The meaning of ‘luxury’
MRS Conference
September 16th 2015
Richard Smith
Director
Milena Castellnou
Research Manager
A dictionary definition of luxury
Pronunciation: /ˈlʌkʃ(ə)ri/
Definition of luxury in English:
noun (plural luxuries)
Mass Noun
Count Noun
In Singular
Origin
A state of great comfort or elegance, especially when involving great expense: he lived a life of luxury
An inessential, desirable item which is expensive or difficult to obtain: luxuries like chocolate, scent,
and fizzy wine
A pleasure obtained only rarely: they actually had the luxury of a whole day together
Middle English (denoting lechery): from Old French luxurie, luxure, from Latin luxuria, from luxus
‘excess'. The earliest current sense dates from the mid 17th century.
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What would help us to understand luxury better?
We know what luxury looks like / what represents luxury : SO WHAT?
We wanted to know what luxury ‘means’
We wanted to know how consumers thought about luxury
• What does it mean to them?
• What does it give them?
• What thoughts, feelings and behaviours are associated with luxury?
• What frames and mental models do they have around luxury?
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Principles of ZMET
1
95% of human thinking and emotion happens in the
subconscious – afterwards, decisions and attitudes are
rationalized but are they the true motivation?
2
Thought and emotion is a series of neural activations in the
form of images, not words – therefore research needs to go
beyond words in order to go deeper.
3
Metaphoric thinking is the basic mental process by which we
create meaning and make sense of the world. Metaphors can
open windows to the subconscious.
4
Emotion is critical to how we think, behave, and interpret our
world … and is intimately intertwined with reason. Metaphors
can uncover and explain our largely unconscious emotions.
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ZMET® deliverables
Rich Consumer Imagery and
Commentary:
A visual and verbal representation of the
mind regarding the topic
The Deep Metaphor
Framework:
The Mind Map:
Universal mental concepts that organise
and structure our thinking about a topic
Networks of connections between ideas
surrounding the topic
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Who did we speak to?
Younger
‘spare cash’
•
•
•
Aged 25-40
£75k+ household income and/or £75k+ liquid assets
None with children
4
Middle-aged
‘spare cash’
•
•
•
Aged 40-55
£75k+ household income and/or £100k+ liquid assets
At least 2 with dependent children
4
Wealthier /
Mass Affluent
•
•
•
•
Aged 30-65
£100k+ household income and/or £150k+ liquid assets
All to be ‘sorted’ financially
At least 2 with dependent children under 18
4
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The ZMET pre-task
Luxury is a hot topic at the moment. The V&A are currently running an exhibition on luxury. Recently
Channel 4 had a programme on what luxury meant to the ancient Greeks.
It’s easy to think of the classic symbols of luxury; the things that represent luxury. But what is the
role of luxury in your life? What thoughts and feelings come to mind?
Now, imagine you had to express these thoughts and feelings without using words…and you had to
do this using pictures instead.
With that in mind, please find 3-5 pictures which express your thoughts and
feelings about luxury and the role of luxury in your life
• List of do’s and don’ts
• Invitation
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Luxury is an experience not an adjective!
When people think about the meaning of luxury and its role in
their life they focus on:
Emotion
• What luxury does for them
• The emotions that produces
They find it much easier to connect these outcomes and emotions
with SERVICES
Outcome
PRODUCTS were much less salient as direct providers of luxury
For example: A luxury car can provide experiential benefits:
Benefit
• Comfort ; speed (time); security; social connections
But it is those experiential benefits that are directly associated
with luxury – not the car itself.
