING: WHAT IT TAKES TO BE RECOGNISED
AS A LUXURY BRAND?

Goutham Kondapatti Chandiran

MSc Marketing and User Experience
Faculty of Management
Bournemouth University
s5224988@[Link]
Supervior: Dr Chris Chapleo
 I. Abstract
This paper will analyze the current luxury market to identify key characteristics and behaviour
that defines a luxury brand and successful branding techniques used that help position them in
the market. The analysis with real examples will help understand and reveal how luxury brands
distinguish themselves from other non-luxury brands. The objective of the paper is to help start-
ups and SMEs to position themselves as luxury brand by understanding the current scenario
and learn techniques to navigate the market. Luxury brand marketing is difficult and time-
consuming. Companies build their brand and people create a meaning for the brand; however,
these meanings can be elusive and change frequently especially when passed across
generations. The meaning is at the heart of the consumer and produces an emotional connection
with the brand. How a brand is perceived by the consumer affects the success of the company
or the product. Businesses are only as strong as their brand. (Wheeler 2012) In the luxury
business, using standard marketing methods is a definite way to fail. (Kapferer and Bastien
2009) Luxury branding needs planning, strategy, and structure. This paper will distinguish
between ordinary branding and luxury branding, as well as the components that contribute to
luxury branding.

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 II. Introduction
With a lot of competition and uncountable choices, companies need ways to emotionally
connect with consumers creating a lifelong relationship and become irreplaceable. In a
competitive market, a strong brand will stand out. People fall in love with a brand because they
trust it, believe in its superiority, and share core values with it. A brand is not absolute; it is a
value perceived by the mind and the meaning that is created in a brand that changes the world
around them. (Wheeler 2012) In the passive form, the word brand means “an object by which
an impression is formed”, that is appealing to the emotions of the consumer and represents trust,
reliability, and loyalty. (Clifton 2009) In the active form, brand means “the process of forming
this impression, that is the actions and means to building the brand perception”. (Clifton 2009)
When consumers purchase a product, they choose a brand for what it means. The brand exists
on the consumer's mind while products exist on a shelf. A product could be copied by a
competitor or become outdated while brands are unique and timeless.

The concept of branding is estimated to be as old as 4000 years old and there have been various
manifestations from different periods of history. (Moore and Reid 2008) In early Egypt
craftsmen used to embed products with their symbols to represent the identity of the artisan, the
superior quality of craftsmanship and to prevent counterfeit. In the modern-day, the same
technique is used by farmers to brand their livestock with their symbol to identify their cattle
and distinguish them from other farmers. (Clifton 2009) The term "brand" was later derived
from the Old Norse word "brandr," which meant "to burn." This represents burn iron to stamp
the livestock with the farmer’s symbol. (Clifton 2009)

Brand and branding are often misconstrued as the same thing. Branding is merely a marketing
tool to introduce, position and establish themselves in the consumer’s mind. It is described as a
combination of tangible and intangible qualities such as design, identity, packaging,
communications, and environments that elicit a sensation, emotion, cognition, and behavioural
reaction to a brand. (Brakus et al. 2009) Branding comes in two folds, the brand owners’ vision
of the brand and the consumer's perception of the brand, the way it is received or comes across,
both are connected through brand communication messages.

Branding provides advantages to a business; the most important benefit is creating awareness
that such a brand exists and differentiating it from other competitors. There are many options
in the market that could satisfy the same customer needs but without branding, all options would
have been viewed the same. Good branding also helps create a barrier for competitors to enter

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the market. A strong brand can charge higher prices than their competitors for example Apple
products are much more expensive compared to other brands offering similar products.
Branding also has its disadvantages, there is a high cost involved in establishing a brand name.
Once a brand name is established it would be difficult to alter or change the perception. For
example, SEAT is known for making cheap and affordable cars and them venturing into the
luxury market with a trustable reputation would be difficult, take more time and cost a lot.

A product could become a brand by augmenting it with something else such as symbols,
feelings, perception to produce a value greater than the parts. American Express is one of the
best demonstrations of a product transforming into a brand. American Express began as a
freight forwarding company in 1850, mainly transporting smaller valuable items. They soon
became prominent in the national delivery network and earned a reputation as a company people
could trust. The company understood the customer’s needs and built a tailored Business-to-
Business service where the agents would purchase supplies on behalf of the customers. In 1891
the company introduced the traveller’s cheque to help people feel safer with their money
abroad. They also opened their first branch outside American in 1895 where the overseas offices
gave the experience of a home away from home where customers could meet and share stories
creating brand recognition overseas. During World War I, over 150,000 Americans were
stranded abroad turning towards American Express for help to cash their traveller’s cheque.
The company stayed in operation during this time and helped them arrive home safe. In the
minds of consumers, this gave the brand meaning.

American Express created brand values by creating meaningful relationships with their
customers and satisfying their need. They introduced their first card in the US and Canada in
1958 as customers needed the security of a traveller’s cheque and credit flexibility while
travelling. American Express launched its corporate card 7 years later for businesses to better
understand and control the expenses of their employees. The brand soon expanded into South
America and Europe by the 1970s. The company introduced its Membership Miles program
now known as Membership Rewards to loyal customers. This redefined the loyalty programs
in the industry by giving customers useful benefits and relevant partnerships. Since 2001
American Express holds the title of the largest card-based rewards program in the world. With
the rapid advancement of technology, the company had to adapt to the changing environment
and market situation. To ensure they create timelessness in their services they introduced their
app in 2017 offering more ways to experience the service, such as paying with membership
points etc.

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This demonstrated how a company became a brand by creating a timeless experience and
creating meaning in the customers’ mind. The concept of the consumer is largely defined in
economic terms, that is consumers look for benefits and gain. The main drawback of focusing
on rational elements of consumer behaviour is the emphasis on buying rather than consuming
in the broadest sense. American Express is one of the top financial companies in the world, they
also are recognized as a luxury brand providing the world most prestigious credit card, ‘The
Centurion’ also known as the ‘The Black Card’. These cards are ‘invite only’ for exclusive
customers, with minimum spending of over GBP 100,000 per year and high annual fees. The
luxury card experience gives the customer a personal concierge around the clock and access to
places that are difficult for the common man. For example, American Express has tables
reserved at prestigious and busy restaurants dedicated to American Express customers.

Branding in the luxury market is much more intricate compared to other markets since it caters
to a specific niche and a certain type of customer. Luxury appeals to consumers, this led
companies to work towards being recognized and positioning themselves as a luxury brand.
The definition of luxury is flexible; it used to include champagne, caviar, designer items, and
so on. Luxury has developed through time, and it is no longer exclusive to the wealthy and
noble. Consumers nowadays enjoy greater materialistic conveniences, personal fulfilment, and
aspiration via brand experience than prior generations. The success of luxury and niche brands
comes from exclusivity and an aspiring desire from the audience. (Simonin and Ruth 1998)

There is the question of, what is a true luxury brand? Luxury brands are a form of self-
expression, a status symbol, and self-reward, according to Erich Joachimsthaler, CEO of
Vivaldi Partners, a branding consultancy that has worked with high-profile clients such as
Swarovski, Coca-Cola, Disney, and Hugo Boss, in an interview. Luxury can be defined in a
variety of ways. Though there is no definitive way to define a luxury brand, there are few traits
that set it apart from others: it is unique, delivers a personalized experience, is expensive, and
is uncommon. (Fraser 2020) The word ‘luxury’ has become ambiguous over time due to the
availability of nearly infinite brands and options to choose from in a reducing brand gap and
positioning in the market. Luxury can be perceived differently and given various definitions by
a diverse audience. Kemp had beautifully demonstrated the perception of luxury by using the
availability of water. Water might be regarded as a luxury by people who value it and find it
difficult to get, yet it may also be considered a basic need by others. (Kemp 1998). People
purchase things to meet their needs, but they favour a luxury brand because of its rarity, greater

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quality, reputation, trust, and, most importantly, guaranteed performance. Luxury brands justify
a higher price, more than the value of the product with their unsurpassed brand experience.

Like Kemp’s demonstration, luxury could also be perceived differently. Both Cadillac and
Rolls-Royce, for example, are acknowledged as luxury brands, yet they are considered
differently in terms of luxury. There is no clear method to differentiate a luxury brand from a
non-luxury brand, but there are few traits that assist identify them: they are uncommon, give a
personalized experience, deliver perfection, and are expensive. (Fraser 2020).

