When luxury brands sell pride

Luxury Brands Incorporate Cultural and Historical Elements to Attract Customers

The world of high-end consumer goods is constantly evolving to meet the increasing demands of consumers. Luxury brands can be found in every city, offering a wide range of products including jewelry, watches, bags, phones, and even cars. With fierce competition in the industry, brands are constantly striving to release new models, collections, and products to attract customers. One method they have found to renew their goods is by incorporating cultural, historical, and human elements.

One example of this trend can be seen in the Vietnamese market. About a decade ago, Mobiado, a high-end phone brand, introduced the “Drum Dong Son” version of their phone. The phone featured delicate and intricate patterns inspired by the Dong Son bronze drums, a significant cultural artifact in Vietnam. This unique design attracted customers who were interested in owning a phone that showcased their national culture.

Another example is the Swiss Reuger mechanical music player, which released a special edition called the “Tien Quan ca” version. This music player featured complex mechanical details that corresponded to the musical notes in the Tien Quan ca song, a patriotic Vietnamese anthem. The limited edition version quickly sold out, showcasing the appeal of incorporating cultural elements into luxury products.

In the luxury car industry, Rolls-Royce has also embraced this trend. They have released several models with Vietnamese-inspired designs, such as the “Eastern Sun,” “Dong Son,” and “Peace and Glory” Phantoms. Each car incorporates stories, details of Vietnamese culture, and historical references. These unique designs have attracted customers who are looking for more than just a luxury car, but also a symbol of national pride.

However, incorporating historical and cultural values into luxury products is not an easy task. It requires a deep understanding of the product, cultural factors, and strict management. Additionally, the commercial viability of the product must be carefully considered. If done incorrectly, it can negatively impact the brand and result in economic losses.

Recently, watch company Christophe Claret launched the “Legendary” collection, which includes a watch called “Hai Ba Trung.” The watch features intricate Tourbillon and Minute Repeater movements and is painted with images of the Vietnamese heroines, Trung Trac and Trung Nhi, riding an elephant. While the watch is expensive and technically impressive, its commercial appeal may be limited. The personal connection to the Trung sisters may not resonate with a wide audience, unlike a design featuring a well-known figure like Hung Dao Vuong Tran Quoc Tuan.

Ultimately, the success of incorporating cultural and historical elements into luxury products depends on the commercial nature of the product and its appeal to the target market. Brands must carefully consider the cultural significance and personal connections that potential customers may have with the design. By striking the right balance, luxury brands can create products that not only satisfy customers’ desires for luxury but also evoke a sense of pride and connection to their cultural heritage.When luxury brands sell pride

The world of high-end consumer goods has existed for a long time and is growing according to the increasing needs of people. Coming to any city, it is easy to see luxury brands located on the central streets. They sell jewelry, watches, bags, phones, even cars, and are always full of customers.

But in this world, the competition is also fierce. Brands are always racing to release new models, new collections, and even new products. Branded users are always attracted by the trendy element, so the pressure to innovate is enormous. They have found another method to renew their goods by combining cultural, historical and human elements.

I cannot list all such examples because there are too many, I just want to talk about this method when it is applied to the Vietnamese market.

About a decade ago, Mobiado, a high-end phone brand, fired the first shot. It is the Mobiado phone version “Drum Dong Son”. Vu Truong Giang, a commercial representative of Mobiado, was very smart when he asked the company to make this version. Patterns of peanuts, rice pounders, archers, etc. of Dong Son bronze drums are put on the phone extremely delicate and reasonable.

It’s still the same phone, but when Dong Son is brought up, it’s completely different. A phone with a different spirit. People no longer care how much gold it is plated, do not compare the brand element with Vertu anymore, they care about whether they have to own a phone with a national culture. And of course, the price of this phone will be much more expensive than the Mobiado without Dong Son.

After that, I was once again surprised and admired, it was the Swiss Reuger mechanical music player product, the “Tien Quan ca” version. A music player with extremely complex mechanical details, made with a spike shaft that corresponds to the musical notes in the Tien Quan ca song. Every time the mainspring is wound, that shaft will rotate and the sounds of the music will be played.

I was silent and felt prickles in my body when I heard these sounds. The version consisting of 88 pieces with lacquered wooden box also featuring bronze drums sold very quickly. Now can’t buy anymore!