Attribute
When people buy a luxury product – they are buying the
outcomes
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Luxury is relative and is correlated with contentment
There is a spectrum of luxury, depending on how contented we
are with our own lives:
• For some, luxury is the little things in life that money cannot buy
• For these people, luxury is something they have or is within
their grasp
• These people tend to focus on how blessed they are / the
luxuries they experience
• For others there is a strong connection or correlation between
luxury and wealth (monetary value)
• Here luxury is represented by the unattainable; the yacht; the 10
star hotel; the Steinway concert grand
• These are people still ‘hungry’ for luxury – perhaps postponing
current enjoyment in favour of future joy
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Amongst our target audience we found four key frames or ‘Deep
Metaphors’ for luxury
PERSONAL EXPRESSION
CONNECTION
TIME
CONTAINER:
FREEDOM / ESCAPE
PROTECTION
CONTAINER:
PROTECTION
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Time is at the epicentre of the meaning of luxury
• The most valuable resource of all – and a finite one
• Time for yourself - or with your family /friends
− Holidays / restaurants or just quality time / ‘me
time’
• You can ‘buy’ time by:
− delegating tasks / personal services
− Buying things which have taken time to craft /
make
• Lack of time = stress / pressure / shackled to work /
other commitments
Time is multi-dimensional when it comes to luxury
• BEFORE: The anticipation of a luxury experience or
buying a luxury item
• DURING: Time changes
− Goes slower for pleasurable experiences
− Share experiences / holidays
− Goes quicker for things that might otherwise be
dull / tedious
− i.e. queuing at the gate in the airport
• AFTER: The memories linger:
− Nostalgia
− Memories / photographs
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‘healthy’ luxury involves experiences which can be shared
“To me, luxury is what you have in your life rather
than what you can buy in your life”
• Family and friends
− For example, the hot tub that can be enjoyed
as a couple – and with friends
• Gifts from others – physical gifts or services
• Sharing /gifting to others/ with others
• Being able to own a pet / having the time to look
after it / have it looked after for you
There is a yin /yang between:
• Luxury for ME – which can be indulgent / selfish
and negative
− But not necessarily – sometimes pampering
or owning something special can be OK
• SHARED luxury / gifted luxury which is usually
healthy / good
− Although sometimes sharing can go as far as
‘showing off’
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Luxury is freedom – but also safety
Luxury strongly linked with FREEDOM and the idea of
ESCAPE
• FREEDOM to do whatever you want to do
But luxury also linked with experiences related to
protection, safety and insulation:
• COCOONED in your house / your favourite comfy
chair / your four poster bed / away from the world
− Not being trapped by work or routine
• ESCAPE from the normal / the everyday / the
mundane / the monotonous (and the mass produced)
Luxury provides SEPARATION from the crowd / the
other for you and your family/friends
− Not being limited by lack of resources or choice
or imagination
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Being able to express your own personality and identity
Consumerism and flashy displays of wealth perceived as
the darker side of luxury
Preference for:
Expressing your own identity via luxury goods or
experiences transcends normality and mortality
• It makes you feel super human
• Understated luxury
− Like the BMW M3: only a connoisseur will know
it’s a ‘special’ car
• Authenticity
− Something that has heritage
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A framework for luxury, with Time at the centre
Protection
Personal
Expression
Products and experiences that
take time to make and that
carry memories and therefore
express the impression you
wish to make on the world
Time
Freedom /
Escape
You invest time in order to build
protection into your life – which is
then recognised as a luxury
Connection
Connection impacts
on the quality of the
time you spend
For much of your life, your time
is not your own in luxury it is
released
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Time is one of the most important themes and directly feeds into a
sense of control and achievement
“
Achieve
In control
You can have people help you do things in life so that you don't have
to do certain tasks. So, for example, cleaning home, or driving, or
doing personal administration or something like that, having a PA,
nanny, all those sorts of things, butler, all that stuff that comes with
being able to buy time, to have additional time.
Most people wouldn't have the choice, or have the ability, based on
probably finance. So in the modern pressures of the world they are
probably under slightly more pressure.... I suppose it gives you a
feeling of power, which is you've got choices that the other most people don't have.
“
Choices
Free time
Time is recognised as extremely valuable
and benefiting from more available time by
delegating some tasks gives the option to
choose how to use it, and ultimately provide
a sense of control over one’s life. This
dimension is crucial to driven individuals
looking for a feeling of achievement.
