Luxury Real Estate Marketing: Visionary Thinking at Dom Perignon

KARL LAGERFELD © CHAMPAGNE MOET & CHANDON 2008

One of the most common traits of a market leader who is interested in sustaining dominance in his or her marketplace and also building a lasting personal brand, is visionary thinking. For those of you luxury real estate marketing professionals with this ambition it is wise to look to luxury brands that have stood the test of time and emulate the standards and the value that these brands embrace. Dom Perignon champagne is brand to emulate.

Dom Pérignon is part of LVMH (Moët Hennessy • Louis Vuitton S.A.) family of brands, one of the world’s largest luxury goods conglomerates. Dom is a vintage champagne. This means that the champagne is not produced in weak years, and all grapes used to make the wine were harvested in the same year. 

When we lived in Napa Valley, we had the good fortune to sit next to chef de cave (head winemaker) of Dom Pérignon who happened to be dining alone.  We struck up a delightful conversation throughout our meal. 

What was most impressive about his Dom Pérignon stories was the fact that if the grapes are not perfect in a given year they simply will not produce the wine.  In the 80 years between 1921 and 2002 for example, Dom Pérignon champagne has been produced in only 36 years. Three vintage years in a row are a rarity.  This phenomenon only occurred two times: in 1969, 1970 and 1971, in 1998, 1999 and 2000.

CREATE THE “BEST WINE IN THE WORLD”, Pierre Pérignon, 1668.

In 1668, the young monk took up his post as the head of the cellar at the Abbey of Hautvillers . Over three centuries later, Dom Pérignon is the ultimate homage to this visionary spirit and to the founding work of the man who is considered the creator of champagne.

For fun, here some facts about this fabulous champagne: 

• In 1961, Dom Pérignon Vintage 1949 was on the menu for the dinner given at the US Embassy in Paris for Charles de Gaulle and John F. Kennedy during the American president’s official visit.
• In 1981, Dom Pérignon was chosen for the wedding of Lady Diana Spencer and Prince Charles. The magnums of Dom Pérignon Vintage 1961 served at the wedding had a special insignia created just for the ceremony.
• Today, Costo sells more Dom Pérignon than any other retailer in the world.

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Luxury Real Estate Marketing: Follow That Poodle!

As a luxury marketing professional one of the great ways to promote your marketplace is to report on the local festivities.  For example, we are planning to go to the Annual French Festival in Santa Barbara, Saturday and Sunday, July 17 & 18 (Bastille Day Weekend), from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. in Santa Barbara's Oak Park.  This is the 23rd annual event, and they are expecting over 20,000 people to attend.  Admission is Free.

Some of the highlights include, a poodle parade, French chefs preparing typical French delicacies both savory and sweet.  French beer and wines as well as champagne will be available.  Also, former French colonies will be represented such as Vietnam (French Indochina) as well as Morocco and French Polynesia.

Forty acts on three stages will feature continuous entertainment of music, dancing (can-can), as well as cabaret style (Edith Piaf) to name a few. If you love anything French, it is a great opportunity to meet people, join a French speaking club, and learn about interesting trips to France.  There will be a drawing to win a trip to Paris or Tahiti. 

Another way to promote YOU is to be a sponsor for one of these events.  The sponsors are always promoted and appreciated by the organizers who have large spheres of influence and may become your ardent referral sources.  Or, you could always volunteer to help at the event.

So, follow that poodle and get involved in local community events.  It is fun and also good for your luxury real estate marketing practice.

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Luxury Real Estate Branding: Join Forces with Your Competitor!

As a luxury real estate marketing professional, seeking market leadership, have you ever considered teaming up with another superstar in your marketplace to better compete with the current market leader or to secure your market leadership position?  Sometimes joining forces can yield better results for both of you, more so than your combined production as separate players. The buzz that could be created by an announcement of your partnership may be just what you are looking for to catch the competition off guard and tip the scale in your favor.

 Are you a LeBron James fan or foe?  The latest media frenzy that centered on his “big decision” to stay in Cleveland or “take his talents elsewhere” (namely Miami) has polarized basketball fans the world over.  Like him or not ESPN scored a major coup in creating an hour long TV “special” around the decision and triggering a controversy heard around the globe. This level of hype for a sports news company has overshadowed its closest competitors. What is at stake? Being able to attract more advertising dollars both on TV and online--that is what is at stake.