The success and popularity of luxury brands lead low-tier companies to mimic and counterfeit
their products/services. Brands must protect themselves, especially from overseas counterfeit
to maintain their reputation and quality. Because of the rising value of sales, the luxury sector
has a lot of potential. (Ko and Megehee 2012) In 2020, the luxury market will be worth 285.1
billion dollars, and it is anticipated to expand at an exponential rate. (Statista 2021) Consumers
have emotional attachments to a few select brands with which they can identify, which may be
represented as layers of brands in a circle. (Kent and Joachimsthaler, 2020). They are squeezed
for time and attention, and there are a lot of firms vying for it. Brand marketing that is effective
will assist businesses catch their attention. (Anderson and de Palma 2012

There are many components that constitute a luxury brand which includes visuals, aesthetical
and emotional factors. An analysis of some of the key elements in making a good brand with
examples will help better understand the concepts, their benefits and drawbacks. Luxury
branding does not aim to get a prospective customer but to build the brand image and reputation
that it wants to be synonymously known for. These elements are on top of normal branding
elements that differentiate them from non-luxury brands.

III. Brand Identity

A combination of tools and features that aid in the creation of a brand image is known as brand
identity. The brand image on the other hand is a consumer's mental image of a brand that they
can relate to and connect with. It is difficult to understand a brand’s meaning without
understanding the consumer's motivation. Brand identity is built from the companies’ values,

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its relevance to the consumer, the vision and competitive positioning. It most common
elements of a brand identity constitute name, logo, tagline, colour, music, etc; it could be
anything that represents and distinguishes a brand from others. Consumers are offered infinite
choices and overloaded with information while having a limited attention span on a single topic
over an extended time. It is crucial to communicate distinctly and create a recognizable brand
image in the consumer’s mind. It is an important tool that companies can use to deliver the right
message and impression to consumers, not only to help them make a purchase decision but also
to ensure commitment and building customer loyalty. Good brand identity will have the ability
to quickly represent the company to prospective customers.

The first and most important element that consumers identify and associate’s memories to the
brand's name. From a branding perspective a ‘brand name’ is a word or phrase that personifies
a company or a product with all the information that a consumer has. Words and names allow
the brand to access a variety of meanings, emotions and associations related to the product,
service, or vision. For consumers who are not aware of the brand, it gives them an idea of what
the brand constitutes of, the industry they are in, their position in the market, and mainly if the
brand can relate to their values and needs.

Successful branding has led to brand names becoming a verb. This means the brand name has
become synonymous with performing the actions with the product that the company is offering.
This demonstrates a personal connection between the consumer and the brand. Companies
objectify them hoping consumers would idealize and set them as a standard in the market.
Brands have typically been nouns and not verbs, consumers occasionally latch on to a strong
brand and make it a verb, mostly without the care whether the company wants it or not. A well
know example of a brand name become a verb is Google, in the 21st century the brand was
made a verb by consumers and people use the phrase “Google it!” and not “use the search
engine”. It is how the brand impacts the consumer's life that makes it a verb. Google had
developed a meaning more than just a search engine, it meant to inform, to validate, to seek out,
to prove, to entertain with knowledge, etc. The brand had become an extension of human
memory and plays an important role in the consumer's life. However, it only happens to certain
products or brands, consumers say “Google it” and not “Bing it”.

When a brand becomes a verb, it directly translates to what it does. For example, Hoover is a
very popular brand that makes vacuum cleaners, they are so popular that consumers made it
into a verb. Now the word hoover stands synonymous with the action of vacuuming the floor.

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For authenticity, the very a need to translate to what the brand does and not what the word
means. Brands have a direct relationship with the consumer and once it becomes a verb there
is a certain expectation the company is expected to behave and operate in the future. Some of
the recent and most popular brand names that have become verbs are Jacuzzi, Frisbee, Vaseline,
and Uber.

Companies can get patents, copyrights, and trademark for recognizable brand elements such as
the name and visual elements such as logos, taglines, designs and even colours to protect their
uniqueness and prevent counterfeit. The earliest known trademark is the Bass Ale triangle,
painting by French artist Édouard Mane in 1876 and registered in the UK. (Batey 2015).

Fig 1: Bass Ale Trademark

Cadbury's purple is one of the most polarizing and well-known corporate identities in the world.
Cadbury trademarked Pantone 2865c, a purple tint, in 2008 to prevent competitors from using
it to wrap sweets or chocolates. This resulted in the famed Cadbury-Nestle fight. Cadbury won
the lawsuit in the end and now has the freedom to dye any chocolate product purple. (Bradley
2008)

In an interview with David Rubenstein from Bloomberg Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook explained
the reason for dropping the “i” prefix was because there were so many users who did not
recognize Apple as a brand but knew their products the iPod and iPhone very well. To build

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brand recognition the company decided to get rid of the “i” prefix and replace it with the word
Apple. The Apple watch was the first physical product to have the Apple prefix. When Apple
tried to name their streaming service iTV they realized they could not win the legal battle with
the British telecom company ITV. So, they had to rename it Apple Tv though it was initially
presented as iTV at the live event by Steve Jobs. However, this was not the first time Apple had
to face issues regarding trademarks. The word iPad was initially trademarked by Proview, a
firm in China. In 2015 Apple names their smartwatch Apple Watch instead of iWatch, this was
mainly because the word Apple was trademarked while the “i” prefix was not, and it would
directly associate the product with the company. Apple later had to settle the dispute by paying
USD 60 million in the Chinese court. It is important to protect a company’s intellectual property
to maintain the brand image and differentiation from other brands in the market.

IV. Brand Image

Brand image refers to the consumer's perception of a brand constructed as a result of their
experiences with their interaction while deciphering the brand identity's characteristics. This
perception or brand image is fluid and can evolve over time. Interaction does not necessarily
mean the consumer making a purchase, it could be any form of engagement with the brand
direct or indirect. Customer brand perception and belief based on their memories and
experiences with the brand can be characterized by the brand image. Brand identity is distinct
from the brand image in that brand identity is derived from the source of the organization, whilst
the brand image is perceived by the receiver or customer. Brand identity represents the
company’s reality while the brand image represents the way this reality is perceived or received.
Hence the dimensions defining both brand identity and brand image need to be consistent for a
good communication strategy.

Companies spend a lot of time and money on brand personality and position which contributes
towards the brand image. Brand image is important especially amongst Millennial and
Generation Z consumers, they do not purchase a product just because it is the best product but
also what the brand stands for. Luxury brands may charge a higher price if they use the brand
image as a vital aspect in their marketing strategy, and this is mirrored in the consumer's
response to brand image. (Ait-Sahalia, Parker, & Yogo 2004) According to Han et al. (2010),
a lady wearing a $695 Gucci "new britt" hobo bag communicates a different socioeconomic
status than a woman wearing a $268 Coach "Ali Signature" hobo bag. As per current marketing
research, possession has a symbolic meaning in the lives of customers. (Belk 1988; Levy 1959;
Solomon 1983) Individuals acquire opinions about others based on their actions, as is generally
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known. (Belk, Bahn, and Mayer 1982; Burroughs, Drews 1991; Richins 1994) These
assumptions, according to Richins (1994), can reflect other people's success are judged by their
assets and possessions. In absolute terms or when compared to the typical cost of an item in
that product category, things that reflect wealth and status are often more expensive. (Fournier
and Richins 1991) Status symbols items, according to Charles, Hurst, and Roussanov (2009),
appear in highly visible sectors such as vehicles (Rolls Royce), watches (Rolex), and fashion
(Louis Vuitton).

The most iconic “Spirit of Ecstasy” had become a recognizable brand image, more popular than
the Rolls-Royce “RR” logo since 1909. The Car Illustrated magazine's creator and editor, Lord
Baron John Montagu of Beaulieu, commissioned Charles Robinson Sykes, an illustrator,
sculptor, and Eleanor Velasco Thornton's private secretary, to create a bespoke mascot for the
bonnet of his Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost. Using Eleanor as a model, Sykes constructed the first
bronze sculpture of a lady in fluttering robes, which he dubbed "The Whisper." Other owners
wanted bespoke embellishments to indicate their social position once it was ornamented. In
1911, General Managing Director Claude Johnson decided to make the Lady in Silver an
official decoration that could be purchased as an add-on. This decision was to protect the brand
and products from horrendous ornamentation and maintain the brand image. (Rolls-Royce Press
2020a) The Spirit of Ecstasy was later made a standard fitting in the early 1920s. Even today
there are certain rules regarding owning a Rolls-Royce, customers are not allowed to modify or
customize their cars, this is to ensure the maintenance perception of a Rolls-Royce brand image.
Doing so would lead to the loss of access to further services and the availability of spares.

