Luxury brand DNA: why it’s important and how to define yours

The iconic nature of names like Chanel, Hugo Boss and Rolex underlines the scale of recognition and success luxury firms can achieve once they have a well-established brand.

If your business has ambitions to build a luxury brand known and respected around the world, first you need to have a clear idea of your heritage, values and identity. In short, you need a powerful brand DNA.

This is vital in the luxury industry, where perceptions of your brand will define your overall results and success as a business.

What is your brand DNA?

Your brand DNA is the essence of your identity as a business. It defines what makes you unique and distinguishable from your competitors, thereby giving customers a reason to buy from you over your rivals.

There are different ways to go about defining your brand DNA. One approach is to emphasise your heritage: why your business was founded and how it has evolved over the years into the organisation it is today. Having a good story to tell gives you a stronger identity and helps you make an emotional connection with customers.

Many luxury brands – such as Chanel, Gucci and Christian Dior – owe a lot of their ongoing success and popularity to their heritage.

As well as thinking about your past, focusing on your current priorities and future ambitions is important when defining your brand DNA. Consider questions such as:

• What is important to your business, not only in commercial and industry terms but on a broader, global level as well?
• What is your mission and what are your goals for the future?
• How do you want to help your customers and make their lives better?

In an article for The Drum, Sonja Prokopec, a professor in the marketing department at ESSEC Business School Asia-Pacific, pointed out that mass-market businesses often base their brand positioning on competitor analysis, but those in the luxury segment need to take a different approach.

“For luxury and premium brands … the creation of brand DNA is about looking inwards: who they are, what they stand for, and how they want to be remembered,” she wrote.

Prof Prokopec also stressed the importance of luxury businesses creating “an image of themselves that is enduring.”

Gaining brand exposure

Defining your brand DNA and identity is an essential step you need to take before embarking on the mission of building awareness, winning customers and earning brand loyalty.

One of the most important goals to remember while you’re working to grow your business is maintaining a consistent identity across all marketing channels, engagement platforms and geographical regions.

Prof Prokopec highlights examples such as jewellery retailer Tiffany & Co, which maintains consistency in its branding by using the same shade of pale blue in everything from its physical stores to its social media marketing.

There are various other strategies that can help you gain more brand recognition, such as:

• Working with influencers
• Investing in paid social media or PPC advertising
• Using international SEO to boost search results worldwide

It’s important to remember that, whatever methods you use to extend your reach and broaden your audience, your brand DNA must remain consistent.

Preserving your brand DNA in global markets

True success for modern luxury brands means establishing a presence and earning customer loyalty in multiple global markets.

It’s clear there is a lot of potential waiting to be seized in many countries and territories around the world. The Middle East and Asia, for example, have been identified as two of the most promising regions for luxury businesses to capitalise on emerging market growth.

Countries where consumers have witnessed increases in their disposable income represent big opportunities for ambitious businesses. The luxury goods market in the United Arab Emirates, for example, reached a value of US$9.7 billion (£7.5 billion) in 2017 and is expected to be worth nearly US$15 billion by 2023.

To make the most of this potential, one of your key goals as a luxury business should be to tailor your marketing content and communications for maximum impact in local markets, while preserving your brand DNA.

Locaria can help you achieve this with services such as market research and localisation, which can set you on the right course for international growth and profitability.

Give us a call on +44 (0)20 3948 6800 to find out more, or request a quote online.