To compete with ESPN, Turner's sports division is about to take control of the Web business of Sports Illustrated, owned by Time Warner's Time Inc. magazine unit. The partnership will combine Sports Illustrated's SI.com and Golf.com with a the websites managed by Turner Sports, including NBA.com, Nascar.com and PGA.com.

Time Warner estimates that the combination of websites will reach 40 million unique monthly visitors in the United States. To put this in perspective, according to comScore Inc.Yahoo was the most-popular online sports destination in May, with 35.9 million unique visitors. ESPN, which is owned by Walt Disney Company, had 25.4 million in the same period.

If joining forces with a competing luxury real estate agent indicates to you as a good decision, be very careful how you brand your new team. "Turner/SI Digital" is nowhere close to being as powerful as simply Sports Illustrated Digital. Perhaps this is just a working name for now, but brand name recognition should be of paramount importance in your “big decision”.

You will notice that the photo above is not LeBron.  It is five time NBA World Champion, Kobe, the undisputed MVP in our book.

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Luxury Real Estate Marketing: The Luxury of Pursuing Your Passion

Luxury is pursuing your passion. If you are truly passionate about luxury real estate marketing it is likely that you will enjoy a tremendous advantage over your competitors.  And, great things must unfold in your practice.

For inspiration, just look to others outside of the realm of real estate, those who are passionate about their careers. Some people are passionate about collecting art; others collect vintage cars.

Enzo Enea, a Swiss landscape architect, is also one of the world’s most famous tree collectors.   His tree collection will be on display at the Tree Museum  that he developed. It opened in June, 2010 near Lake Zurich in Switzerland.

What is extraordinary about this open-air museum is the series of open spaces delineated by stone walls that create outdoor “rooms”.   About 120 trees will be on view at a given time, in this 75,000 square meter environment, there will be exhibit themes such as different types of trees and various ways of shaping trees.

The techniques of transporting mature trees is Mr. Enea’s particular claim to fame, techniques that were inspired by his study of bonsai. He is most passionate about weeping willows and Japanese maples in particular. 

Most of the trees in Mr. Enea’s collection were given to him.  For example, a tree was about to be cut down in a property renovation and Enzo asked if he could remove the tree for his collection instead.

Discovering these kinds of opportunities that others overlook is the sign of a passionate person.  It is the same in marketing luxury real estate.  When you are passionate about your work not only is it a luxury, because it makes you feel alive, but it is also gives you the competitive edge.

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Luxury Real Estate Marketing: 8 Tips for Staying Positive & Creating Your Personal Affluent Economy

Affluence begins with an affluent state of mind. One of the best ways to stand out as a luxury real estate marketing professional is to hold the vision of a vibrant economic future, yours in particular. View the present marketplace as a place of opportunity rather than focus on the reality as presented to us by the media and other naysayers.  What is true is that some luxury homes are selling in most upper tier marketplaces. The question is, “are you in this rosy part of the picture?”

Maintaining a positive point of view definitely requires continuous practice. It is not like you need to hide from the negative, the trick is not to DWELL on it and “accentuate the positive”, as the song says. 

Here are 8 tips to get you back on the positive train of thought and keep you there more often.

1.  Appreciate someone or something around you.

2.   Focus on something beautiful such as your pet, a flower, a tree, or the abundance of cherries that are currently in season.

3.   Distract yourself with a few deep breaths

4.   Take a walk around the block, or exercise

5.   Give a sincere compliment, or two, or three.

6.  Share some good news

7.  Make maintaining a positive viewpoint a top priority in your life

8.  When all else fails, lie down, pull the covers over your head, and don’t move till you feel better. In other words, keep a good sense of humor. And, remember that life is just a bowl of cherries.

 Here is an excerpt from today’s post in the Mayo Clinic blog regarding the advantages of positive thinking for your health:

Researchers continue to explore the effects of positive thinking and optimism on health. Health benefits that positive thinking may provide include:

• Increased life span
• Lower rates of depression
• Lower levels of distress
• Greater resistance to the common cold
• Better psychological and physical well-being
• Reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease
• Better coping skills during hardships and times of stress

Think more positively!  It not only is good for your personal health, it is good for your personal wealth, your personal affluent economy.