Brand image is a reflection of consumers personal image and lifestyle. People connect to brands
with similar beliefs. Apple as a leading luxury technology brand had always attached the Apple
logo stickers with their products, there is a brand image strategy that they implemented. When
Apple initially entered the computer market they were in direct competition with IBM, over a
period apple was on the verge of going bankrupt and apple fans used to stand near their products
in retail outlets and support selling them. To build the brand image and gain support from their
loyal fans, apple started offering Apple stickers with their products so users can show their
support for Apple which customers can display, such as on their car window etc. This created
the brand image of the underdog which later became a technology giant offering premium
luxury products.

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Marketers are aware that it is a standard method to attach premium pricing to an otherwise
general product to add the “status appeal” to it. (Goldsmith et al. 2010; O’Cass and Frost 2002)
Consumers will pay a greater price for functionally comparable goods because they seek the
status that comes with the materialistic display of money. (Bagwell and Berheim 1996) In some
ways, higher costs make customers feel superior in certain respects since they are among the
few who can afford the product. (Garfein 1989)

V. Brand Communication
Luxury brands do not strive to please everyone, but only a specific set of customers. Brands
need to identify and understand their type of customers and the product to be able to connect
with the audience. Communication needs to cut through the marketplace clutter to create
awareness and engagement. It allows penetrating the unconscious mind of the consumer about
the brand. Brand communication is not the same as sales strategy, communication strategy
creates awareness, interest, generates engagement and informs the customer while sales strategy
aims to convert any interaction into a transaction. Brand communication can be segregated into
three categories: (1) What; This included the brand identity expressing what the brand is, who
they are and what their core values and beliefs are. (2) How; This involves brand expression,
how consumers interact with the brand. It could be the expression through the website, logo,
colours etc. Nike is a good example for brand expression, the “swoosh” and “just do it” is the
brand expression while the brand value is based on its performance. (3) Where; This involves
marketing and outreach efforts, that is where the target audience engage with the brand.

Monograms, logos, colours, pattern pictures, and even brand concepts come to mind when we
think of real luxury brands. Their vision and language for luxury brands are different from mass
brands. Luxury brands require a very specific approach when applying brand communication
and marketing strategies. They do not put effort into the mass marketing strategy. Mass brands
comparing themselves to competitors is a highly aggressive and popular marketing tactic, but
luxury businesses should not do so. They are an exclusive brand beyond competition, and their
marketing plan must emphasize this. Brand communication must create familiarity, recognition,
and trust with the consumers.

When Ron Johnson, Apple's former senior vice president of retail operations, moved to
JCPenney, it was an example of bad brand communication. Due to brand inconsistencies, Ron's
management resulted in its downfall. Ron was a high-end retail specialist, and when he became

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the new CEO of JCPenny, he chose to stop the daily deals and significant discounts and operate
as high-end retail. The firm, which is famed for its low prices, was sending out a different
message to its customers. This resulted in a decrease in sales as well as a negative impact on
the brand's reputation and perception. (Harbin and Humphrey 2020). Mass brands have defined
customers as well, and their communication strategy is always tailored to push information and
items to consumers via a push approach. Brand communication brings everything together in a
cohesive and holistic manner to paint a picture of the brand. For luxury businesses, however,
the communication strategy is aimed to attract customers by making them feel like they are part
of an exclusive group. The goal is to reach the emotional side of consumers rather than the
rational side. Good brand communication entices consumers to pay the premium price for
something when there are numerous affordable alternatives. Hermès manages to charge over
$70000 for a foosball table and sell them at full price.

Communicating needs to be consistent to be coherent. Consistency is crucial, and it may be

achieved by following design and style requirements, employing an attractive format,
typefaces, and colours, among other things. (Cai and Mo 2019) Using frameworks and
templates to generate messages and posts makes it easier to achieve brand consistency online.
Marina Willer, a partner at Pentagram, just developed Rolls Royce's new brand communication
identity. To provide a fresh viewpoint for the premium brand, the firm modified its marketing
style, tone, vocabulary, and colour to suit a modern consumer. (Rolls-Royce Press 2020b)

Fig 2: Rolls-Royce New Color Tone

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Interacting with consumers, showroom experience, and product quality are all part of the Rolls
Royce brand marketing and sales strategy. (Achille and Zipser 2020) Rolls-Royce creates a
one-of-a-kind product for each customer based on their preferences, and no two cars are ever
the same (in terms of paint, interior, and finish). To do so, they will need to keep in touch with
their consumers on a regular basis to learn about their needs. To achieve this goal, Rolls Royce
collaborates with its peers (suppliers and speciality parts manufacturers) all over the world. To
give a high-quality experience, both with the product and with the service, the brand follows
rigorous standards.

VI. Brand Experience

Brand experience is very important for a luxury brand, it is one of the core elements that define
a luxury experience. It can be defined as a collection of meticulously sequenced, synchronized,
and handpicked touchpoints that work together to emotionally engage customers as they travel
through the brand journey. Customers must be able to seamlessly move from one touchpoint to
another with minimum effort or friction. Customers may be motivated to switch brands if the
flow of the experience is disrupted between touchpoints within or across channels. Building a
brand experience is a company-wide endeavour that includes customer service, production,
marketing, and sales, among other things. It is the way touchpoints combine and work together
to create and deliver the brand experience as a whole making it unique and hard to replicate. It
is easy for brands to get overwhelmed by the sheer amount of brand experience touchpoints
available. They need to identify and focus on carefully selected touchpoints that deliver. When
a choice is offered, often less is more. If a part of the experience fails to deliver relevant value,
it is best to remove the touchpoint. When Steve Jobs returned to Apple Inc as the CEO in 1997,
his first action of business was to reduce the number of choices offered as the products did not
deliver the relevant value to their consumers. Since people are becoming less passive, it's
critical to concentrate on how customers interact with the brand. They are looking for
immersive experiences in which they can participate, actively contribute, and share with their
friends and network. Brands need to be mindful of the entire brand experience journey since
the overall experience delivered will only be as good as the weakest touchpoints. When building
a brand experience consumers need to engage with the brand. Brand experience and customer
experience are related, but brand experience has a broader scope since it is designed with a
variety of customers in mind. Though customer experience is a subset of brand experience.

Primarily consumers emotion diver their choices, so it is important for brands to emotionally
engage with their consumers. This does not mean ignoring the cognitive and rational processes.
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Brand experiences provide consumers with more enduring pleasure than materialistic
possessions. when consumers anticipate a positive emotion, dopamine is released making
waiting for an experience also more pleasurable than waiting to receive a procession. According
to research, both experience and materialistic purchases bring pleasure momentarily, but in
different ways. (Ko et al. 2016) Possessions deliver frequent momentary happiness long-term
while experiences deliver intense momentary happiness. For example, Ferrari’s distinctive
engine note is a brand experience. Consumers will recall this experiential happiness from their
memories when triggered by brand associations.

Traditionally, brands attempted to differentiate themselves mainly through physical product

characteristics like alloy wheels, leather seats, and sound systems. This strategy has limitation
because physical products have a finite number of features. Once all the features are used, the
brand can only use competitive price routes to commoditize the offer. As the margin shrinks,
something must give, and the brand experience suffers as a result. In the long run, no one wins.
Brand experience, on the other hand, provides several avenues of differentiation. Consider a
car brand for example. What is the first thing a consumer sees or experience when they enter?
A welcoming face of the staff, a vibrant display stand, a comfortable couch, fresh coffee,
ambient music, and an open retail format? Now expanding this to other parts of retail, say the
customer is waiting for a sales representative to discuss the car, features, customization, and
financial option. This is more opportunity to differentiation the brand. Now extending the scope
of customer interaction, say they want to customize a car and purchase it with a finance option.
The brand can add featured websites that allow them to customize the car and choose financial
options, social media interactions, telephone service and other channels. A brand can improve
the brand experience by using omnichannel integrations. This lets the consumers seamlessly
move from one platform to another to without additional effort. Now putting an experiential
mix and more opportunities to differentiate, the brand has an app to track the delivery, status of
the car, control feature and even get reminders for servicing the car and get recommendations
nearby service centres. WHISPER by Rolls Royce is an exclusive community for the current
owners of Rolls Royce Cars. Customers can join by invite only and these customers get front
row seats some of the most exclusive events, be a part of designing the cars and get a personal
concierge service. Rolls Royce has a very loyal customer base and existing customers have the
privilege of purchasing new models and limited editions before others.