And then me, I started this journey with Rolls-Royce cars. Phantoms with the names “Eastern Sun”, “Dong Son”, “Peace and Glory” were born in turn. Each car has stories, details of Vietnamese culture and history… and of course I sold them for a sky-high price.

The first is the “Eastern Sun” for Muong Thanh Group. I asked the artist to draw the sun logo made of 6 M’s on the C corner of the car. The letter M is the first letter of Muong Thanh, M is also luck, M is also money (in English). The car quickly gained popularity in the automotive world, even though it was simply a logo.

The next car was a breakthrough. When I learned that FLC Group intends to buy a luxury car, I am determined to conquer this goal. If it’s easy to put the word FLC on the car, I want a work that is not just monotonous. And it is Dong Son.

This is a civilization originating from Thanh Hoa, FLC is also known by everyone from investing in Sam Son FLC. And the most recognizable symbol of Dong Son civilization is the bronze drum. So all the motifs of the bronze drum were filtered and put into the car. From the logo of the car, to the figure of the archer, pounding rice, to the 18 stray birds representing the 18 Hung Kings.

FLC to pay for this pride is not a small amount of money, that money can buy several Mercedes S500 cars.

In the life of the luxury car business, Dong Son is not the pinnacle, but my favorite car is the Rolls-Royce Phantom “Peace and Glory”. This is the car that was honored as the most beautifully designed Rolls-Royce in the world in 2016. My client and his wife both have their first names with the letter H, and their sons are Vinh and Quang.

The name of the car has full members of the family, but if understood in the common sense, “Peace and Glory” is the desire of every businessman. And yet, when you know the customer is in the age of Tiger, every detail such as the 4 door handles, or the armrest shelf in the middle of the car is made of tiger skin. That is the body and 4 legs of the thirty man, his head is cast in gold, solemnly placed at the symbolic position of the car.

When the customer saw this car design, he had to take off his glasses and wipe his tears. It is understandable because in the car there is his destiny, his wife and children, his career and his desires. This is the most successful car in both commercial and brand terms of Rolls-Royce Motorcars in Vietnam, until now, no other car has surpassed it, even for other automakers.

Incorporating historical and cultural values into luxury products is not easy. In addition to having an aesthetic eye, it is necessary to understand the product very well, understand the cultural factors and must have strict management. And it is more important to calculate the commercial level of the product. If done wrong, not only does it not sell, not only economic loss, it also greatly affects the brand.

Recently, watch company Christophe Claret has launched the “Legendary” collection, including a watch “Hai Ba Trung”. This is a very expensive watch because the Tourbillon and Minute Repeater movements alone are the two most complicated structures of mechanical watch.

What factors should luxury brands consider when incorporating cultural and historical elements into their products to ensure commercial viability and wide audience appeal

Buy a lot of luxury cars, but if it is to buy a luxury car with Vietnamese culture, it will definitely give them a great level of satisfaction.

And the last car in this series is called “Peace and Glory”. This car was ordered by a customer who wanted to pay tribute to his family’s history and heritage. He wanted a car that would symbolize peace and glory, and what better way to do that than with a design inspired by Vietnamese culture? The car features motifs of lotus flowers, bamboo, and the iconic image of Ho Chi Minh. This car is not just a luxury item, but a symbol of pride and connection to Vietnamese heritage.

However, incorporating cultural and historical elements into luxury products is not an easy task. It requires a deep understanding of the product, cultural factors, and strict management. Additionally, the commercial viability of the product must be carefully considered. If done incorrectly, it can negatively impact the brand and result in economic losses.

For example, watch company Christophe Claret recently launched the “Legendary” collection, which includes a watch called “Hai Ba Trung”. The watch features intricate Tourbillon and Minute Repeater movements and is painted with images of the Vietnamese heroines, Trung Trac and Trung Nhi, riding an elephant. While the watch is expensive and technically impressive, its commercial appeal may be limited. The personal connection to the Trung sisters may not resonate with a wide audience, unlike a design featuring a well-known figure like Hung Dao Vuong Tran Quoc Tuan.

Ultimately, the success of incorporating cultural and historical elements into luxury products depends on the commercial nature of the product and its appeal to the target market. Brands must carefully consider the cultural significance and personal connections that potential customers may have with the design. By striking the right balance, luxury brands can create products that not only satisfy customers’ desires for luxury but also evoke a sense of pride and connection to their cultural heritage.