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Luxury Real Estate Marketing: Food of the Gods

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico is a great place to buy a second home.  XocoDiva, a fabulous artisan chocolate store in PV is just one of many reasons why the lifestyle there is so appealing.  We visited Ron Morgan there last week. Ron is a luxury real estate marketing professional who is passionalte about this exciting marketplace.

Check out this VIDEO on the chocolate truffles at XocoDiva.  Yet, more proof that chocolate is food of the gods.  If you are visiting a client or going to a dinner party, a small box of chocolate truffles makes a great gift!

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Luxury Real Estate Marketing: Less is More Tip #1

Children at the Louvre Museum in Paris

Marketing ideas with zero or low cost are easier to conceive when you follow your passion. Anyone can develop business in their luxury real estate marketing practice with money.  But, some of best results can be achieved without spending a dime.  Here is an example of a low cost promotional idea that cost an agent very little but yielded big results.

A very successful luxury real estate marketing professional in Chicago was on the board of directors for the local museum.  Her passion was engaging kids in the world of art.  When the museum created a special interactive event for kids she sent out event invitations to all of her past clients and her entire sphere of influence offering to cover the admission cost for their kids.  At $10 per child she spent only $500 for the 50 that showed up WITH THEIR PARENTS!

The positive response was unanimous.  The kids had a blast, learned new things and made new friends.  The adults appreciated the opportunity to meet new community members.  Several of the parents joined the museum because of the quality of the children’s program. She generated a tremendous amount of good will not only from those who attended, but also from  those who were impressed with the invitation and could not make it.

She also received several referrals shortly thereafter which converted to significant commissions that made the $500 investment a drop in the ocean.  What contributed most to the success of this marketing idea was her passion for getting kids excited about the arts. This is part of what her personal brand stands for. When you tap into your passion and tie it into your work everything aligns to this core principle that makes marketing a joy.

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Luxury Real Estate Marketing: Think Like a Journalist!

Many luxury real estate marketing professionals believe that the primary purpose of blogging is to increase their website traffic. It is true that a great blog can actually account for more traffic to your website than traffic generated when search engines, like Google, display your website/blogsite at the top of their search results pages (and users click through). However, more traffic is actually a by-product of your blog not the purpose.  The real purpose of your blog is to build an ever-expanding local, national and international sphere of influence, a stronger referral base, and an audience of raving fans who recognize you as an expert in your field.

When your blog is follow-worthy, buzz-worthy and comment-worthy you actually emerge as a journalist on par with those who write for major news publications and magazines.   As a journalist you become a reporter, a columnist, a commentator, an entertainer, and a correspondent.  Your opinion becomes sought after by traditional media.   The more you aim to achieve this level of professionalism as a blogger, the more your sphere of influence will grow. 

Just as e-book readers are changing the book industry, smart phones and tablet computers, like the iPad, are changing the magazine industry.  With digitization, the cost of printing and delivery/distribution (over the internet) is virtually zero. That is now freeing up resources that can be deployed to making each magazine edition truly interactive.  With videos,, 3-D  effects, links to archived editions and related stories, search, social interaction, polling, and more extensive photography, magazines can provide an vastly more satisfying user experience than a print issue.   

The new magazines will be available everywhere, on any device which can expand its circulation. And, readers will spend more time interacting with each edition, more time than a one hour TV show that may cost the same price, for example. Besides this rich user experience, readers can count on the fact that the magazine articles will be well researched and well edited which is a “value add” that most blogs cannot match.   Think of the depth of sports coverage in Sports Illustrated when this magazine is published on the iPad.

If you are currently blogging or are contemplating becoming a luxury real estate blogger, keep in mind that the competition for attention is going to get even fiercer as print magazines go digital and become truly interactive.  Now is the time to step up the level of professionalism on your blog. Start thinking like a journalist!

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Luxury Real Estate Personal Branding: Maintain Your Visibility- Part 3

Wolfgang Puck

The Ultimate Goal of Personal Branding: Global Brand Ubiquity

When you think of Coke or Google you think of a brand that is ubiquitous which means ever-present and seen everywhere. Oprah is an example of a celebrity whose personal brand has become globally ubiquitous.  Wolfgang Puck is perhaps the best known celebrity chef in the world and he is also a ubiquitous brand. 