Personal
services
This is highly relevant to the personal
service industry, but can also work as a
trigger for purchasing technologies
which reduce the hassle of certain tasks.
A technology company and a dog
walking service are therefore in the
same business: creating the luxury of
more time to allow their clients to lead
fuller lives.
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The choices that a luxurious lifestyle offers also have a strong impact on
the sense of control over one’s life
“
I had made the mistake over time of going through with so many different
wardrobes and it was all wrong and I had to live with it for a while. It's just
annoying you every day and it's not working properly for you.It was quite
satisfying. You feel quite grown up actually as well. It's quite mature.
Actually because it's an every day functional thing it's really important.
Yes and actually every day when you're going through your wardrobe you
feel really nice and organised. You feel together.
Achieve
“
In control
Choices
Bespoke
Beautiful/
classic
Expensive
/brands
The perception of luxury is partly linked to the physical or
esthetical quality of the goods. However quality is often
considered as a given, and the emphasis is put on added
elements that feel special or unique. For objects, the idea of
‘craftmanship’ emerges: an individual item built with skill, as
opposed to mass produced goods. With this audience it is
more about authenticity than the ‘bling’.
Bespoke, understood as meaning ‘perfectly right for you’, is
also a key concept. This individualisation of the goods gives
consumers the feeling of having a wider range of choices
available and control over their lives.
Finely
created
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Free time is also crucial to be able share experiences with loved ones
and create strong connections
In order to be in that place at that time it's quite an expensive trip and you
would treat your family. There's no point in going on your own to do these
things. It's about sharing these things isn't it? It's about sharing it with
whoever you want to come with you and share it. … Oh gosh you know
that you're better for it as a person because you know what really
matters, what's really important. So like I said it's that thing of making
time to spend with family and getting your priorities right.
Connection
/ love
“
Sharing
Free time also allows individuals to focus
on what matters the most to them, and
connect with their loved ones. Pleasure
derived from shared experiences came
up particularly strongly in the research.
For parents, the opportunity to be with
their children for an extended period of
time during holidays is crucial to family
bonding. Close friendships, in which you
can be yourselves, are also perceived as
a luxury, as can be the unconditional love
of a pet.
Free time
Peak
experience
“
To me, luxury
is more what
you have in
your life
rather than
what you can
buy in your
life.
“
“
The potential for sharing the experience
should be emphasized – for most, this
is more valued and ‘guilt-free’ than
individual purchases.
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Experiences allow individuals to escape their routine, relax and be
themselves
That's the luxury of feeling pampered. That's all
about my love of spas, luxury hotels, being in fantastic
surroundings.
It makes you feel amazing. You feel uplifted,
energised, relaxed, pampered, they smell lovely,
it's just a joy. It's really relaxing and it's very easy
to forget things or switch off … I think it's quite
difficult to feel relaxed in London. I work in an office.
It's all open-plan, 70-odd people in there, phones
going, noise, radio's on.
“
Escape, through holidays or shorter experiences such
as nights out or spa days, is an integral part of a
luxurious lifestyle. It has both an individual dimension
(‘me time’), which is very much a multi-sensory
experience, and a shared one. Ultimately, it allows
individuals to relax and recharge their batteries –
which is seen as a necessity to cope with Londoners’
busy lives. During these moments of escape,
individuals are also able to express themselves fully,
without having anything to prove to anyone. In addition
these benefits extend way beyond the time actually
spent away.
Freedom
to be me
Recharged
/ at peace
Escape
“
Me time
I like to go fairly unencumbered,
and actually to me it's a pleasure
to leave all my belongings and
all my woes and stresses at
home and then just go and see
how other people live.
Anticipation
Nature/
quiet
“
“
Peak
experience
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The experience continues in memories and reinforces existing
connections
“
Both familiar objects and past experiences create strong memories
which, associated with family members or friends, can be very
powerful. For objects, this is linked to the idea of legacy – passing
something to the next generation that has been in the family for a
period of time. Similarly for holidays and special moments, the
experience does not stop when one gets off the plane.