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Marketers are increasingly focused on digital transformation, and in some cases, it could even
become the core element of the brand experience. For luxury brands, social media is becoming
an increasingly important communication medium. Luxury companies, unlike mass companies,
are known for nurturing long-term relationships with their customers, which necessitates tactics
while implementing social media communication. While digital presence appeal to marketers
it is also equally important to realize the importance of people as part of the brand experience.
As discussed earlier, brands focus on identifying relevant channels and deliver experiences
within or across them. Brand experience aids in the management of the ever-increasing number
of touchpoints that businesses must cope with. The number of touchpoints is rapidly increasing.
Brands that understand how to build a strong brand experience will prosper with these changes
and thrive.

When people engage with, shop for, and consumer brands, luxury brand experience refers to
the internal consumer responses triggered by brand-related stimuli. (Brakus, Schmitt, &
Zarantonello, 2009) Since establishing a strong emotional and physiological connection with
them the brand is difficult, consumers pose a challenge to marketers. (Adkins 2016)
Consumption includes not just materialistic pursuits, but also the pursuit of enrichment via
indulgent, recreational, and cultural activities. It is also crucial for companies to comprehend
how premium brand experiences are processed by customers. (Chandon, Laurent & Valette-
Florence 2017)

Luxury marketers respond to these aspirations for brand experience by allowing customers to
enter the brand universe through stories about the company's heritage, emotional stimulants,
and sensory explorations. Consumers can interact and experience a brand through multiple
touchpoints, both online and offline. Luxury brand experience can be categorized into four
areas. (1) Social Media and digital marketing. (2) Value-co creation and ingredient branding.
(3) Luxury Retailing and (4) Luxury customer experience while building a brand experience
can be segmented into three segments: (1) Brand Experience Environment, which involves the
context it needs to be mindful of in which the brand experience essentials must be developed
and defined. It includes four elements: understanding the consumer, fine-tuning brand
perspective, recognizing the mechanics of delivery and employing a data-driven approach to
building the brand experience. (2) Brand Experience Essentials, are intangible brand assets such
as value, essence, promise, positioning, heritage, and so on that influence and guide the brand
experience created through brand experience enablers. (3) Brand Experience Enablers, these

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are tool and elements such as design, employee behaviour, communication etc., that brands can
use to bring the brand experience essentials to life.

As part of the brand experience, customers must engage with the brand's substance - its value,
essence, promise, positioning, and personality. The brand does not come to life just because it
is included in the form of a logo or other visual signals. Take, for example, brand promise,
which is a structure created to help buyers recognize the brand in a variety of settings and times.
(Light & Kiddon 2009) It is not enough to just advertising and marketing a brand promise and
values, all the actions need to be in line with those promises. Communicate the brand promise
and relating to customers with similar values is important. An iconic example of the brand
promise is the Rolls-Royce campaign created by David Ogilvy run between 1958 – 1962. The
campaigns promise was “At 60 miles an hour the loudest noise in this new Rolls-Royce comes
from the electric clock.”

Fig 3: Rolls-Royce Advert 1958 - 1962

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Rolls-Royce presented the new design for the Wraith in a Channel 4 documentary as being
unimaginably silent. The designers had to lessen the soundproofing to avoid a user suffering
motion sickness from the quietness during the trip. (Channel4 2020) This is proof that the brand
stands by its vision and promise made decades ago. Rolls-Royce names its cars after ghosts, the
idea behind the naming is to represent the silence or smoothness of the ride. In layman’s terms,
the car performs like a ghost, users would not notice the noise made by the car while travelling.

VII. Heritage
Heritage can be described as something with a history for a long time that can be considered as
its character or a part of what it is. (Cooper et al. 2015) It tells consumers about the brand's
origin, traditions, philosophy, the journey it has been through, the reputation it has earned over
time and who so many people over the generations have trusted and invested in the brand.
Understanding the value of history behind a brand evokes nostalgia and trust, offering
consumers something tangible that they can emotionally connect to making generations of
consumers go back to the brand time and again, especially in the digital world. Evolving with
time and updating marketing strategies for heritage brands are very important. Older strategies
could communicate a different vision making it difficult for consumers to relate to the brand.

Unlike history, heritage encompasses the past, present and future. Heritage helps build the brand
identity equity which adds authenticity, credibility, and trust towards a brand by building a
meaningful past. (Aaker 1996; George 2004). Brand heritage and provenance can often be
misinterpreted for each other. Heritage helps the brand establish its position in the market
and build a loyal customer base while provenance helps express the story and emotional
value that connects with the consumer. The evolution of the brand from the time of
establishment with changes over generations displays the brand's credibility. Heritage
creates and confirms brand expectations and provides a prospective future continuing to
deliver the said promise.

There are so many businesses set up every year than a decade ago. (FSB 2021) With every
year passing by there are a significant number of modern brands that outnumber traditional
brands with a heritage. Heritage can be considered like a commodity that increases in value
with time. These companies have existed over decades or even centuries and survive by
understanding and looking after their customer by producing quality products.

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 According to Wuestefeld, there are five core elements that indicate the presence of heritage in
a brand. (Wuestefeld et al. 2012) The first element is the track record, this indicates the brand's
performance over time while maintaining the brand consistency and promise. The second factor
is longevity, the brand needs to survive across generations to build a heritage. A balance
between modernization and traditional values creates a timelessness that helps the brand
strive across various generations. The third element is one of the most important, core values.
This included basic values and the future vision that the brand is built with. All actions the
brand makes the need to be in line to achieve and maintaining the core values. The core
values help in developing the brand strategy, identity, and communication. The use of
symbols is the fourth element that helps express the brand to the consumer. For example, the
“leaper” of Jaguar designer by Bill Rankin represents a big cat starting to leap into the air just
like the car’s performance. (JEC 2016) The final element is history important to identity, the
sense of realization of a company’s history, actions and achievement that makes them who they
are, and communicating that through marketing and advertising. (Wuestefeld et al. 2011)

VIII. Brand Pricing

Pricing plays a very crucial role in the luxury market, prices are rising rather than falling,
appealing to buyers' desires. Luxury is no longer a privilege reserved for the wealthy and
affluent; it has become a marketing phenomenon. People have a lot of disposable income,
mainly due to the reducing interest rates, low unemployment and falling commodity prices.
(Fassnacht et al. 2013) The increase in sales of luxury goods is due to the rise in wealth, and
consumption.

Luxury has a psychological association with premium pricing and the perception of the brand
and product. The concept of charm pricing is a part of pricing psychology where the price of a
product or service ends in decimals and one less the overall price. For example, a product with
RRP £50 can be sold at £49.99. This is very common in the retail business; however, this would
not work for a luxury brand as the consumer is not looking for a deal, they are willing to spend
more to get the most premium and superior product. A high-end product with a lower price is
more likely to be considered as a poorly made or subpar product. It is easy for a brand to price
a product high and lower it in time while increasing a products price after it is launched is
different. This perception is related to brand consistency as well, for example when a brand
known for low priced products hikes its price or launched a high-end product/service it would

17
be difficult for the consumer to received and accept it. A good example is the JCPenney case
study discussed earlier.

The "conspicuous consumer" hypothesis of Thorsten Veblen (1994) assumes that consumer
purchasing behaviour has moved from comfort and sustenance to solely achieve admiration and
envy from others, or in other words, a status symbol. Goods such as electronics, furniture,
accommodation, and food at restraint have a higher perceived value compared to other such as
electricity etc. that have less added value. This implicates that consumer is willing to pay more
for certain goods and not others. In branding, this means creating a brand value or image that
customers are willing to pay more for. Consumers are important, they have the desire, interest,
and capability to purchase, and they are willing to pay for the extra added value.

Allsop (2004) points out that luxury value is quality and price along with intangibles such as
aesthetics, design, exclusivity, experience etc. Consumers regard premium or higher price as a
signal of quality, prestige, and hedonic worth, in addition to monetary worth. Prices for luxury
brands should be governed by two key objectives in order to promote and retain the brand
image.

