POUR DEMANDER LA NOTE D'ANALYSE PROMISE-BNP EXANE, ENVOYER UN MAIL :

TO ASK FOR THE RESEARCH NOTICE PROMISE-BNP EXANE PLEASE E-MAIL:

valerie.jourdan@promiseconsultinginc.com

Paris May 18th 2015 - In association with BNP Exane, a leading actor of the financial market in Europe and a recognized specialist of research and cross-section analysis on the European equities, Promise, consulting and market research firm, publishes the results of the 1st wave of the Barometer Promise - BNP Exane "Luxury and Desirability 2015". This barometer classifies the 15 most exclusive and desirable brands in France in the sector of Fashion. This Barometer is established with the wealthiest women and consists of ready-to-wear clothing, bags, shoes and accessories brands stemming from the ranking Industry Interviews,Exane Paribas Estimates & Analysis (2014).

"This barometer in association with BNP Exane translates our will to move closer to the marketing and cross-section financial analysis. Our approach Monitoring Brand Assets® itself complements analyses led by BNP Exane’s experts. The results obtained from our joint barometer based on two different angles of expertise, marketing and financial, bring a unique added value to the managers and decision-makers in the Luxury sector. More concretely, our measure of the exclusivity of a brand takes into account the superior and more constant quality of products, the strong and unique valuation of the customer, the prestige of the brand, but also a matchless savoir-faire that justifies a very high price associated with luxury. Finally our measure of desirability synthesizes the dimensions of attractiveness, intimate, social and symbolic order which are the strengths of exclusive brands and the particular relation that they maintain with their customers. In this respect, our Barometer synthesizes in two proven scales the numerous criteria to establish a classification between the high-end brands from the point of view of their customers” states Pr Philippe Jourdan, Promise’s CEO.

IN BRIEF

 EXCLUSIVITY

• Chanel 1st brand on the luxury criterion with the wealthy Frenchwomen.
• In 2nd and 3rd place, Christian Dior and Louis Vuitton are neck and neck.

DESIRABILITY

• Chanel is the most desirable brand in the world of fashion.
•  In 2nd place, Louis Vuitton confirms the legitimacy of its upmarket move.
  
• The Italian brands opt for seduction to stand out.
• Burberry is ranked 6th on the most desirable brand scale (11th on high-end luxury).

 EXCLUSIVITY: FRENCH BRANDS AT THE TOP OF REFINEMENT

The wealthiest French women agree on one point: the high-end luxury remains the privilege of France. In the ranking of the 15 high-end luxury brands, national brands monopolize the 5 first ranks in the heart of French women. The first rank is occupied by Chanel, followed by Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton, then Yves Saint Laurent and Hermes (cf. table 1).

TABLE 1: THE 15 MOST LUXURY BRANDS IN FRANCE

(basis: wealthy women only)

Brands classified on the mark of 5 on a scale of 1 to 5 then translated into index.

Chanel takes the lead of the classification in 2015 in the world of fashion (ready-to-wear clothing, bags, shoes and accessories). The brand deserves this crowning as a result of an exceptional development in Haute Couture, ready-to-wear, bags, accessories, jewelry and fragrances.

“The refinement of its collections of Haute Couture, the success of its collections Croisières and Ready-to-wear clothing, its tributes to Art Craftmanship in different cities every year and the investment in the field of the High-end Jewelry since 1987 all drive the ascent of the brand at the forefront. This result is thus, not surprising and rewards a consequent, coherent, qualitative and long term investment" according to Philippe Jourdan.

Ranked 2^nd and 3^rd, Christian Dior and Louis Vuitton are very close in terms of index. "Through Christian Dior Couture, French women express their attachment to a typical French brand to  which they recognize undeniable qualities: the search for excellence, passion, innovation, but also an exacerbated artistic sensibility of its Artistic Directors. It is moreover the same qualities so often associated with the French temperament that also explain the excellent 4^th place detained by Yves Saint Laurent in our ranking. Regarding Louis Vuitton's 3^rd position, it dedicates a very influential brand in the field of the luxury which it intends to sustain while pursuing a strategy of increased selectivity and significant  upmarket move", comments Philippe Jourdan.

DESIRABILITY: ITALIAN BRANDS PLAY THE CARD OF SEDUCTION

"Luxury and love, respond to the same logic. A luxury brand has to arouse the desire which inevitably creates an expectation for the so long desired object. If the outcome of a loving quest sometimes kills desire, a luxury brand by permanently reinventing itself creates the mechanisms for a maintained desire. It seemed important to us to measure the desirability of 15 big luxury brands stemming from our Barometer, especially as our model Monitoring Brand Assets demonstrates that the desirability such as we measure it is the main driver of a brand's growth in France and in the world. We bring our customers the key to make their brands more desirable because we are convinced that desirability is the stake for tomorrow’s big luxury brands" (Philippe Jourdan). 

