Luxury brands like the world to think they are above mass marketing; that they can rely only on prestige, status and inherent quality to gain and retain their customers' loyalty. The truth couldn't be more different. In this cutting-edge and revealing book, Sicard redefines the concept of luxury for the first time, challenging the traditional and outdated beliefs that are manifested across society at large; instead taking a historical approach to understanding what luxury really is. Based on her own research, Sicard then presents a brand new model for creating luxury campaigns, termed 'Swerve Theory', which outlines the methods that brands can use to convince customers that they are a cut above the mainstream.
Introduction Part I Doing Away with Some Received Ideas French Luxury : An Ego as Big as the Ritz A Neglected History On the Art of Denying One's Mother Going Back Still Further The Origin of European Luxury : Court Society And on the Paternal Side ? Luxury's Quest for Meaning False Ancestors The Limping Devil Luxury is Always a Swerve The three 'Swerves' of Luxury Part II International Luxury : The Clash of Cultures The Pyramid The Galaxy Two Models, Two Societies The Classical and the Baroque A Work in Progress When the Erosion of the Industrial Model Reaches Luxury Brands Invisible Luxury New Brands on the Horizon ? Part III How Luxury Brands Work Defining Luxury : Insufficient Criteria One Luxury, or Three Luxuries ? A Brand is an Impression The Fingerprint Method * The Physical Pole * The Temporal Pole * The Spatial Pole * The Norms Pole * The Positions Pole * The Projects Pole * The Relations Pole What does the Future Hold ? The Slider Console Ralph Lauren : a Luxury Brand ? The Summaries of Summaries The Brand Ladder of Values Descending and Rising Marketing and Luxury : the Big Misunderstanding A Paradoxical Form of Marketing Down with Luxury Marketing ? Conclusion