To create the luxury perception prices should be above the market average. (Simon Fassnacht
2009) To differentiate itself from mainstream luxury, pricing must be the highest in the relevant
market and must stay the top over time by expanding modestly. In the previous 35 years, luxury
prices have risen at a faster rate than basic goods prices. (Forbes 2012) Secondly, luxury prices
need to be stable over the short run, such as avoiding discounts etc. Rolls Royce never relied
on discounts and offers throughout its 115 years of history. The decisions on price strategy lay
the groundwork for future pricing. Prioritizing the price goal above the sales goal is critical.
Profitability measurements are different from sales-oriented measurements (units sold, market
share). Though sales growth is important for brands, luxury pricing strategies emphasized the
long-term goal of profitability and exclusiveness. All new products should fit the brands
existing price strategy and be aligned with the brand marketing mix. There is a difference
between high pricing and overcharging, consumers perceived price should be equivalent to the
perceived value.

According to De Barnier, Falcy, and Valette-Florence (2012), there are three tiers of luxury
price positioning: (1) Affordable or entry-level pricing to attract potential customers. (2)

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Intermediate luxury building the core luxury products. (3) inaccessible or absolute luxury
displaying the expression of creativity and finest craftsmanship.

It is common for high-end brands to avoid displaying a price for their products or services. Five
star or luxury restaurants do not have a price on the menu similarly Rolls-Royce does not
display a price for their models as each car is customized to the desire of the customer and no
two cars are the same. This helps brands weed out the customers they want and the customers
they do not want. Brands that are well established can charge a higher price for the quality while
if a new brand charges the same for a similar product it would be considered overpriced. The
price of the product and its acceptance is in the value that the customers perceive for the brand.

IX. Product Line and Exclusivity

True luxury is only accessible to a select few, yet it is desired by many. The notion of exclusivity
is widely recognized as one of the most important aspects of luxury goods. (Kapferer, Bastien
2009) Luxury brands are defined by their limited accessibility and exclusivity, which justify
their high prices. Luxury goods are primarily bought for the symbolic value they represent, it
is critical for luxury to create a prestigious atmosphere. A perception of exclusivity must be
maintained at all consumer touchpoints. With the increased demand for luxury goods, luxury
firms are faced with the problem of adopting mass marketing strategies while yet emphasizing
product exclusivity.

Luxury brands focus on satisfying the needs of specific customers than focus on the mass
market. This gives them space to design products around performance and quality rather than
focusing on price and accommodating compromises. Most luxury brands offer very few
variations or range of products in a category, exceptions included such as the fashion industry.
Luxury brands are not catered towards the mass market, they are aimed at a specific nice for
selected customers. Sometimes luxury brands do offer services like haute couture for their
customers providing limited but exclusive products. Exclusivity and the difficulty to access or
join the group of elite customers helps increases the brand value and reinforce the brand image.
The more the people desire the brand and speak about the brand, it becomes popular, the success
of a luxury brand can also be realized by the existence of counterfeit and cheap knock offs
products that try to resemble the luxury product.

There are consumers who are willing to pay a higher price to get a unique and exclusive product
from luxury brands. The higher perceived cost set makes a product appear of higher value.
Limited edition creates demand. Louis Vuitton for example runs a new ad campaign for their

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monogram bag every year. Though the ad is for the same product they tell the brand story
repeatedly to share the brand story across different generations and still sell the product at full
price.

When a brand introduces a new product line, it is attempting to appeal to a certain demographic
of customers who have similar objectives, income levels, and shopping habits. Examples of a
product range from Apple can be different models such as iPhone Mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12
Max etc. The products features and designs may vary but the core product remains the same. A
product mix is made up of a brand's product lines and all the items for sale in each of those
lines. For example, Apple has a product mix that includes iPad’s, iPhone’s, iMac etc. The
fundamental benefit of a product mix is that it provides the brand with more options to reach
customers while also broadening the company's present offerings. Sometimes less is more, the
fewer number of products with customizable options has more value than a brand offering a
vast collection of options. This could also confuse the customer, defame the value of the product
lines. Companies will be able to achieve more consumer loyalty because of having a strong
product mix. When a buyer trusts one product from a brand, they are more inclined to trust
other products from the same brand. When Apple launches a new iPhone, people wait in a long
queue usually from the night before the sale to purchase the product even before they have tried
it or got any form of feedback or reviews about the product.

X. Brand Differentiation
Differentiation is a crucial component of marketing theory and practice. (Marito et al. 2019)
Marketers should be judged on their ability to distinguish their brands. A company's brand
differentiation is how it distinguishes itself from its rivals. The differentiation can be based on
any combination of physical characteristics, emotional response to a brand trigger, price point,
brand story, customer experience, or even something seemingly insignificant. An excellent
example of this is the notion of a unique selling point (USP). Customers must see differentiation
as different, according to marketing literature. (Ries and Trout 1986) Branding that fails to
convince customers or give them a reason to engage with them is thought to be ineffective.
There are many strategies to differentiate a brand, however, this study focuses on and
investigates strategies related to luxury branding that can be used across multiple market
segments or industries.

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Established brands retain their point of differentiation in order to be more appealing to their
customers, while new entrants are anticipated to fail if they do not differentiate themselves since
customers will be less likely to buy from them. (Marito et al. 2019) Differentiation is widely
accepted as a commonly used approach with variable degrees of success. (Porter, 1980).
Although some brands are more distinct from their competitors, Sharp and Dawes (2001)
contend that distinctiveness is primarily a marketing attribute. Within a market, brands compete
in a similar way, with predictable variances between brands of differing sizes. When a brand
appeals to a certain group of consumers who value the unique characteristic, we may anticipate
other brands to attract various sorts of customers. Individual differences, such as "this is in my
size" or "this is available now," are more important than brand differences, such as "this brand
is distinct from that brand." Different user personas will exist for brands of varying price and
quality. Luxury brands are often purchased by the rich, although consumer bases within the
competitive set are comparable. Gucci's customers, for example, are extremely comparable to
Louis Vuitton's. In the end, all competitive brands appeal to the same sort of consumer, while
some have more than others.

Analyzing the luxury car market segment for differentiation in branding has revealed that there
are many companies that differentiate differently. Some could be considered as a branding
strategy. Rolls-Royce is purely a luxury car manufacturer; they define themselves as
“manufacturing and selling the worlds pinnacle super-luxury automobiles”. They differentiate
themselves from other car manufacturers by only offering products of supreme quality.
Mercedes uses the concept of sub-branding. According to Keller (1998), sub-branding has two
benefits: access to the association of the parent brand as a whole and the ability to create its
own brand identity and belief. The company owns Maybach, a separate brand manufacturing
luxury car that is separate from the main brand. Maybach was founded by Wilhelm Maybach
and now exists as a part of the Mercedes-Benz. The customers Maybach appeals to are similar
to Rolls-Royce.

BMW uses product range branding where all the range of products come under one banner.
BMW series of cars commonly use the BMW badge across all ranges. The advantages of range
branding are the formation of ranger brand equity is much easier and any effort for branding
does not get dissipated. Additionally, the introduction of the new product to the range is much
easier and dost not cist much. Range branding had demerits too when ranges have too many
products, it can be very confusing, and the concept may get diffused. The weakness of one
range could stretch over to the others. (Marito et al. 2019)

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Like Gucci and Louis Vuitton, Patek Phillipe and Rolex are both luxury watch brands in the
same market segment and are still considered differently in the luxury industry and have a
different market position. Rolex mass produces its watches range of watches starting from
£4000+. Patek Phillip watches can go as high as £24 million, and they make some of the
handcrafted one only version for special customers. The brand has different values in the
industry.

XI. Branding Strategy

Successful brands use various strategy to position the brand in the market and improve the
brand image and value. A brand strategy is a plan that includes long-term objectives that can
be met as the brand's success grows. A well-designed and implemented brand strategy has an
impact on many parts of the business and is closely linked to customer emotions, requirements,
and the competitive landscape.

The luxury brand market is a vast, complicated, and fiercely competitive business that has
soared in popularity over the last decade. There has been a noticeable shift in luxury
consumption patterns as a result of technological improvements and digitizing communication,
as well as a shifting global economy. (Kim & Ko 2012) According to recent research,
millennials are more sophisticated shoppers than older consumers, more affected by the
symbolic side of luxury, and more inclined to spend for status. Millennials are motivated to use
their social power, which has an impact on their shopping decisions and intents to buy luxury
products. (Soh et al., 2017)

Every brand makes a promise but, in a marketplace, where consumers are willing to spend more
and a highly vigilant for a premium experience, it is not enough to just fulfil the promise that
differentiates them from other brands but have a defined purpose that consumers can relate to.
Rolls-Royce defines its purpose as “manufacturing and selling the worlds pinnacle super-luxury
automobiles”. Business purpose can be viewed in two ways: (1) Functional – This focuses on
the success of the business in the immediate and commercial sense, i.e. The purpose of a
business is to make money. (2) Intentional – This focuses on success as it relates to not only
making money but also doing good in the world.