Remember that desire benefits from recognition from others. The size of desire is thus of intimate order (quest of oneself), but also social (the relation with others). Desirability is thus a matter of subtle balance which the brands have to feed in respect for their fundamentals. "For what we try to measure through desirability is the closeness, which is a matter of physical appearance but also mystic between a brand and its public, the carnal and spiritual fusion to which contribute products, services, image, values and type of relations which the brand builds with its public", declares Philippe Jourdan.

Chanel is the most desirable brand in the world of fashion (ready-to-wear , bags, shoes and accessories) for the wealthiest French women. Chanel achieved a flawless performance in 2015 by being approved by a large majority of French women as the most desirable big luxury brand. "Chanel’s desirability is based on several pillars: on one hand, the high quality of its products and its exclusive character conferred by its endorsement by world-famous personalities’. But Chanel's desirability is much more than that: the feeling still shared today that the brand liberates women, participating even today to their emancipation through the diversion of the male and female codes for example. It is still with regards to this aspect that the brand is incredibly modern. This diversion of codes is not limited to the gender, as shown by the ease with which the mark communicates in Asia and in America" underlines Philippe Jourdan.

TABLE 2: THE 15 MOST DESIRABLE LUXURY BRANDS IN FRANCE

 (basis: wealthy women only)

Brands classified on the mark of 6-7 on a scale of 1 to 7 then translated into index.

Louis Vuitton is ranked 2^nd on desirability. The ambition of the LVMH Group is to make the brand with the famous monogram the most desirable one in the world, a strategy that the CEO passes by as "an adjustment of its growth". "The upmarket move and the price increase of the bag collections Vivienne, Capucine or W contribute to a strengthened exclusivity adds to the desirability of the brand” (Philippe Jourdan).

The third learning from our Barometer - but not the least - is that the Italian brands opt for seduction to stand out in desirability. The Italian brands make a remarkable breakthrough in our ranking. The French leaders of the LVMH and Kering groups take the right steps by multiplying contacts with the leaders of these brands (some of which they already possess). Salvatore Ferragamo is classified 3^rd in terms of desirability, the brand managed to stand out in leather craft (bags and shoes) thanks to high-quality products, which are also elegant and discreet. The seduction of the Italian famous shoemaker of the Hollywood stars operates in the heart of French women. It is also the case for Giorgio Armani, Gucci, Fendi and Versace, which join the circle closed of the 10 most desirable brands. "Italy has a ancient and derserved tradition in luxury, whether it is in leather craft or in shoes. But ready-to-wear clothing is not outdone and does not conjugate only in men. Evening dresses, dresses for ceremony, classic or trendy female suits, Italian workshops for ready-to-wear clothing are a reference regarding design, materials and finishes. French women do not make a mistake there." (Philippe Jourdan).

Finally Burberry - ranked 11^th on the criterion of very big luxury – is ranked 6^th on desirability. Recently classified as a luxury brand, the famous tartan brand, Burberry, pursues its conquest of Parisian hearts. "If the Parisian culmination was the partnership with Le Printemps during Christmas, it is in fact the consecration of the thorough work of Angela Ahrendts and Christopher Bailey on the collections, communication, digital, but also on its flagship's architecture, as illustrated by the famous Flagship store of 56 Faubourg Saint-Honoré" (Philippe Jourdan).

METHODOLOGY

The Barometer Promise – BNP Exane "EXCLUSIVITY AND DESIRABILITY" has an international vocation, renewed every year in several countries and on several categories of products. Both criteria that are measured here are precious tools to help managers and investors of the luxury sector evaluate and take decisions. These two criteria arise from the more general model of measurement of performance and ROI of brands, Monitoring Brand Assets ®, marketed by Promise for numerous brands in the sectors of the Fashion, Beauty and Selective Distribution.

• Collection method: online Access Panel. 
• Period of data collection: March 2015.
• Target: wealthiest women according to the ESOMAR classification (category A) (n=297)
• Sample: representative sample of the adult French pop. (18 years old and above) (n=3.000). 
• Theme: barometer "Exclusivity & Desirability" 2015.
• List: 30 estimated brands (available on request).

The results are reported here in indexes (100: average on the first 15 brands).

ABOUT PROMISE

Promise is a consulting and marketing group composed of the following companies: Promise Consulting Inc., JPL Consulting and Panel On The Web. Promise integrates consulting services and surveys with a strong added value. The company has created an innovative methodology to measure the performance of brands and the ROI of investments centered on brands: Monitoring Brand Assets©. This methodology was deployed in over 35 countries to date, for 250 different brands from the most diverse sectors and has collected up to 1.000.000 online questionnaires.

