Atelier Courvoisier

[beans]

Today's article here.

"Allied Domecq believes that the influence of the Courvoisier trademark has already transcended the beverage alcohol industry, earning it attention and respect from fashion tastemakers around the world," said Kim Manley, Chief Marketing Officer, Allied Domecq PLC. "We are making an investment in the people and resources to develop what we believe will be products that capture the imagination of consumers, but retain the essence of the Courvoisier trademark."

[cdh]

This is just an empirical example of the thinking behind the LVMH corporate leviathan.. Louis Vuitton's absurdly expensive fashion pieces coupled with booze.

Sounds silly to me, but I know people who would quaff a gucci branded cognac even if it tasted like lighter fluid... the same people who would pay $50 (a few years ago when they were particularly fashionable) for Gucci branded doggie chew toys. Makes no sense in my world, but certainly makes $$$$$ for some in other people's worlds.

[hathor]

LMVH has worked hard to market Couvosier (sp??), why shouldn't they capitalize on it? Its a good product, has great consumer recognition, if I were Mr. LMVH, I would want to do the same thing. You don't have to buy into the marketing unless you want to, but an unsure customer might feel 'safer' or 'cooler' with the branded cognac, and the supposed lifestyle that goes with.

[cdh]

LVMH had nothing to do with marketing Courvoisier... that credit goes to Allied Domecq, which is another company entirely.

But one way or the other, I still just don't get the whole concept of this "lifestyle associated marketing". Why should the name of a cognac plastered on a piece of clothing mean anything to anybody about the quality of the clothing? Even if the cognac is good, what do they know about shopping for clothes that I don't?

I'm of the school of thought that people who would buy this sort of thing are suckers and fashion victims, being doubly exploited: first ripped off, and then providing free services as a walking billboard for a company's product.

[budrichard]

Look at Davidoff cigars. -Dick

[cdh]

Thinking that all Davidoff made was tobacco and fragrence products, I was going to say that Davidoff made at least a little sense insofar as the skills needed to select good tobacco and to select good blends of fragrances are both olfactory, and it is not unreasonable to expect somebody who is good at one to be good at the other. Then I went to their website and found that they also do coffee and cognac... which might fit into the same olfactory conniosseurship profile... but they also do pens, glasses, leather goods, and ties. I'd have no faith that Davidoff's capacity to select quality examples of those things exceded my own, and would therefore attribute no value added from the brand being slapped onto those products.

Edited February 23, 2004 by cdh (log)