The need to show our values – by developing a relationship with brands or products that represent an idea – isn’t new. From the moment that sumptuary laws – which made it impossible to someone to dress or consume “above” their social status - were gradually abolished and after we witnessed the evolution of the monetary economy, the fragmentation of work and social mobility, our consumption patterns became exclusively dependent of how much money we have (Appadurai, 1986). This is one of the reasons that explains the success of the industrial revolution: as more and more products and services of that time were being supplied, the bourgeoisie felt the urge to consume “superior quality” goods, that go beyond what is really necessary, to get them closer to the noble way of life (Sombart, 1967). In order for them to mimic the nobles’ status, the bourgeoisie used cash holdings and luxury products consumption to compete. Sociologist Werner Sombart explains in his work Luxus und Kapitalismus that luxury has this special ability to create markets through status. Desiring these goods and managing luxury by creating and taming fashion trends is one of the main drivers of commerce, stabilizing capitalist processes in its most mature phases.

In more mature consumer societies and, in this specific time, in societies that are affected by a cyclical (if not structural) economic crisis, other forms of status can rise, directly related to cultural and social changes. New ways of broadcasting a message about ourselves other than money or wealth. This shows that we, as a society, are dealing with wealth in a more mature way and also that we’re seeing a decrease in “possession” as a way of acquiring status. Apart from that, it’s becoming obvious that, in some fashion brands, there’s a more discreet approach to luxury and a lot less “bling bling” culture, which was everywhere in the latter years of the 20th century and the first few years of the current one.

The democratization of “experiences” is a good example. As brands try to get consumers to prefer them to other brands, they treat them as “unique”, providing them with experiences and also by allowing them to see their status needs satisfied, so that they can go home and tell a story about themselves to everyone – offering an additional dividend, a complement to the act of consuming, in the shape of a story.

Urban Wine, a company founded in 2008, collects grapes from several oenophiles, located in London and in the Southeast region of the UK, in order to process them collectively (according to each type of wine) every October. Consumers with more productive vineyards can join the company as member winemakers and are entitled to six bottles of collectively produced wine. Wines are produced in partnership with professional vineyards, but consumers can choose the label they’d like on their own bottles. And, of course, they bring a great story home, allowing them to tell anyone about this specific experience, but also about their newly obtained skills.

The Atlantis hotel group is offering families who decide to stay at its Bahamas development an opportunity to improve their… Lego skills. A master in this subject teaches families how to build advanced structures using these toys, providing them with great family time, and the ability to take a new skill home to show off to our friends.

The new Silvertree building, expected to be ready for the London Olympics in 2012, is a 24-store skyscraper with an environmental conscience: an internal biomass generator, photovoltaic panels and a vertical forest. Amongst other advantages, it allows consumers to tell their peers that they are sustainable citizens, without even having to constrain certain behaviors. Promoting the status for “sustainable citizen”.

What turns a product into a status symbol is, above all things, how the brand communicates its “experience”. For Louis Vuitton, it’s about their handbags and luggage. For Fnac, it’s about providing consumers with the opportunity to show everyone how they love “culture” through their branded shopping bags, that show off our purchases on the streets. For Toyota Prius, it’s about being an icon – both visually and functionally – of the environmental awareness of it’s driver. Design and strategy can put the “iconic” quality into goods. Taking into account that the ideas to which we want to be associated to evolve, brands should try to satisfy these new emergent consumer needs. But always making sure that our peers notice our tastes too…

Pedro

(Published in Marketeer Magazine, May 2010)

Tags: iconic, luxury, statusphere, trends

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