We first met Wolfgang Puck in the early 1970s in Los Angeles where he was both a rising star as a chef and part owner of Ma Maison restaurant. Since then he has opened countless high end restaurants, casual dining bistros and airport eateries.  In the early 80’s he catered and personally served his famous smoked salmon pizza at a special event that we attended at Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills. He now has catering facilities in twelve major US cities. His high profile catering gig, the Governor’s Ball at the Academy Awards, is now world renown.

With cookbooks, cookware, a frozen food line, TV shows, radio shows, internet programming, plus much more, Wolfgang Puck’s empire exemplifies what a personal brand can become.  What is truly remarkable is that he has sustained top of mind status and quality in everything he touches over such a long period of time.

Almost 30 years after our first Puck encounter, we were guest speakers at the Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate event last fall in Vail, Colorado that was held at the Ritz Carlton Hotel (Bachelor Gulch).  His restaurant was featured there and so was his organic coffee, which is absolutely one of the best we have ever tasted.  When we found his coffee in our local market, here in Santa Barbara, it seemed heaven sent.

Without the Puck brand, the same coffee, could have sat on the shelf and gone unnoticed.  After all, coffee is the 2^nd most ubiquitous commodity on the planet, next to oil. But, the trust factor of the Wolfgang Puck brand, his promise of value and quality that has been sustained over a major part of our lifetime has made us loyal customers.

You may not be interested in global brand ubiquity for your personal brand. But, if market leadership is your quest as a luxury real estate marketing professional, becoming a household name and maintaining your visibility over time in your local marketplace, should definitely become your aim.

Maintain Your Visibility Part-1      Maintain Your Visibility-Part 2

Personal Branding: Maintain Your Visibility-Part 2

The 3 Keys to Parlay Your Reputation into Celebrity Status

If you are interested in achieving market leadership in your local marketplace think of yourself more like a celebrity and think of your luxury real estate marketing business more like a media.  It may seem like a big stretch, but those who make this shift in thinking will be the big winners for years to come.

Create a plan to parlay your reputation  and personal brand into celebrity status. Here are the three keys to the plan:

1. Develop a celebrity/media mindset
2. Build your audience, consistently
3. Gain and maintain visibility

Your Mindset: You need to think of your business not only as luxury real estate marketing practice, but also as a media with your brand as the star. This is not about pretentiousness; it is about becoming a savvy marketing expert.  How can you expect to win trophy listings if you cannot demonstrate to the sellers, through your personal marketing, that you are the superior choice over your competition?

Instead of being what we call a “transaction engineer”, you must become a marketing company who also processes transactions professionally. This is the metamorphosis that most agents are unwilling to do, which is why it represents such an outstanding opportunity for you, if you do it right.  High net worth clients expect you to have integrity, local market knowledge and excellent negotiating skills, just like your closest competitors. But, how will you stand out from the pack?  How will you gain top of mind/celebrity status?  Those are the questions!

Your Audience: The best way we have found to quickly increase your sphere of influence and leverage your personal brand is through a buzz-worthy blog. Blogging is a vehicle for self-publishing. As your own media, you do not need to answer to an editor. It puts you in control and enables you to capitalize on the primary promise of social media: rapidly amassing a sizable audience of raving fans. 

Your Visibility:  Managing your reputation, maintaining your star power, and staying visible in your marketplace are essentials. When you achieve high visibility you put yourself in position to parlay your celebrity status into additional revenue streams. 

In Part 3 of this series, Maintain Your Visibility, we will showcase a professional who has achieved celebrity status and has extended his personal brand to build to become an international conglomerate.  Hint: Food for Thought!

Luxury Real Estate Personal Branding:: Maintain Your Visibility-Part 1

It has only been a few months since the 2010 Winter Olympics.  An American won the gold medal for figure skating. Can you remember his name? Can you picture his face? Achieving top of mind status is quite an accomplishment. Staying top of mind is a whole other matter in our attention-deficient world.  Studying how celebrities maintain visibility can reveal personal branding secrets that can give you a competitive edge as a luxury real estate marketing professional.