In order to provide the brand with a strong foundation, it must ensure that all of the messages
it sends across are consistent. Ultimately, consistency contributes to brand recognition, which

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in turn fosters customer loyalty. Consistency can be achieved by avoiding any aspect of the
business that delivers a message that is unrelated to the business or does not enhance the brand.
A good example of luxury brand consistency is Rolls-Royce, all the elements of the brand’s
marketing and experience work together harmoniously making it one of the most recognizable
brands in the world. To prevent losing potential consumers who are unable to connect the dots,
companies should consider developing a style guideline that encompasses the whole essence of
the brand, from the tone of messaging to the colour scheme and designs used to position the
brand. As said, maintaining a sense of consistency is critical for a brand to establish awareness.
While a style guide may aid in the creation of a unified user experience, it's also critical for
your staff to understand how they should communicate with consumers and represent the brand.

Customers are not always rational, understanding that customers are prepared to pay a premium
price for a product that offers affordable alternative choices demonstrates that. Brands use
emotional branding to build a community with like-minded people. Brands may position
themselves as an apparent choice in the market segment by giving customers the opportunity
to feel like they are a part of a broader community made up of individuals who are more alike.

The "belongingness theory," proposed by psychologists Roy Baumeister and Mark Leary, best
expresses this desire: "People have a basic psychological need to feel strongly attached to
others, and caring, emotional attachments from intimate connections are a key aspect of human
behaviour." (Baumeister and Leary 2007) Not to mention, belonging, the desire for love,
affection, and group membership — these fit right in the middle of Maslow's hierarchy of needs,
which attempts to categorize various human wants.

When a brand already has people that love it, they can be rewarded for that love and passion.
These customers have gone out of their way to engage with the brand, share with their friends
about it, and act as the brand's ambassadors. Cultivating loyalty from consumers will lead to
more repeat consumers and more profits for your brand. Sometimes, just saying thank you is
all that is needed. Other times, it's better to go above and beyond. While the gesture may have
looked unusual simple to others, it makes perfect sense to people who are familiar with
the brand. Loyalty is an important component of any brand strategy, especially if needed to
assist the sales team.

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The article will now discuss on effective brand strategy and execution of Red Bull. Red Bull is
an Austrian beverage conglomerate that began selling cans on April 1, 1978. They are highly
recognized for their bold and ambitious campaigns and branding initiatives, having been around
for more than 34 years. (PAFITIS 2020) Their unconventional strategy has helped them gain
24.9% market share in the United States in 2019, selling over 7 billion cans at that time. By
focusing its marketing and advertising approach on promoting a high-energy mindset for its
consumers' lives, Red Bull promotes a way of life rather than merely an energy drink. This is
most obvious in the wide range of extreme sporting events it creates and sponsors, as well as
its partnership with industry influencers and the dissemination of compelling material that
inspires its target audience to be more active and adventurous. By developing an emotional,
genuine relationship with its clients, Red Bull cultivates a devoted community of adrenaline
junkies, athletes, and sporting fans. The brand's iconic slogan "Red Bull gives you wings!" is
presented through its branding efforts on advertising, events, digital content and its website.

The brand identifies the key demographics and builds customer persona profiles to make sure
the messages sent across is tailored and effective. Redbull collects this data from analyzing
internal data collection from the website, analytics and conducting external market research.
They use a mix of online and offline methods to target their customers and broaden the
consumer base.

The brand uses influencer marketing techniques to attract an audience and retain engagement
to build a positive association among its consumers. Letcia Bufoni, Marc Márquez, and Max
Verstappen are among the finest athletes and extreme sports celebrities with whom they
collaborate. These influencers serve as brand ambassadors, and digital material showing them
preparing for and participating in athletic events helps to spread Red Bull's concept while
increasing brand affinity among new viewers. User-generated material is also used across the
brand's social media platforms, giving fans and followers a sense of inclusion and community
while also giving its digital presence an organic feel. Furthermore, every three years, Red Bull
hosts "Illume," an international photography competition connected to the brand's principal
marketing goal. The goal of this competition is to promote extreme sports and adventure
photography. This is a remarkable example of Red Bull's marketing ingenuity, as it turns a
simple method into a stand-alone campaign that is effective in getting attention and
participation. Red Bull has been conducting and sponsoring sporting events for years, and now
they have invested in building and growing their own sports teams such as Red Bull F1, football
clubs, ice hockey teams etc.

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This offline method is effective in reinforcing the brand's passion and provides a clear
presentation of the brand's key concept to both existing and new audiences. It is one of the
cornerstones of the brand's marketing strategy. The beverage behemoth efficiently separates
itself from its competitors and dominates its intended consumer market by focusing on a
distribution strategy that naturally creates a loyal community among its customers.

Red Bull also funds and runs an adventurous sports campaign. They sponsored Australian
skydiver Felix Baumgartner called “Stratos” to ascend the stratosphere of the earth in a helium
balloon and perform the highest jump recorded. This event led to Baumgartner breaking the
world record for breaking the speed of sound during a freefall. The video was viewed by over
50 million live viewers on YouTube and many other digital video partners around the world.
This event created a buzz around the world inspiring people to discuss the ingenuity of the
campaign. The video generated global exposure for the Red Bull brand worth tens of millions
of dollars. (Forbes 2012) The brand witnessed a 7% increase in sales in the six months after the
Stratos event, bringing in a total of $1.6 billion in the United States, while the project also
earned Red Bull Media House a Sports Emmy in the category of 'Outstanding New Approaches,
Sports Event Coverage.'

Red Bull's marketing strategy successfully appeals to its target demographic and organically
gets their participation. The business promotes brand awareness through a variety of channels,
ensuring that all materials used are consistent with Red Bull's brand identity – and so building
favourable associations through the use of this vibrant, dynamic, and sports subject matter. The
company is able to easily integrate these procedures and concepts, and their braiding success
provides useful lessons and strategies to other businesses.

Another method for using current market affinity to sell a new product through collaborations
is cobranding. Dwayne Johnson and Under Armor have teamed together to create Project Rock.
Other brands' (such as JBL) fitness accessories and limited-edition goods are available as part
of the cooperation. The term "co-branding" refers to a collaborative effort between two or more
brands to achieve a common aim. (Blackett and Boad 2006) The possibility of co-branding
offers the benefit of pooling resources and expertise. The majority of co-branding initiatives
are short-term or limited-edition items; however, with innovative partnership techniques, long-
term alliances that share the advantages and profits are possible. (Shen et al. 2017) Co-branding,
according to Simonin and Ruth, displays a positive attitude, and firms may use the combined
loyalty and reach of all brands engaged to reach the target demographic. (Simonin and Ruth

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1998) Along with Iron Paradise, Dwayne Johnson, commonly known as "The Rock," is the face
(or figurehead) of the Project Rock brand (personal gym of Dwayne).

It is tough to comprehend the impact of famous users on social media in the twenty-first century.
Dwayne Johnson, a well-known public personality, actor, and athlete instil a sense of trust and
authenticity in the things he endorses. (Ward 2019) The ability to be recognized as a sports
brand is Project Rock's greatest advantage.

Fig 4: Project Rock Logo

The company capitalises on the popularity of the moniker "The Rock" as well as the founder's
appealing personality. All of their goods use the Iron Paradise logo, which is well-known among
their 203 million social media followers (Instagram). To market the items, the brand relies on
established sales channels and consumer loyalty. This co-branding has not only given the
business a distinct edge, but it will also be difficult for competitors to reproduce owing to the
close relationship with Dwayne's identity, as well as making it difficult for the brand to be sold
or passed on due to the reliance on him.

