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Meaning GlobalThe New Earth Economy

The report

The Luxury Report

Redefining the Future Meaning of Luxury. How five key cultural shifts are reshaping the global face of luxury today.

The Luxury Report by Dr. Martina Olbert, Meaning Global

How Embracing The New Meaning Of Luxury Can Help Brands Regain Cultural Relevance, Transform Value And Drive Growth

The recent global social, economic, and political events have rewritten the rules of luxury for good. Traditional luxury brands are finding it difficult to adjust to this altered reality as the new normal. But all is not lost. Luxury brands can respond to these new threats and challenges by learning how to navigate the invisible streams of culture.

This report explores how the five key cultural shifts are reshaping the global face of luxury today and how embracing the new emergent meaning of luxury can help brands regain cultural relevance, transform value, and drive meaningful growth in the 21st century.

Luxury is all about meaning: the very essence of luxury is based on the inflation of its symbolic value over the functional value of its goods and services.The Luxury Report, Meaning Global

5 Key Cultural Shifts Redefining The Face Of Global Luxury Today

Shift #1: From Luxury Goods To Empowering New Identities And Lifestyles

Consumer habits are undergoing a rapid change today as the new generation of consumers focuses on expressing their own individuality rather than ownership.

Shift #2: From Personal Luxury To Personalised Experiences

Consumers are moving away from the tangible aspects of personal luxury to the intangibles, the unique and personalized experiences that have the potential to better and transform our lives.

Shift #3: From Excess, Rarity And Opulence To The Everyday Luxury Essentialism

In the age of market oversaturation, the new savvy consumers are becoming more of shopping connoisseurs as they look for premium quality to meet and satisfy their own essential needs.

Shift #4: From Heritage And Legacy To Seeking New Relevance

Around the world, people are less and less willing to respect established brands and institutions just because they have a long-standing legacy.

Shift #5: From Luxury Consumption To Catalysts Of Culture Change

Successful luxury brands are realising that by advocating for social and cultural values their customers care about, they can grow their business organically.

5 Strategic Actions For Luxury Brands To Take To Regain Relevance & Value

1. Embrace Your Brand Identity And Essence

Understand who you are as a brand, what your values and beliefs are, how you want to express them, where you stand in this new world.

2. Enhance Your Customers' Identities And Lifestyles

Focus on who you are to your customers and who you want your customers to become when they purchase your brand.

3. Become Essential To People's Real Lives

Discover new ways to create meaningful value in people's lives.

4. Mind Your Cultural Context: Know What's Happening Around You

Pay attention to what's happening in the culture around you and actively seek out moments of surprise.

5. Tap Into Cultural Zeitgeist And Capitalise On Change

Capitalise on where society is going by creating your own platform.

Next step

Book a consultation to discuss how these five cultural shifts affect your luxury brand and what the hidden opportunities are when shaping your future strategy.

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The founder

Dr. Martina Olbert

Founder and Chief Economic Architect of Meaning Global. Recognized by Forbes as a preeminent authority on brand meaning and a leading voice on Humanistic Capitalism. Author of The Luxury Report and Reimagining Consumerism As A Force For Good, annually top-ranked on Thinkers360 since 2020, and a global keynote speaker represented by Chartwell Speakers, London.

Dr. Martina Olbert, Founder and Chief Economic Architect of Meaning Global

References

What clients and industry leaders have said.

“Take Dr. Olbert’s advice.”
Marty NeumeierAuthor of The Brand Gap, Director of CEO Branding at Liquid Agency
“Astonishingly valuable.”
Rory SutherlandAuthor of Alchemy and Vice-Chairman of Ogilvy UK
“Martina presents a clear roadmap for how brands can ensure they are not engaging in purpose-washing, but rather authentically engage with consumers as humans. The thought leader we need for the ’20s and beyond.”
Dr. Giana EckhardtProfessor of Marketing at King’s Business School, King’s College London
“Dr. Martina Olbert is a true visionary and a revolutionary thought leader who can clearly see the future of meaning for consumers. She is so far ahead of the curve as to be able to see and think way beyond what is conventional. Ultimately, Martina is an alchemist of the highest order with a magic so rare it transcends business into the realm of the entirety of the human endeavor.”
John HaysFounder and CEO, Ataraxia Living
“What Martina offers is a quake under our feet. Her suggestion is to not stand behind false totems. Face up and face forward to the reality of life, its light and its darkness. That is what will put us on firmer ground. Exceptional view.”
Dr. Bob DeutschCognitive Anthropologist, Founder of Brain-Sells, Author of Apple’s ‘Think Different’
“Martina brings a unique and highly valued perspective to the discourse on brands today. She is one of the marketing oriented leaders shaping a better world through brand.”
Derrick DayePublisher of Branding Strategy Insider and CEO of The Blake Project
“As the world’s preeminent authority on brand meaning, there is no one better to address what all the changes the world, consumers, and brands are experiencing mean than Martina. I have been coming back to her again and again for her amazing insights and understanding.”
Pamela DanzigerLuxury Author, Speaker, and Senior Columnist for Forbes.com
“Martina is the rare person in the business capable of seeing beyond the problems of today to grasp the underlying thematic issues that have led to their development. She brings intelligence, experience, and sensitivity to every project, speaking for the human perspective with competence, creativity, and relevance.”
Jonathan CookRitual Design Researcher and Creator of This Human Business Podcast