The Advisory Salon, Volume 13 Dear PR Advisor, I am a small brand with big dreams but sometimes figuring out where to start is hard. I was blessed to have been selected for the NDC x Lorraine Schwartz Emerging Designers Diamond Initiative in the infancy of my brand. It was an amazing way to start and I garnered a lot of great responses early on. But as the program continued and I needed to leave the nest, I find myself struggling with what to do next. How can I pick up momentum? How can I find more customers and fans to make it worthwhile and exciting for retailers to carry the ..read more

The Advisory Salon, Volume 9 Luxury PR Missteps: A Case Study on What Not to Do or Why Calling Your Luxury Customer a ‘Jackass’ Is a Bad Idea The uninitiated often dismiss the importance of working with luxury pr agencies and advisors who are specialized in working with luxury products. They think a product is a product is a product and all one must do is stick whatever the product is into a formula for creating marketing campaigns.   The truth is far more complex than this as you can’t apply the same message you use to get a customer into Target to the customer that goes t ..read more

The Advisory Salon, Volume12 Green Glamour: Hermès’ Sylvania and the Rise of Mushroom Leather Luxury   In partnership with California-based start-up MycoWorks, Hermès has cultivated a novel vegan leather alternative using mushrooms. This innovation named Sylvania offers an eco-friendly yet durable material to complement the brand’s traditional craftsmanship. While Hermès has not been as vocal as some rivals about sustainability efforts, the brand’s  timeless products already appeal to conscious consumers. With the introduction of mushroom leather, Hermès Sylvania takes ..read more

The Advisory Salon, Volume 11 The Psychology of Marketing Luxury: Navigating Emotions and Experiences I have always been a student of psychology, and now in particular, the psychology of marketing luxury.  I find the human mind fascinating; how two people can look at the exact same thing and have two very different interpretations. What I’ve discovered is our experiences guide how we interpret what we see. Our experiences determine if we should be offended or excited by a seemingly innocent question such as, “where are you from?” For those in the latter category —  as ..read more

The Advisory Salon, Volume 11 There’s a scene in the first season of Games of Thrones where King Robert Baratheon asks Queen Cersei what is more powerful, five kingdoms or one? Cersei responds five, and Robert proves her wrong by counting 5 fingers and then collapsing his hand into one fist. One fist to rule them all. Let’s now go into my long teased deep dive into the Hermès family and LVMH battle, initiated by the wolf in cashmere, Bernard Arnault, when he attempted a hostile takeover of the company, and was met instead with the unforgettable response by then Hermès CEO, Patr ..read more

The Advisory Salon, Volume 11 The Hermès Birkin Bag: A Tale of Serendipity, Craftsmanship, and Rarity The legendary Hermès Birkin bag began in 1984 with a serendipitous encounter between British and French actress and singer, Jane Birkin, and Jean-Louis Dumas, then the Executive Chairman of Hermès on a flight from Paris to London. When Birkin’s bag spilled her belongings all over the airplane floor, Dumas thoughtfully suggested she needed a bag with pockets. Birkin, having just welcomed her daughter into the world, said she needed a practical yet elegant bag, larger than the Kel ..read more

The Advisory Salon, Volume 10 So I just discovered the joys of coffee, or more specifically, espresso. I know.  Those of you who know me to be high energy are now perplexed.  You thought it was caffeine, didn’t you? Nope, it’s all natural.  Well — now with added espresso. Before we begin, fair warning.  I’m a storyteller, so I won’t be getting into the secrets of gaining customer loyalty for this Monday Musing until further along.  If you have time to unfold my midlife espresso discovery initiated by my riveting birthday adventures in Colombia, then con ..read more

The Advisory Salon, Volume 10 What truly sets Hermès apart is its commitment to its people. I first noted this in my 2012 Forbes article, “On the Cultural Fight of Hermès and Building a Luxury Brand.” Over a decade later, it’s refreshing to see nothing has changed. Hermès’ brand philosophy is best encapsulated by former CEO Jean-Louis Dumas’s words: “We don’t have a policy of image, we have a policy of product.” So with this, let’s now look at how their products are made by Hermès employees who are the key to the company’s legendary quality. Hermès Employees: Belonging to a Her ..read more

The Advisory Salon, Volume 10 Continuing my deep dive into Hermès’ business model, here are some quick takes around the company’s three core pillars: Hermès innovation, exceptional craftsmanship, and a selective distribution network. Hermès Innovation: Creative Luxury, Honoring Craftsmanship, and Curating Distribution HERMÈS INNOVATION Hermès innovation is deeply rooted in the art of creating quality, enduring objects cherished across generations.  Hermès annually selects a theme to inspire its designers and artistic directors, allowing designers in various departments ac ..read more

The Advisory Salon, Volume 9 Before we get into the Battle Royale between LVMH and Hermes International, I’d like to begin with some background on the legendary company, starting with its origins and going into its operational strategy, looking at how such operational discipline has shaped the company into a direct competitor with LVMH Group as a singular brand. The Art and Strategy of Hermès Craftsmanship: Standing Tall in the Luxury Market Founded by Thierry Hermès in 1837 as a harness workshop, Hermès started its journey in Paris catering to European noblemen with high-quali ..read more