I like a cup of tea. Scratch that – I love a cup of tea. My colleagues will testify that I’m rarely to be found in a meeting without a mug in my hand. I drink it at work, to start the day, while watching the TV, and when winding down for the evening. For me, tea is a necessity of life.
Tea is so ingrained into our culture that people become tribal about their chosen brand. Tea defies status, it disregards class. On the surface, it’s a simple commodity. Yet, if you serve it at the Ritz hotel alongside some fancy cakes and dainty sandwiches, it becomes a high-end experience.
This vast juxtaposition between luxury and the everyday is commonplace across product ranges. You can pick up a bar of chocolate from your local corner shop, or you can select the finest gold-flaked truffles that’ll easily set you back half your monthly mortgage payment. But what of an extension lead, or some hand sanitizer, or a glue stick. Can these seemingly unremarkable items be luxurious?
Luxury doesn’t truly exist. It’s a perception, in the same way a cup of tea can feel either everyday or extraordinary depending on how and where it’s served. Luxury, ultimately, is a human construct devised to categorise things as being of greater value than others. Here, we’re not referring to ‘value for money’, but rather an often-unspoken set of principles that society uses to rank what matters most.
Take a hypothetical high-end car manufacturer as an example. What makes it luxurious? First and foremost, it’s willing and open to showcase its authentic self. It makes no apologies for what it is and what it does. The brand will have its own set of guiding principles, and it will stick to them consistently. Then, it will offer some level of workmanship, quality, and a vision of excellence. Although not critical to the mix, being able to embrace your heritage serves as a certificate of credibility. What is essential, however, is the need to be seen as an innovator, a brand that is proactively seeking to build trust and one that offers some form of experiential customer journey.
Luxury, therefore, is not limited solely to the finest of consumer goods. Any product or service that adheres to these core principles, it could be argued, is luxurious. Yet, as with most things in life, the truth is a little more nuanced. Other elements, such as exclusivity and design, contribute to the overall picture. Nevertheless, if we seek to embrace the overarching ethos, it creates an exciting opportunity for brands to bolster their appeal. In other words, smart communication can turn a dependable product into a desirable one.
What if hand sanitizer was made by a long-standing family business, renowned for its locally sourced ingredients, sharing profits with its staff members and donating money to charity? What if they invited customers to make suggestions for different fragrances and involve them by showing the development process for the next generation formula? What if they share real-world stories about how the sanitizer is helping those with sensitive skin to clean their hands on the go? You get the point.
These same principles apply beyond customer goods. Business-to-Business (B2B) communications has a lot to learn from the luxury lifestyle sector. More specifically, I believe there’s so much scope to apply them within the B2B automotive industry. So many players have a long history of research and development. Thousands of hours go into perfecting products and services. Business development teams labour over immersive customer journeys that help secure major orders, so why shouldn’t we tie these messages together, optimise the communications plan, and position companies as somewhere one would want to do business? Regardless of the industry, people buy from people, and they choose businesses to which they feel an affinity. If you’ve got it, flaunt it.
Whether it’s tea, a turbocharger, or something in-between, the principles of luxury can be a powerful communication tool that elevates a customer’s experience. But it’s not for everyone. Just like a good cuppa, it’s about knowing when the moment’s right.
Now, can someone please put the kettle on?