Based in Paris, New York and Casablanca, the group conducts surveys and provides consulting services all over the world. Promise is more particularly acknowledged for its expertise regarding the measure of brand equity (brand value) from the consumers’ point of view. Promise has successfully developed innovative methods and models that have been rewarded 7 times in 10 years by the profession, both in France and abroad. The group is consulted for the top brands in luxury, cosmetics and selective distribution to help their development on the domestic and overseas markets. Promise also operates in numerous business sectors, each time the brands establish a strategy for growth to better understand their market, communicate with their consumers, seduce their customers and improve their loyalty: mass market, automobiles, capital goods, financial products, etc. The company is also fully qualified regarding OPQCM and Social Media.

Promise’s CEO, Philippe Jourdan, is the chief-editor of the academic review of Adetem, La Revue Française du Marketing (RFM) since 2011. He publishes in academic international reviews on issues related to brand equity in luxury, beauty and selective distribution. He also publishes in the economic and news press (Le Monde, Les Echos, Le Figaro, l’Opinion, La Revue des Marques, etc.). Philippe is also a university professor, researcher at the IRG (CNRS) and was awarded for the best Research article AFM in 2000.

ABOUT BNP EXANE

 Specialising in European equities, Exane is active in three businesses:

• Cash Equities: under the brand name Exane BNP Paribas, Exane provides institutional investors with a range of services, such as research, sales and execution on European Equities;
• Equity Derivatives:Exane Derivatives has built a robust structured products franchise, based on its longstanding leadership in European convertibles bonds and options;
  
• Asset Management: Exane Asset Management is one of the leaders in long/short equity fund management in Europe.

BNP Exane works primarily with insitutional clients wolrdwide (pension funds, fund managers for banks and insurers and hedge funds) and markets its derivatives products to a broader pool of clients comprising private asset managers and investment advisors. Exane has a workforce of ever 800 employees operating from offices in Paris, London, Frankfurt, Geneva, Madrid, Milan, New York, Stockholm and Singapore. Exane BNP Paribas equity research team covers c. 600 companies. UK companies represent the biggest part of our coverage universe (29% of covered market cap), followed by France (15%) and USA (14%). Our research receives regular acclaims in leading industry surveys.

For further information, log on to our website at www.exane.com

TO LEARN MORE

• Site : http://promiseconsultinginc.com
•  Blog: http://whatsnewinmarketing.blogspirit.com
• Facebook: http://facebook.com/promiseinc
• Twitter: @pjourdan1967

PRESS RELATIONS - WELLCOM AGENCY

• Gaëlle Legris – Julie Fontaine - Sonia El Ouardi
• gl@wellcom.fr – jf@wellcom.fr - se@wellcom.fr
• 01 46 34 60 60

   Philippe Jourdan, CEO Promise Consulting, Professeur des Université, Paris-Est.

Jean-Claude Pacitto, Maître de Conférences, Paris-Est.

POUR LIRE EN ANGLAIS / TO READ IT N ENGLISH : http://bit.ly/1KQTa5i

Le 24 avril prochain est sortie officiellement la très attendue Apple Watch dans neuf pays dont la France. Dans l'attente des réactions des premiers acheteurs, ce qui interpelle davantage aujourd'hui, c'est la volonté d'Apple de promouvoir ce "bijou technologique" comme un produit de luxe. Si l'arrivée bien connue de personnalités de l'univers de la mode et du luxe à des postes à responsabilité chez Apple laissait présager un "repositionnement" stratégique de la marque à la pomme - ce que confirme l'orientation donnée aux premières actions de lancement mettant l'accent sur le côté luxueux de l'objet - cela suffit-il pour faire d'Apple une marque de luxe ?  N'est-ce pas ici aller un peu vite en besogne ?  

Certes, le produit interpelle : une esthétique épurée, des versions haut de gamme à partir de 11.000 euros dans leur déclinaisons en or jaune ou rose, ornées de pierres précieuses, une personnalisation des bracelets et des boîtiers et deux tailles d'écran, autant de signaux du caractère précieux de l'objet. La communication n'est pas en reste : une exclusivité d'exposition au magasin Colette à Paris, un plan média ambitieux dans le magazine Vogue et une apparition au poignet du mannequin Liu Wen, voilà qui devrait "booster" la désirabilité de la montre connectée. Mais il existe pourtant un monde entre l'objet de luxe et l'objet technologique. Auquel des deux appartient réellement l'Apple Watch, et à terme la marque Apple ?

