Three Things Serious Luxury Leaders Don’t Do

The attention/side hustle/personal brand/social media economy has created an army of marketing soldiers peddling products and services, quickly conceived, ambitiously pitched, and often resting on shaky foundations. We see it in every category and certainly in luxury.

There have always been many products labeled luxury with questionable evidence that it is the best of its kind. Today this comes with the newly minted luxury expert, also sharing how to build your luxury brand. Perhaps those in the luxury sector many more decades than me, take offense to me hanging out my shingle, but I find the blending of sketchy brands and products, marketed by luxury experts-in-training, something to be cautious about.

It reminds me of a time I was driving along a two-lane country road in Florida, heading north to New York. Some twenty hours later, I arrived in New York City at the height of rush hour. I found myself in a mass of cars, driven by those who probably had not endured many hours of road work. Everyone has a right to be on the road, but I had traveled far and long enough to have observed different scenery, weather, travel conditions, and to have a different perspective about that moment. This is how I often feel in my work in luxury.

Understandably, there’s less interest in enduring the long road trip, but not having that experience usually shows. In any given week, I will be approached by numerous “luxury experts,” who are building personal brands and offering “luxury products.” But just like Superman, in contacting me, they take off their tights and cape, and reveal they’re not as confident and strong as their alter ego. Often, they’re not sure what they are doing, whether it will work, and question whether they will make money. This is where I believe many go wrong.

I cannot imagine great fashion designers, furniture makers, architects, or anyone else serious about their category, taking this approach. To anyone serious about luxury there must be certainty about your craft. Your privilege is matching the extraordinary with someone who deserves it and will appreciate it. That means a fair amount of roadwork, understanding the terrain, and experiencing where alertness, and skill negotiating the open road is developed. It is how the highest levels of creativity and certainty surface. There is no sideline teaching how to build a personal or corporate brand. (Teaching the world how to buy, use, and enjoy your product are different.) There’s no time for distractions. Exceptional, confident, and in-command driving is essential. In contrast, I typically get emails asking:

What do you think of this design?

I think this question should be aimed at clients. And it should be less, “What do you think?” and more “I believe this serves my clients well, looks beautiful on them, and is an elegant addition to their wardrobe, home, etc.” If you are in luxury, develop your craft, your taste, and believe in your creativity. Then tell the world why it should matter to them.

I’m also teaching people how to build a luxury brand.

What? Unless you are in the business of consulting, training, or marketing education, I am puzzled why so many people supposedly offering luxury products and services, believe they should expound upon the ingredients of brand building. Shouldn’t you be focused on building your own?

Let me give you my take on that post.

Of course, we are in a social media world where everyone feels compelled to read, watch, and comment on everything on social media. However, I know the most creative, and most committed, are not focused on registering their opinions as much as creating and serving clientele with new expressions of luxury. When I post something as a marketing consultant and advisor, and the comment is about, how I am marketing myself, or someone is congratulating me for what I do routinely, (writing, speaking, etc.) I know this person may not be focused on their products, but on measuring what others are doing as marketers. That’s fine, but the primary focus should be on what new thinking and new creativity you bring to the world in luxury via your products. (That said, I appreciate the many positive comments I receive about my videos and social media posts.)

Often you can identify the best by what they don’t do. In luxury, the number one thing we are often selling is confidence. We earn the client’s confidence by doing our roadwork.

I welcome serious inquiries from those willing to invest in building their knowledge, capabilities, and luxury brands. Write me: info@andretaylor.com .

At Taylor Insight we help luxury and premier businesses excel and grow by attracting, retaining, and growing with affluent clients. We provide exceptional strategic, marketing, sales, and service guidance, and a portfolio of high-impact learning programs.