“Most people believe that a great launch starts with a great product. They’re wrong. Being ‘great’ isn’t enough and a product is merely the starting point. The reality is that the overall brand experience must be so perfectly suited to the needs and desires of its customer, that it creates its own demand and very little selling needs to be done. In a new series of articles, Neil Osborne explains how to turn a product range into a brand, which thrives.

“Victoria’s Secret has elevated the price and position of lingerie to unprecedented heights. In the third of this series on Luxury Branding, Neil Osborne reveals how a three-store company used the ‘trading up’ phenomenon to create a New Luxury brand – and a big-money empire.

“Your best work, comes with a narrow focus. That’s exactly what a beekeeper has, every day – just bees. Unlike a zookeeper (who tends hundreds of different animals) a beekeeper has a singular focus, and knows his bees, inside and out. That’s exactly as it should be with him, and with you and your customers. Why? Because having a hive doesn’t guarantee a yield of yummy honey and nor does having a salon.

“A French macaron could be considered a luxury item. You choose to eat one, you don’t need to. They’re difficult to make – it’s practically an art. Perfect ones are made by master pastry chefs, in specialist patisseries. Then there’s the way they make you feel – you know, special. That’s what really makes you buy one, isn’t it? In the second of this series on Luxury Branding, Neil Osborne explores the feelings evoked by luxury items and how they motivate your purchases.

“Since time immemorial, our attitude to gold and silver has been inexplicable. Of the 118 elements in the periodic table, both metals are chemically boring and have few special qualities. And yet … they’re the ones we’ve tended to use for personal adornment and currency for the last 5,000 years. Why? They’re valuable. They’re also storied, scarce and special … like every luxury brand. In the first of a series of articles on Luxury Branding, Neil Osborne explains the hallmarks of a traditional luxury brand and how the myth of luxury has evolved.