You might remember Evan Lysacek’s stellar skating performance in Vancouver, BC.  But, just in case you forgot his face or name you can find Evan appearing on TV in Dancing with the Stars. Is it a coincidence that he is a featured dancer on the show just after his Olympic triumph?  Chances are he has hired a talent agent to keep his name and face in front of your face.

Why is visibility so important and what is at stake? Product endorsements and skating show gigs are some of the ways that Evan can cash in on his celebrity.  For luxury real estate agents, being visible and achieving top of mind status in your marketplace means more referrals. The higher your recognition and appeal factors are, the more likely you are to secure the lion’s share of the market.

In media, marketing, advertising and public relations the measurement of your familiarity and appeal is known as your Q Score.  The Q stands for quotient, as in recognition quotient (amount, share or percentage) within your target market.

An example of a luxury real estate professional who has achieved a very high Q score is Barbara Corcoran in New York. She certainly stands out as a celebrity real estate expert whose opinion is continuously sought out by the media.

With the advent of social media and self publishing through multiple media channels, the opportunity to build a personal brand and achieve celebrity status in your marketplace has never been better.  If market leadership is your quest, seize the opportunity to gain and sustain visibility. 

Authoring a follow- worthy blog that is buzz-worthy is one way to get you there.  See part two of this series for more details.

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Luxury Real Estate Marketing: Become The Game Changer!

Courtesy of Apple

Do people need an iPad? No. Is iPad a must have? Yes! Therefore, iPad is a luxury.  What makes iPad a luxury is the user experience. It’s tactically interactive. It is eye candy. It is, above all, simple and fun, with endless possibilities of entertainment via the Apps Store. Apple has raised the bar of EXPECTATION in user experience and has thus changed the game.

If you want to gain the competitive edge as a luxury real estate marketing professional, you must become the game changer. Your own website must create an extraordinary user experience and you must provide a superior promise of value as a professional that is newsworthy.

Two days after iPad launched, we had lunch in downtown Santa Barbara across the street from the Apple Store.  People were swarming in and we decided to see what the buzz was all about, up close. Dozens of potential customers were gathered around several large tables testing iPads.  One freed up and we swooped in to play with it.  The experience was joyous; it was easy and very intuitive to use.  For fun, we checked out how our website looked on the screen. It looked great. We turned the iPad sideways (landscape vs. portrait), we made the pictures bigger with gestures. We navigated through pages with a tap of the screen, enlarged images and giggled like kids.  It was an awesome experience for us iPhone hold outs.

On the cover of Newsweek magazine a question was posed:  What is so great about the iPad? The answer was: Everything! Whether or not you agree with its merits, the iPad is a game changer for the competition.  On the back cover was an ad for Amazon’s best selling product, their ebook reader, the Kindle.  Fueled by the hurricane of publicity that Apple commanded (which is a story unto itself) leading up to the iPad launch, 300,000 units sold in one weekend.  This has put Amazon, the market leader in the ebook product category, on notice. They very well may have to settle for the back seat in this market space. The Nook, Barnes and Noble’s “me-too” ebook reader may never recover from a distant 3^rd place.  Other ebook readers are no longer on the radar screen.

If gaining market leadership is your aim, the power and speed of publicity via social media can completely disrupt the competitive playing field and give you the competitive edge “overnight”.  That is, if you have identified an uncontested market niche that you can dominate like Apple, create a new category of service, and thus, create a truly newsworthy story. 

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Luxury Real Estate Web Design: Turn Up Your Nose to the Template Website

Luxury real estate marketing professionals, it is time to turn up your nose to the template website and invest in a luxury website makeover!  If market leadership is your quest, owning a template website is tantamount to cutting off your nose to spite your face!

When we lived in Los Angeles, there was a plastic surgeon (pseudonym, Dr. Quirk) that became quite famous.  His specialty was nose reconstruction.  For quite some time he was extremely popular among the Beverly Hills beauty seekers.  However, all his “nose jobs” looked alike, as if he used a template.  He had a penchant for the upturned nose look regardless of the face it was on.

A template website is like a Dr. Quirk nose.  It defies your individuality. It shows a lack of marketing savvy and imagination!  Your website should be your silent salesperson. Do you want your silent salesperson dressed in the same uniform as your competition? This is the antithesis of luxury!