XII. Methodology
To understand the luxury market, we first need to understand the customers, the brands, and the
current market landscape. A survey will be conducted to study and help understand how a brand
is perceived by the consumer, their behaviour, influencing elements, decision-making factors
and how it is compared with other brands. Brand perception is formed through any direct or
indirect interactions the consumer has with the brand. A consumer could have both positive and
negative experiences with the brand which could build or demolish its reputation in the market.
Customers own the brand image and perception in their mind, and it is important for companies
to understand and influence it. The survey will help study how people recognize and recall
successful brands. Three companies in the automotive industry have been selected to conduct
26
research: Rolls-Royce Motor Company, Tesla Motors and Lucid Motors. Rolls-Royce is one of
the world most famous brand names in the automotive industry, they make luxury cars with
supreme quality and performance. Rolls Royce has a very strong heritage and a predominant
name as a luxury brand in the car industry. They also provide an unsurpassed brand experience
both during and after-sales. They have tie-ups with a variety of designers and artisans to
individually hand make most of their parts and accessories. For example, they have tie-ups in
cognac in France where existing Rolls Royce owners can have a personalized cognac brewed
with their specific note in flavour. Tesla Motors is one the most popular and innovative startup
in the electric car segment. They have a very loyal brand following and numerous users. The
company gained popularity and accelerated in growth since Elon Musk took the reign of the
company from the founders, Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning. With 16% of the plug-in
market (including plug-in hybrids) and 23 % of the battery-electric (pure electric) market in
2020, Tesla had the most sales in the plug-in and battery electric passenger car divisions.
Despite the fact that the firm is not associated with luxury, they have a distinct and powerful
branding strategy.

Finally, the survey will analyze Lucid Motors a luxury electric car manufacturer founded in
2007. The company is led by Peter Rawlinson, former Chief Vehicle Engineer at Tesla who
worked on developing and launching the Model S. They are yet to deliver their first car and is
expected to start fulfilling orders from Q3 2021. The brand is positioned uniquely in the market
by competing with other electric car manufacturers while aiming to achieve luxury status. These
three companies have been handpicked for research to cover multiple areas within the
automotive industry. Rolls Royce is a well know luxury car brand, Tesla Motors is a popular
electric car brand and Lucid Motors which is a startup that ventures into both luxury and electric
car segments. This combination is a perfect mix to understand what the companies are doing
right in their respective segments and study what Lucid Motor are doing and how they can
improve from understanding the finding of other brands. This would give a deeper insight into
the popular and some of the untraditional ways of brand marketing whilst also understanding
the consumer expectations. The results of this study will be helpful for startups and SME’s in
other industries.

The survey will be segregated into four parts targeting the core human elements that could lead
to brand affinity. Cognitive questions will pull out the connections between the consumer's
associations to a brand. Emotional questions will identify the feelings that consumers have
connected to a brand and whether it draws them closer or pushes them away from it. Language

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questions will show how they internalize and understand the brand by asking them to describe
it. And finally, Action questions will show how the experience between the consumer and the
brand has been, positive or negative. The aim of the survey is to answer all questions associated
with the hypothesis and give a clear understanding. The survey is conducted using a mixed-
method approach that includes both quantitative and qualitative questions. Qualitative data
includes words, opinions, ideas, feelings, and behaviours. The advantage is that one may learn
a great depth about a certain event, person, or group. The difficulty to draw broad conclusions
and the time-consuming nature of the investigation are also disadvantages. Quantitative data
includes things like numbers and statistics. The benefit is that significantly more information
can be gathered and examined. With a well-designed survey, broad statements about what is
likely to be true in the long term may be made. A lack of depth might be a drawback. (e.g.
reasons why, context, emotions or feelings).

The question in the survey is a mixture of two forms, open-ended questions, and closed
questions. Open-ended questions allow to identify unknown issues that would not have been
anticipated and lets participants describe the world as they see it. The drawback of using open-
ended questions is categorizing and interpreting each unique answer. Close question on the
other hand is more reliable and easier to interpret. These questions are suitable for participants
who cannot express their feelings or would not need to in certain cases. The answer choices
given to participants come in three forms: (1) Categorial or nominal, they have no preferential
or numerical value, for example, male or female. (2) Ordinal, participants are asked to rate or
order a list of items on priority, for example from positive to negative. (3) Numerical, where
customers are asked about age etc.

The main question while conducting a survey is what sample size to use. When sampling it
draws a subgroup of people from a population of possible group. Due to the chance of variations
of taking a few participants from a population of many suitable participants, the sample would
deviate from its original nature of the population by a certain amount. (Hill 1998) The question
of sample size arises from the researcher's need to ensure that the sample statistic (typically the
sample mean) is as near to, or within a set distance from, the real statistic (mean) of the total
population under investigation. (Hill 1998) The size of the population is usually taken into
account when determining acceptable sample size. Since high-end luxury is mainly affordable
by a selected few and involving them in the survey is difficult, a sample size of 100 participants
has been selected. These participants will have experienced luxury directly or indirectly and the
survey will study how they receive the luxury branding messages and communication from

28
 their end. The study has its limitation though, the survey is being constructed without knowing
the exact motive or vision of these company as they see it from their end, it would be perceived
or understood differently by different people, especially between the participants of the survey
and the conductor.

Prolific is a research platform that has been used to recruit participants who are fluent in English
and are over the age of 18. The participants have been compensated for their time and effort in
taking part in the survey.

XIII. Findings
This survey's sample includes 58% females and 40% males, with the remainder unwilling to
reveal their gender. The majority of those that take part are between the ages of 25 and 34. The
survey begins with an open-ended question to see which brand comes to mind when people
participants think of luxury brands. This will show the brand with which they are most
emotionally attached and which comes to mind first. The information gathered is organised in
the table below by the group of participants who remembered the same brand and their category.
Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Rolls Royce, and Rolex were named the top four most recognisable
brands (in order of highest to lowest). Status symbols or luxury items are very visible in
categories such as automobiles, watches, and fashion, as observed by Charles, Hurst, and
Roussanov (2007) previously in this article.

No of
Brands Recognitions Category
Harrods 3 Retail
Raymond’s 1 Fashion
Rolex 6 Watches
Rolls Royce 8 Cars
Mercedes-Benz 3 Cars
Gucci 16 Fashion
Ralph Lauren 1 Fashion
Tesla 2 Cars
Michael Kors 1 Fashion
BMW 1 Cars
Apple 1 Electronics

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 Louis Vuitton 11 Fashion
Lamborghini 1 Cars
Molton Brown 1 Fashion
Miele 1 Electronics
Lexus 1 Cars
Bugatti 1 Cars
Cartier 1 Jwellery
Ferrero Roche 1 Food
Cadbury 2 Food
Versace 4 Fashion
YSL 2 Fashion
Porsche 1 Cars
Channel 5 Fashion
Champneys 1 Hotel & Resort
Prada 1 Fashion
Ferrari 1 Cars
Jo Malone 1 Beauty
Dolce & Gabbana 1 Fashion
Bentley 2 Cars
Dior 3 Fashion
La Mer 1 Beauty
Toast 1 Fashion
Moschino 1 Fashion
Superdry 1 Fashion
Mulberry 1 Fashion
Marks & Spencer 1 Retail
Celine 1 Fashion
John Lewis 1 Retail
Richard Mille 1 Watches
Elemis 1 Beauty
Hermes 1 Fashion
Jaguar 1 Cars
Baylis & Harding 1 Beauty

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 Jimmy Choo 1 Fashion
Lindt 1 Food

Participants' associations with the brand determine which aspect of luxury branding or essence
they are more likely to associate with. The majority of the participants (27%) immediately
linked the brand they picked to the product's price, believing it to be expensive, rare, and
uncommon. They characterised it as something they would like to buy but cannot afford
because of the price and their inability to pay it. Owing to value co-creation with the affiliation
of prominent figureheads, 21% remembered the brand due to the impact of external aspects
such as celebrities, sportsmen, etc. or the businesses related to other sectors such as sports.
Because of the emotional relationship that customers have to these figureheads and their desire
to mimic them, these businesses or goods can reach a broader audience. 15% of the participants
remember their contact with the brand, both direct and indirect, and their experiences with it.
14% have a strong emotional attachment to certain companies, as seen by the adjectives they
chose to describe them (such as love, amazing, etc.). When participants were asked to define
luxury in their own words, a pattern emerged: when they think of the notion of luxury, they all
allude to a few basic components. Luxury goods, according to 33% of respondents, must have
superior quality, which is more than any other average product in the same category. According
to 21% of respondents, the product should not only be of excellent quality but also appear
expensive and elegant. This supports the theories of Eastman, Goldsmith, and Flynn (1999);
O'Cass and Frost (2002) that customers want to showcase their wealth with materialistic items
in order to achieve "status appeal" and feel good. Luxury products, according to 24% of
respondents, should be more expensive than the norm and not accessible to everyone. This
would generate a sense of uniqueness based on cost rather than quantity, instilling desire and
aspiration in customers. Even if customers can afford them, 14% believe these items are special
and not available to everyone. Due to demand, this intentionally generates scarcity, boosting
desirability. The remaining 8% believe it is the brand's experience and emotion that makes it
luxurious. Now that participants have begun to consider luxury and what it entails, when asked
which luxury automobile brand springs to mind, Rolls Royce came out on top with 26%. The
information gathered is shown in the table below.