Connection
/ love
Nostalgia
“
I can remember my family we
were in Thailand and we were
sitting on a tree and we were
all just sipping these
smoothies. I can honestly tell
you in that moment all of us
together really peacefully we
were all so happy all at the
same time. We were all really
fully contented. Actually to
have that moment where
everybody in your family,
everybody that you care
about where everybody is
completely content that is
quite an achievement. I
actually return to memories
like that and they're very
precious.
Peak
experience
Beautiful/
classic
Finely
created
“
“
With the pictures that we own, I remember seeing them after one of my
children was born and just stopping when I came into the house, so there are
memories like that that are attached. The pictures do hold parts of your life
that you've experienced and you wouldn't want to lose that. I like having
memories triggered, invoked and I'm not sure whether or not that would
occur with as much frequency if I was left to my own devices.
The experience starts with the anticipation and is retained in
memory, long after the moment is passed. These multiple
dimensions should not be overlooked and providers must look
broadly at their offering, rather than just focusing on the
mechanics of delivery.
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The emotional implications of gift giving should not be overlooked
“
Privilege
Freedom
to be me
“
Obviously with this picture it's the Royal Family,
so they're stooped with wealth, they have the
abundance of time as well. And ultimately
everyone seems to be happy. If I have got the
ability to affect other people in the same way,
so they feel like that as well, which is what I'm
trying to get at, then it almost would be a
euphoric state, because I'd also be feeding off
other people's energies, the fact that they're also
feeling how I'm feeling. So whilst I've achieved
luxury I am creating luxury for people that
matter to me.
Gifts bring happiness when they are received and make the
recipient feel privileged. There is also a great deal of satisfaction
to be derived from treating others: the giver enjoys seeing others
happy and also gets to become the ‘provider’. This dimension
was found particularly gratifying by male respondents who often
mentioned treating their wives and children.
Being a
provider
“
“
It represents something in terms of feeling privileged
that one of my best friends works for Virgin Atlantic,
and I'm on her concessions, and therefore I get to
travel for virtually no money to incredible places and
potentially get bumped up to Upper Class... I feel
very privileged that she only gets four people to
put on her concessions and I'm one of them. A)
it proves that I'm a very close friend of hers. B) I
am extremely grateful …. It's sort of a sense of
excitement, I guess it's a little bit like holding the
ticket with the EuroMillions because you're very
lucky.
Giving /
Treating
others
Unexpected
Gifts
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Exclusivity is multidimensional: it creates an impression of safety and is
also seen as a privilege that allows individuals to be themselves
Separation
from others
Freedom
to be me
“
This is the Hospital Club, it's a private members club and I've been a
member there for about a year and a half…. You don't get any
hassle, like very rarely will anybody talk to you unless they can see
that you want them to. The staff are great, it's just a nice feeling and
it's a great place to take people. It feels a bit exclusive which is
nice. It's a good crowd in there. it's just nice, working in a place
in Covent Garden, to have somewhere that's a bit of a
sanctuary. Like I say, the staff get to know you if you go in there
fairly often. I think it's, yes, it's somewhere, that you just don't get
hassle because you go to other places and... Hassled by guys that
are just drunk.
“
Protected
Privilege
Peak
experience
Exclusive
Private
clubs
Private clubs were mentioned for their ability to make
individuals feel special: only certain people can get in and
members of staff by getting to know their customers add a
certain level of tailoring to the offer. Being separated from
others (e.g. by living in nicer areas) also makes individuals
feel protected, it creates a cocoon or a safe haven.
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Exclusivity also has an external dimension: it is a way to impress people
and feel superior to the crowds
“
Exclusive
Private
clubs
Expensive
/brands
Luxury goods and services can also be used to visibly
badge or advertise one’s status as an affluent and
successful individual. We observed a definite gender split:
this dimension of the map tends to be more relevant to
male respondents. For females, this can be mentioned as
a competitive need for perfectionism in one’s appearance
or home.