Recently, we researched the websites of one of our client’s closest competitors.  This is part of the competitive analysis that we do in our strategic branding and luxury website design services. We came across two identical web sites in the same city! The only difference was the background color; one had a blue background and the other was green.  What does this say to potential high net worth clients?

The French author, Philippe Mihailovich, defines luxury as “the very best that human beings can make, give or receive.” Does your website represent the best that you can be? Or, is it luxury website makeover time for you?

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Luxury Real Estate Branding: The Spaghetti Bench Mark

A benchmark is something that serves as a standard by which others may be measured or judged.  To be original, as a luxury real estate marketing professional, your personal brand of doing business should set a new standard of excellence in your field. It should raise the bar and become a benchmark.  How else will you become the standout, if market leadership is your quest?

To become a market leader we recommend that you identify and dominate an uncontested market niche. You need to select something that you can do, with passion, better than anyone else in your marketplace and become known for this as your trademark. A trademark is a distinguishing characteristic or feature firmly associated with a person or thing.  You must spot a niche that is underserved and not obvious.  Then, you must claim it as yours and own it.

The Spaghetti Bench, by the Franco-Argentinean artist and designer Pablo Reinoso, is both a benchmark and a trademark series of work. He has taken the ordinary, yet functional park bench and elevated it to something quite extraordinary. It would be next to impossible for another artist or designer to do a similar work without being called a “me-too” or copycat. 

The Spaghetti Bench is truly remarkable!  You just feel compelled to tell others about it. We actually contacted Mr. Reinoso in Paris and asked for his permission to publish his works on the LOL Blog. We were that moved to share it with you.  We hope you pass this post along to your friends, if you are moved by his work as well.

It was an immediate emotional response for both of us when we saw two park benches intertwined, becoming one, yet retaining their individuality.  Reinoso’s works convey what we value the most: innovation. How absolutely outrageous to begin a piece of art in one room and have it continue in another as it transforms from inert to dynamic movement. It spans a spectrum from practical to lyrical and says, “You can have it all!” It reaffirms that we do not live in an ‘either-or” world as many would have us believe, that your lifestyle, your love style and your work style can be a continuum when you live a life of passion.  And, that is part of what defines luxury for us.

When you are willing to step out of the realm of conformity, to free yourself of the tyranny of the status quo and become an original, only then will you have a remarkable personal brand that becomes a benchmark for all others.  Find that which can become your trademark, as a luxury real estate marketing professional, and you will succeed beyond your dreams.

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Luxury Real Estate Branding: Canned Content = Canned Brands

Are people following your luxury real estate marketing blog? Are they watching your videos? If you do it right, you can build an entire personal brand and a large audience around your blog and videos. However, if your content is canned, meaning unoriginal or generic, you will not stand out as a distinct brand nor will you be follow-worthy. Canned content equals canned brands.

Have you heard the expression “Content is King” in reference to the internet and social media in particular? Content refers to articles, web copy (text on web pages and blog posts), videos, podcasts and photos. When you distribute content on the internet and include a link to your blog and or website you are basically inviting readers and viewers to find out more about you and your business.

If your video, your blog post or your article is shared with others, who in turn share it with their friends, the exposure that your content receives can expand exponentially.  This is what is meant by the term “viral” which comes from the concept that a virus can be spread in the same manner. It can be like word-of-mouth advertising on steroids! 

The more places you distribute your content the more potential traffic you can generate. Click-throughs on your content can account for over 90% of your web traffic and completely dwarf click-throughs that come from Google or other search engines, even if you are naturally ranked at the top of the first page of search results.  That is the power of content to drive web traffic and that is why ORIGINAL content is king.

If your content is boring, unoriginal or generic your chances of people clicking on your links diminishes accordingly. If you publish recycled, unoriginal material you simply will not be followed, which is the entire point of building an audience of subscribers. Recycling may be good for cans but not for blog posts.

Unoriginal or generic real estate information is a turn-off in luxury real estate in particular. Imagine a Rolls Royce blogger explaining to a potential customer that they are looking at a car with four doors instead of telling them where to find the door mounted umbrella. Generic luxury real estate blog content indicates that the blogger lacks imagination and therefore lacks the marketing savvy required to win listings or sell expensive homes.  

