How to increase sales of luxury goods in a still flagging U.S. economy was the centerpiece of the Brand Innovators Luxury Brands summit, which took place July 31 at Bloomberg LLP in Manhattan.
In his morning keynote address, former Mont Blanc North America President and CEO Jan-Patrick Schmitz talked about how the luxury sector has weathered dramatic change starting in the early 2000s with the opening of the China markets, continuing through the ecommerce boom, which rocked the traditional distribution paradigm of “branded boutiques” and then through the global recession of 2008/2009. Whether the future is up or down is anyone’s guess, but luxury marketers should be ready for both, Schmitz said.
Heineken USA VP Marketing Colin Westcott-Pitt in his afternoon keynote address took attendees through the history of the 150 year old premium beer brand and marketing efforts that included Newcastle Brown Ale’s “No Bollocks” and Dos Equis’ “Most Interesting Man” campaigns, and outlined how the company has embraced recent changes within the global luxury macro-environment.
In his standing-room-only address, Altimeter Group Principal Analyst Brian Solis shared exclusive excerpts from the company’s latest report, “The State of Digital Transformation,”explaining that “investing in new digital technologies, such as social, mobile, big data, cloud, etc., doesn’t in of itself equate to “digital transformation.” It’s about uniting individual technology efforts around a common vision supported by an updated, integrated infrastructure to effectively compete as a unified business in connected markets.”
To view a complete program for the July 31, 2014, Brand Innovators Luxury Brands summit, click here or on the image above.