At the same time, respondents from traditionally wealthy
families rejected the ‘bling’ and ‘diamonds like a coconut’ –
impressing friends is most often a bit more subtle.
It's probably more to do with the membership or affiliation to certain clubs
which would make me feel an element of a feeling of success and
achievement, because you're associated with a club, or you can get
access to a certain club. Like a luxurious club, very constrained; only a
certain number of people can be members, and they have to have a certain
background, through family or something like that, and they are exclusive. So
if I had an outward feeling of success it would be inviting friends, or
family or something like that, but mainly friends, to the club for
entertaining.
“
Impress
“
That's what you're trying to get; an
experience, an object, something that
only you and a small number of other
people can have. I think that the way
human beings operate is that it
offers a sense of, 'I have something
that you don't', a sense of oneupmanship, a sense of, 'I'm doing
better than you are'. I think that's
pretty innate in most human beings to
want to be the best, be better and in
some people, to rub others' noses in it.
“
Feeling
superior
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Personal indulgences through shopping can occasionally leave a feeling
of guilt
Guilt
Indulgence
I don't need expensive watches, drive flash
cars, own thousand pound suits etcetera;
these aren't important things to me. So if I
found myself suddenly buying those
things for myself it wouldn't feel like me.
If I then got pleasure out if it, well, then I'd
feel slightly guilty for it. It would seem a
betrayal of myself.
No, I try not to spend large amounts of
money on myself but if I were to then if I
were to go into Selfridges later and buy
myself a Rolex or something then I think I
would love it. But I would be tinged with guilt
that I'd spent that amount of money on
something for myself that tells the time. I
would feel I'd taken away from giving
things to my children or something.
“
“
Expensive
/brands
Guilt was only mentioned in relation to ‘unnecessary’
purchases. When individuals buy items for others or to
share with others, they find justifications for these
purchases (e.g. bonding, treating others). However
purchases aimed at pleasing the individual only can
occasionally trigger a feeling of guilt, especially
amongst those with a family.
This emotional reaction was not observed in relation to
experiences, even solitary ones (spa days etc.), which
tend to be framed as ‘needed to recharge the
batteries’.
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Identity experiences
Protected
Feeling
superior
Emotional outcomes
Freedom
to be me
Psychosocial outcomes
Connection
/ love
Achieve
Impress
Functional outcomes
Recharged
/ at peace
Attributes
Escape
In control
Separation
from others
Guilt
Me time
Sharing
Being a
provider
Choices
Anticipation
Indulgence
Free time
Nostalgia
Privilege
Nature/
quiet
Exclusive
Peak
experience
Bespoke
Beautiful/
classic
Private
clubs
Expensive
/brands
Giving /
Treating
others
Unexpected
Personal
services
Gifts
Finely
created
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Final thoughts
For this target audience; mass affluent working folk with some money…
Luxury is an experience, not a luxury
- when you’re selling a luxury ‘X’ - focus on the benefits of X
Luxury can be aspirational, but not always - sometimes it’s the things you have as much as the things you
want or can be bought
Time is at the epicentre of luxury - the most valuable finite resource in human experience
Space and separation are also important, both in terms of exclusivity and a sense of safety; protection;
feeling cocooned
Sharing and gifting luxury takes away any negative sense of indulgence, selfishness or display
In positioning overtly luxurious goods, the benefits should not be solely positioned as indulgent or status
driven; if you allow the angel and the devil to ‘come to an arrangement’ within the mind of your target
consumer, you have much more chance of success!
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For further information
Richard Smith
Milena Castellnou
Director
Research Manager
+44 (0) 20 7400 1018
+44 (0) 20 7400 0398
+44 (0) 7875 549065
[email protected]
[email protected]
www.linkedin.com/company/bdrc-continental
www.bdrc-continental.com
Follow us on:
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