Be original! Canned content equals canned personal brands.

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Luxury Real Estate Marketing: Preempt Your Competition

Lessons from Local Motors-- Part 2—Preempt Your Competition

In Part 1 of this story we focused on how Local Motors “crowd-sourced” the design of a vehicle for an underserved market niche.  Their first car, the Rally Fighter, is an off-road vehicle (desert terrain) that can double as a family car on the road.  In Part 2 we examine how Local Motors has captured the essence of how the very concept of luxury is evolving. It is becoming experiential not just material.

As a luxury real estate marketing professional, can you state your unique promise of value in just a few words?  Local Motors can:  Make C.O.O.L. Cars!

Community: The world’s largest community of designers, engineers and enthusiasts come together    here to help design and develop cars

Open Source:  Open Source chassis data, open development process (collaboration with no secrets)

Ownership Experience:  From design to build to service and community experiences.

Local:  Cars are built, sold and serviced locally in Micro-Factories

Perhaps, the most unique aspect of Local Motors is the ownership experience. When you purchase your vehicle you are invited to work alongside the experts to build it.  Based on your skill level, a customized program is designed to give you hands on experience.  It takes only two weekends (6 days) to build your own car and you will have a Designated Builder Trainer to help you.  According to Local Motors, “When you come into one of the Local Motors micro-factories you will be sure to meet friends for life”. For car enthusiasts, this brand of ownership experience is true luxury!

By breaking new ground with this experiential ownership model any other car company will appear as a “copy cat”.  It is what we call a pre-emptive strategy that is virtually inimitable without becoming a “me-too” brand.  This is the sign of market leadership.

How can you break new ground in your luxury real estate market arena and preempt your competition?

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The Ultimate Luxury for 2010: Forever Young

Sunrise  in our backyard in Carpinteria, California

2009 stood out as a year when the meaning of “luxury” itself was dramatically re-examined, re-evaluated and re-defined throughout the world by high net worth consumers and also by the purveyors of luxury goods and services. To be successful in the next decade, as a luxury real estate marketing professional, it is now essential to gain a deep understanding of this shift in mindset that is gaining momentum from material to experiential. 

Perhaps, the root of this important change began in the sixties, when a certain poet, expressed that “the times they are a changing”.  As baby boomers are reaching the peak of their earning and spending years, it isn’t surprising that they have led the way to this awakening of a deeper meaning of luxury.

Recently, while driving down Pacific Coast Highway on a magnificently clear day we listened to Bob Dylan sing one of his classic songs:  May You Stay Forever Young! He articulated for us, in just five words, the most profound wish that we have for ourselves and for others.  It is the wish that represents to us the ultimate luxury:  To maintain the optimism and invincibility of youth throughout our lives.

We wish for you a very Happy New Year. And, may you stay forever young!

 Ron & Alexandra Seigel

 P.S.  We included the Joan Baez version of this song on video here because it is awesome. Here are the lyrics, too.

May God bless and keep you always,
May your wishes all come true,
May you always do for others
And let others do for you.
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung,
And may you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young.

May you grow up to be righteous,
May you grow up to be true,
May you always know the truth
And see the light surrounding you.
May you always be courageous,
Stand upright and be strong,
And may you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young.

May your hands always be busy,
May your feet always be swift,
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift.
May your heart always be joyful,
May your song always be sung,
And may you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young.

Bob Dylan-released in January 1974, on the Planet Waves Album-

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Luxury Real Estate Marketing: Is Luxury Out of Style?

1957 Mercedes Cabriolet

Luxury real estate marketing professionals need to stay abreast of current etiquette when conversing with high net worth clients. Economic conditions tend to affect the degree of conspicuous or inconspicuous consumption. But, is flaunting one's wealth ever in style?

Given the current economic conditions and the propensity of the media and talking heads to point out the downfall of the luxury retail market this holiday season, the following question comes to mind: Is luxury itself out of style?

The answer is NO. The essence of luxury is an object or a service that is well made/well done. Again the governing concept of an item is that is of exceptional craftsmanship which implies its long lasting value. A great service implies that you will return for that great service over and over again because it is worth it. The very well to do populace is not the only ones who buy luxury. There are quite a few people who may buy an item because of its "superior quality or performance." They understand that because it is a superior product, its longevity will make the purchase an economically sound decision.