No of
Brands recognitions

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 Rolls Royce 26
Lamborghini 9
Mercedes-Benz 10
BMW 5
Bugatti 3
Tesla 5
Jaguar 9
Maserati 2
Bentley 9
Porsche 9
Land Rover 2
Ferrari 5
Aston Martin 2
Audi 4

Because of their popularity and exposure, 29% of the participants thought of the specific brands
they chose. This argument refutes the notion that luxury firms should only market to customers
who fit within their niche. By reaching out to a larger audience and cultivating a sense of
desirability among them, the brand becomes more valuable, exclusive, and luxurious. 22% just
love the brand and have formed an emotional bond with it, 19% compare the price to that of an
average car, 13% have higher expectations for the car's performance and quality, 11% find the
product's designs to be very appealing and stylish, and finally, 7% consider them exclusive and
difficult to obtain, making them even more appealing.

The "Spirit of Ecstasy" is a Rolls Royce hood ornament that is one of the company's most
recognisable characteristics. The symbol, which is a brand identification but not the logo of the
brand, was recognised by 67% of the participants (33% voted "Probably Yes" and 34% voted
"Definitely Yes"). From the introductory video, 80% identify the Tesla logo and 67% do not
identify Lucid Motor, with just 19% identifying the brand.

When people think of Rolls Royce, 41% connect the brand with a wealthy lifestyle, while others
see the automobile being driven by a chauffeur and some even consider it royalty. This group

32
of participants is particularly interested in brand quality (32%), brand image (22%), and
exclusivity (15%). The majority of the participants stated that the brand is exciting and luxury,
but that they are unable to afford it. It creates a sense of desire and motivation for the brand.
Given that the preceding questions indicated that their feelings were divided, 56% of the
participants felt positive about the brand, this may be viewed as a good motive for the brand.
The most common adjectives used to characterise the brand were luxury, expensive, and
quality; these represent the participants' associations or perceptions of the brand. They
characterise the brand as a costly, high-quality vehicle available solely to the wealthy. When
most people think of Tesla Motors, they think of Elon Musk, the company's CEO and
figurehead, electric vehicles, innovation, and the future of the automotive industry. 41% are
impressed by the brand's originality, 23% by its features, and 12% by its popularity. Participants
(63%) are enthusiastic about the brand, believe they are helping to make the world a better place
by driving a Tesla, and show support for the brand even if they do not own one. One of the most
admired aspects of the brand is its innovation, particularly on the autonomous front. The
majority of people use terms like innovative, electric, and eco-friendly to describe the company.

When participants think about Lucid Motors, the majority of them are unfamiliar with the name
or have no associations with it; yet, after viewing the videos, they evaluate the car's luxury and
appearance and perceive it as a rival or alternative to Tesla Motors. A substantial percentage of
people are unimpressed by the brand since they are unaware of its existence, whereas 23% are
impressed by its features. The majority of individuals have no emotional attachment or
sentiments for the brand, although it did make an effect on a few of them. 68% have an
unfavourable impression of the brand, while 29% have a favourable impression. This provides
the business with a blank canvas on which to impress people who have yet to make an
impression. Those who have formed an impression of the brand based on the car's design
describe it as luxurious and elegant.

For this sample set, advertisements (38 %), social media (41%), and word of mouth
(42%) account for a higher percentage of engagement with Rolls Royce. This would be the
most effective branding channel for Rolls Royce. They may be able to eliminate channels that
do not provide good returns on investment. Their interactions with the brand have been
identified as having a positive impact on the brand, generating interest in the product. They are
more inclined to tell their friends about the product because of its quality and performance,
despite the fact that most people cannot buy it. Tesla, on the other hand, obtains the majority of
its contact via social media (59%) and word of mouth (36%). A percentage of the social media

33
 interactions might be considered a part of word of mouth, and the material does not have to
come directly from the brand itself. 45% of participants engaged with ads, and 30% visited their
website. The majority of the participants had a pleasant or good experience with the brand.
Although only a few participants had had direct contact with Tesla Motors, the majority
interpreted the word "experience" in the question to mean "vehicle experience," which they
found to be favourable. Due to its innovation, affordability, and environmentally friendly status,
they are more likely to suggest a Tesla to a friend than a Rolls Royce. Lucid Motors
received 36% interaction through ads, including the survey's introduction video, and 11% on
social media. Because few people are aware of the brand's existence, the majority of participants
have a positive first impression, while some have no encounters. Because of their lack of
familiarity with the brand, participants are less inclined to suggest Lucid Motors.

Overall, 39% choose Rolls Royce, 25% choose Tesla, 10% choose Lucid Motors, and the
remaining 15% choose other manufacturers. The majority of individuals picked Rolls Royce
because of its opulence, Tesla and Lucid because of their electric nature and environmental
benefits, and the other brands because of their characteristics and previous experiences with the
brand.

XIV. Conclusion
Branding is a marketing strategy for introducing, positioning, and establishing itself in the
minds of customers. It benefits a company in several ways, the most significant of which is
raising awareness of the brand and distinguishing it from the competition. Marketing a luxury
brand is tough and time-consuming. Using traditional marketing tactics in the luxury industry
is a sure way to fail. Luxury branding necessitates strategy, preparation, and structure.

It's crucial to communicate clearly and develop a brand identity in the eyes of customers. The
"Spirit of Ecstasy" of Rolls-Royce is a brand identity, not a logo, while the Tesla Motors
emblem was widely recognised by the majority of the survey participants. Brands need to
devote a significant amount of effort and resources to developing brand personality and
positioning, which adds to the brand image. Rolls Royce was directly associated with luxury,
while Tesla was associated with electric cars and innovation. This brand image builds paints a
picture of luxury living and environmental responsibility that comes to mind when people think
of these brand. Their message and communication effort were received just as expected.

34
Luxury companies aim to gratify a select group of clients rather than the general consumer. To
engage with the audience, brands must first identify and understand their type of consumer and
the product. Communication consistency is essential, if not the brand would send different
messages across each time. A luxury brand's brand experience is critical; it is one of the
fundamental aspects that define a premium experience. Because consumers' choices are mostly
influenced by their emotions, it is critical for companies to emotionally interact with their
customers. This is not to say that the cognitive and reasoning processes aren't important.
Though participants loved the brands, they are aware that most of them cannot afford a Rolls
Royce.

In the luxury industry, pricing is quite important. Premium price and the perception of the brand
and product are psychologically linked to luxury. Prices should be higher than the market
average to provide the impression of luxury. Though most consumers cannot afford the product
offered, it builds an aspiration and a following for the brand, making it more desirable and
exclusive for others.

True luxury is only available to a small group of people, yet it is sought by many. Because
luxury items are largely purchased for their symbolic value, it is important for luxury to create
a prestigious environment. Established companies maintain their point of distinction to appeal
to their clients, but newcomers are expected to fail if they do not separate themselves since
customers are less inclined to buy from them. Successful brands employ a variety of strategies
to position themselves in the marketplace and enhance their image and value. A well-designed
and managed brand strategy affects many aspects of the business and is inextricably related to
consumer emotions, needs, and the competitive environment. To build a solid basis for the
brand, it must make sure that all of the messages it sends out are consistent.

Rolls Royce and Tesla Motors compete in the luxury and electric automobile market sector,
respectively. To position itself in the market, Lucid Motors may adopt and utilise the most
effective parts of these businesses' branding initiatives. Rolls Royce excels in personifying a
luxury brand's image by advocating the lifestyle, whereas Tesla capitalises on social media and
the CEO's popularity to sell the brand. Startups and SME’s should concentrate on the
aforementioned segments of branding to identify the most effective options so that they can
focus all future efforts on the combination of those effective branding elements to position
themselves as a luxury brand in the market and the minds of consumers.

35
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