Hello everyone,

First off, thank you for the incredible response to Field Note 02: Partnership Season Is Open. I loved hearing your thoughts and swapping notes on standout brand collabs. More of that energy, please.

Now, onto this week’s mini rant.

Last weekend, while trying to escape Milan’s 35°C heat (San Pellegrino in hand, of course), I wandered into a bookshop and spotted a book on selling luxury. The subtitle read: “Lessons from Lexus, the Four Seasons...” and I didn’t even finish reading it. My brain immediately went: Here we go again.

Not to pick on Lexus (or Apple, or BMW, or Aesop, or Canada Goose for that matter) but can we stop calling premium brands “luxury”?

They’re not the same thing. They never were.

So let’s set the record straight.

Premium vs. Luxury: The Breakdown

1. Function vs. Symbolism​
   Premium is about features, quality, and value at a higher price.
   Luxury? It’s about status, heritage, emotion, and meaning. Often totally irrational. And that’s the point.
2. Objective vs. Subjective Value​
   Premium can be justified logically.
   Luxury defies logic. It’s desire, culture, legacy. It doesn’t need to make sense.
3. Marketing Logic​
   Premium plays by the rules: segment, target, position.
   Luxury creates its own universe. It doesn’t follow demand. It creates it.
4. Price Elasticity​
   Premium has a ceiling.
   Luxury pricing is elastic. In fact, higher prices = higher desirability.
5. Accessibility​
   Premium wants more people to access better value.
   Luxury thrives on being out of reach. Financially, socially, even emotionally.

So yes, an Apple Watch is premium tech. But it’s not Audemars Piguet. BMW is brilliant engineering. But it’s not Rolls-Royce.

Bottom line: once something becomes “reasonable,” it stops being luxury. And that’s the point, luxury isn’t meant to make sense. It’s meant to stir something within us.

If you're interested in this topic, I highly recommend you read The Luxury Strategy: Break the Rules of Marketing to Build Luxury Brands by Jean-Noël Kapferer and Vincent Bastien. I read it in 2013 and still refer to it when clients want to elevate their positioning. It's a must.

What I'm Into Right Now:

📚 Books: Never Split the Difference - Negotiating as if your Life Depended on it, by Chris Voss

Upcoming Travel Plans:

28 & 29 June:

📍 Geneva, Switzerland for the Bonhams Cars: The Bonmont Sales​

2 & 3 July:

📍 London, UK for the Grand Prix Ball 2025​

If you’ll be in town, at the same event, or just want to grab a coffee (or a cocktail), get in touch.

Currently Working On:

If your interested in joining the fun as participant or as a partner, hit reply and let's chat. It's going to be an unforgettable weekend! 🚗💨💨

Thanks for reading.

(Full Disclaimer: as you can see, there’s some travel on the calendar… so Field Note 04 might be a little late. But it’ll be worth the wait.)

Zantelle

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