There are people who will drive their Mercedes for 20-30 years. Divide the original purchase price by the number of years, and you will discover that given the performance and the lasting quality with which the vehicle is built, it is a bargain. In addition the resale value is higher, and if the model is sought after by collectors, it resale can be astronomically more than its original purchase price. A well made piece of furniture last lifetimes and is often passed from generation to generation. An authentic Chippendale is worth a fortune on today's market. With falling prices on many durable luxury items, those in the know are purchasing them.

Thomas Chippendale Chair

The same could not be said about some luxury purchases. If one were to purchase a pair of satin Christian Louboutin shoes for $1500, the chances of those shoes surviving into the next century are not so great, even though they are well made and well crafted. The intention here is not to condemn the purchase but to illustrate the concept of long term luxury. It is possible that the wearer may be so careful as to avoid every possible scuff and not damage them at all and hand them off to a granddaughter with the same exact shoe size at some point in time!

What is out of style and what has always been out of style is in your face luxury i.e. bragging about and flaunting recent purchases. Etiquette is a lifelong pursuit and is not dependent on economic conditions to practice it. It depends on one's understanding and appreciation of all the conditions that life has to offer and reacting to them in a gracious manner.

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This blog post was originally published last year at this time.  We felt it was timely this year also.



Luxury Real Estate Marketing: Celebrating the Holidays with Localism, Part II

One of the most wonderful promises of the blog, as a communication tool, is that it empowers you to report on local events, customs and perspectives and share them with the world. Localism, a term that is often used to describe this capability, is a powerful strategy for luxury real estate marketing professionals. It can help you to stay in touch with prospective clients who plan on relocating to your area or purchase a second home in your marketplace.  

Reporting on local happenings is also great way to of reminding locals (including prospective home sellers and referral sources) about what they love the most about where they live.  You can help them to fall n love with their home town all over again and fall in “like” with you in the process.

In our home town of Carpinteria, next door to Montecito in the Santa Barbara area, there are acres of agricultural land.  Carpinteria is one of the avocado capitals of the world.  It is also the home of some of the best and most successful wholesale growers of orchids in the United States. Most of the orchids that you buy in Trader Joes and major supermarket chains are grown right here.

This year Westerlay Orchids decorated a lovely Christmas tree with orchid ornaments that is displayed in their showroom which is open to the public.  Each orchid is placed in a tube with water to maintain its freshness over the holidays.   The variety of colors is magnificent and the lights in the trees make the orchids glow. 

Now, this is something you do not typically see elsewhere around the world. It is truly local. And, it is a joy to share with you, our friends from all corners of the globe.

Happy Holidays!

Ron & Alexandra Seigel

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Celebrating the Holidays in Santa Barbara: Part I

This is part one of our local coverage of holiday spirit, here in Santa Barbara, California.  We were inspired by holiday blog posts we have read from all over the world from bloggers who shared local color, like the first snow of season. It truly helps to make the spirit bright!

One of the luxuries of life in the holiday season is to admire the lovely decorations that signify the end of the year.  The creativity involved and the execution gives you a moment to reflect on people’s artfulness.  To celebrate the season and wish all our readers a wonderful holiday, we are sharing our photos of local holiday decorations that we found impressive or original.

Today, we had breakfast with friends in the Bella Vista restaurant of the Biltmore hotel overlooking Butterfly Beach.   It is a wonderful room with a retractable ceiling to let in the ocean breezes and very conducive to celebration or quiet relaxation.  It is a favorite of the locals as well as tourists.

One of the landmark hotels in Montecito/Santa Barbara, the famed Biltmore hotel opened in 1927, as part of the Biltmore chain.  Today, it is known as the Four Seasons Resort, The Biltmore Santa Barbara.  The hotel has been lovingly maintained and restored.  It exemplifies colonial Spanish/Moorish architecture with magnificent courtyards, gardens that feature specimen plants and trees, as well as a croquet lawn.  We think that it is one of the most beautiful hotels to visit since it is reminiscent of the grandeur of the era in which it was built.

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