The Cult of the Luxury Brand: Inside Asia’s Love Affair with Luxury - August 15 Breakfast Event

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Generously hosted by The Luxury Marketing Council and with special thanks to Claire Behar, Senior Partner and Director of New Business Development, Fleishman-Hillard

In today’s Asia, you are what you wear. The Cult of the Luxury Brand is the first book to
explore how and why an amazing “luxeplosion”is rocking Asia, sweeping up not just the glitzy upper crust, but secretaries toting their Burberry bags, junior executives sporting Rolex watches, and university students in Ferragamo shoes.

Whether you are a business professional targeting the Asian consumer, a luxury marketer interested in trend spotting, or a shopper fascinated by luxury brands, Radha Chadha will open the door to success for members of The Luxury Marketing Council. Radha will share many of her most discerning insights that helped The Cult of the Luxury Brand to the #3 position on Amazon.com's 'best selling new release in the consumerism category’.

Hong Kong boasts more Gucci and Hermès stores than New York or Paris. China’s luxury market is growing with such gusto that it will single-handedly be the biggest by 2014. Even India, the new kid on the luxury block, has three-month waiting lists for hot items, while in Tokyo, the epicenter of the cult, 94% of women in their 20s own a Louis Vuitton bag.

The cult of the luxury brand is so powerful that Asian consumers account for as much as half of the $80 billion global luxe industry. Radha Chadha explains the paradox of simultaneously pumping up your product’s status while pumping it out to the masses. They crack the code of the cult, offering a tried-and-tested approach to creating an explosive following for your brand.

She outlines a powerful model that explains the spread of luxury in developed markets such as Japan and Hong Kong, while predicting the future course for emerging markets such as China and India. They also examine the phenomenon of “genuine fakes”, impossible to tell from the originals and detracting from their sales.

Written by world-leading experts, the book draws on over 150 interviews with industry experts, market studies in 10 countries, and the authors’ collective experience across Asia. It offers a glimpse of the thriving retail scene, from glorious flagship stores in Tokyo to bustling local markets in Seoul, and compares the various consumer segments to understand the inner motives for their obsession. It demonstrates how the continent’s massive economic and social transformation is dismantling centuries-old ways of defining your place in society, and how your spot on today’s social totem pole is marked by your Chanel suit and your Cartier watch.

Time: 8am – 9:30am

Location: 220 East 42nd Street (between 2nd and 3rd Aves.) 11th floor.

Please RSVP by replying to this e-mail or to rsvp@luxurycouncil.com

In the event that your plans change, we’d be most appreciative of the courtesy of a cancellation.

Here’s what people are saying about The Cult of the Luxury Brand: Inside Asia’s Love Affair with Luxury:

“In this superb book, Chadha and Husband describe the economic, social and cultural forces that have fueled this trend. Through a series of case studies and insightful analyses, they highlight new marketing tools that companies are successfully implementing to create and build this luxury cult. This is a must-read book for executives who want to build their luxury brands in the booming Asian markets.”
--Sunil Gupta, Professor of Marketing, Harvard Business School

“Fascinating. The Cult of the Luxury Brand is the first insightful exposition of this dramatic reframing of traditional Asian values. It is full of insight and vital source material for anyone interested in understanding modern Asians.”
--Miles Young, Chairman of Ogilvy & Mather, Asia Pacific

"At last a book that arms the fashion industry with actionable insights into the psyche of the Asian luxury consumer. Written with charm and verve, the book reveals the soul of Asia in all its nuanced splendor, showing how the culture of nations shapes its people’s fashion sensibilities and passion for luxury brands."
--Vivienne Tam, World Renowned Fashion Designer

“There is no other place in the world where luxury is the currency of power more than it is in Asia, where what you wear speaks volumes about who you are. The Cult of the Luxury Brand is a must read for anyone who is looking to enter the retail development market in Asia, an invaluable tool in understanding the psychology of the Asian consumer.”
--Bertrand Pellegrin, ex-Marketing Director of Lane Crawford

"The authors have delved into the psyche and the motivations of the most fascinating consumers of luxury goods in the world. This book is an invaluable tool for investors and managers to understand the path ahead for luxury in Asia."
--Sagra Maceira de Rosen, Managing Director, Reig Capital Luxury & Retail; Former Head of Luxury Goods Equity Research, JP Morgan

“Painstakingly researched and easy to read. An amazing look inside the luxury brand trade uncovers how clever marketing and even more insightful consumer psychology has been leveraged to transform man-made merchandise – albeit crafted with extreme care in Europe – into salve for the soul. Luxury brands – not religion – are the new opiate for today’s Asian masses.”
--Ambar Brahmachary, President, JWT Japan

“Well researched and highly readable, this book goes well beyond merely documenting the luxe phenomenon in Asia. It explains how cultural concepts such as guanxi, conformity and kiasu-ism are given their spiritual edge today through the way luxury brands are used as personal props. It is a fascinating read, and adds texture and flavour to understanding how the Asian century is taking shape.”
--Mark Blair, President, International Clients, Ogilvy & Mather Asia Pacific and the author of 360 Brand in Asia

“A fascinating journey behind the luxury phenomenon that is shaping mass consumption in Asia. Filled with actionable insight for all marketers. Read it for pleasure and profit!”
--Richard Lee, Vice President, Marketing, PepsiCo, China

“Excellent and timely. Chadha and Husband have got the story. It’s ‘hands-on’, accessible, informative, professional and lively.”
--Dr. Kaori O’Connor, University College London and the author of The Way We Wear

ABOUT RADHA CHADHA:

Radha Chadha, the author of The Cult of the Luxury Brand: Inside Asia’s Love Affair with Luxury, is one of Asia’s leading marketing and consumer insights experts.

After working with leading advertising agencies JWT, Ogilvy & Mather, Grey Worldwide, and Bates Asia, Radha established her own brand consultancy in 2000 in Hong Kong (www.chadha-strategy.com). She has held senior strategic planning positions, and led the thinking on brands such as American Express, HSBC, British Airways and Mandarin Oriental.

She has worked on assignments in China, India, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam and Hong Kong.

Radha is a popular speaker at seminars and conferences. Her recent engagements include Tiffany New York, LVMH Hong Kong, Stanford University USA, Hindustan Times Luxury Conference New Delhi, China Luxury Summit Shanghai, American Express Forum on Affluence New Delhi, Japan Luxury Forum, International Council of Shopping Centers Istanbul, Beijing, Dubai and Las Vegas.

Radha is a faculty member of the prestigious Tsinghua Ogilvy Branding States Program, a collaborative effort between Beijing’s Tsinghua University and Ogilvy & Mather.

She has an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, with a specialization in Marketing, and a BA in Math from St. Stephen’s College, New Delhi.