Commençons par définir ce qu’est une marque de luxe. Une marque de luxe présente des caractéristiques bien précises : le prix, la force de l’image, la sélectivité de la distribution, le prestige de la clientèle, l’enracinement historique dans une culture, la préservation d’un savoir-faire ou d’un métier le plus souvent traditionnel, la localisation de la fabrication et enfin la créativité. Certains de ces critères sont possédés ou accessibles à la marque Apple, pour d’autres cela paraît plus compliqué.

Nous ne discuterons ni le prix, ni la force de l'image : dans le cas de l'Apple Watch, ces deux critères semblent remplis. En privilégiant une distribution sélective dans des boutiques en nom propre (les fameux Apple Store),la marque a parfaitement su "sublimer ses codes identitaires", renforcés par un travail de fond sur la relation clientèle envisagée avec la Watch. Le but est de prodiguer les meilleurs conseils, tel un bijoutier. Cette stratégie est bien pensée pour se différencier d'une concurrence déjà bien installée (Pebble, Samsung, Sony, Withing, LG, Kronos, etc.). Mais c'est surtout une précaution indispensable, car passer d'une clientèle technophile à une clientèle du luxe n'est pas sans danger pour la marque. Une perte de repères et d'authenticité auprès de son coeur de clientèle pourrait amener une partie d'entre elle à s'en détourner, se sentant en quelque sorte rejetée. Or la stratégie d'Apple a toujours été de faire du client, non pas un simple acheteur, mais un initié faisant partie du cercle de la marque. De plus, après avoir testé le "low cost" avec l'Iphone 5C, Apple prend avec son repositionnement le risque de trop "étendre" sa clientèle et de diluer ainsi son identité de marque, à l'instar de marques de luxe comme Louis Vuitton. "Qui trop embrasse, peu étreint" disait-on au XIVème Siècle ! Enfin, la frontière entre l'objet de mode et l'objet de luxe passe aussi par l'horizon temporel et géographique qu'ils dessinent : l'objet de luxe est intemporel, une caractéristique difficile à revendiquer dans l'univers de la technologie digitale. Il s'inscrit dans un savoir-faire traditionnel, sinon ancestral. Il s'ensuit une identification forte à un pays précis qui lui donne tout son sens : la belle mécanique est allemande, l'horlogerie de précision est suisse, la haute couture est parisienne, le design est italien, mais qu'en est-il des objets connectés ? A vouloir être une entreprise "globale" dans un univers essentiellement "technologique", Apple se prive peut-être du statut de marque de luxe. Cela ne devrait toutefois pas l'empêcher de rencontrer le succès.

The Apple Watch is here. While waiting for first reactions, Apple is trying to be positioned as a luxury product. Decryption by Philippe Jourdan, Promise Consulting’s CEO, University Professor at Paris-Est, and Jean-Claude Pacitto, Senior Lecturer at Paris-Est.

TO READ IT IN FRENCH / POUR LE LIRE EN FRANCAIS :http://bit.ly/1e4ZrjS

The recruitment of new personalities from the fashion and luxury universe who are in charge of important responsibilities at Apple underlines the brand’s strategic “repositioning”, and is confirmed by the firm’s first launching actions, emphasizing the product’s luxurious aspect. Still, is that enough to make Apple become a luxury brand? Isn’t it too early?  

Obviously, the product generates interest: uncluttered esthetics, luxurious versions from 11.000 euros in golden yellow or pink variations, decorated with precious stones, a customization of bracelets and cases and two sizes of screen, so many signs of the luxurious character of the object. Communication is not outdone: an exclusive presence in the Colette store in Paris, an ambitious media plan in the Vogue magazine and an appearance on the wrist of the model Liu Wen, all of which should boost the desirability of the connected watch. Still, there’s a world between the luxury object and the technological object. Which one does the Apple Watch really belong - and subsequently the brand Apple - to?

Let’s begin by defining what a luxury brand is. A luxury brand presents very precise characteristics: price, image strength, selectivity of the distribution, prestige of the clientele, historic implanting in a culture, conservation of a savoir-faire or a traditional job, localisation of manufacturing and finally, creativity. Some of these criteria are possessed or achievable by the brand Apple, for others it seems more complicated.

We should not discuss either price, or image strength: in the case of the Apple Watch, these two criteria seem fulfilled. By favoring a selective distribution in its own shops (famous Apple stores), the brand knew exactly how to "sublimate its identity", strengthened by a thorough research on the customer relations planned for Watch. The purpose is to lavish the best advice, like a jeweler. This is a well-thought strategy to differentiate from an already well-established competition (Pebble, Samsung, Sony, Withing, LG, Kronos, etc.). But it is especially an essential precaution, because shifting from a technophile clientele to a luxury clientele is not without risk for the brand. A loss of landmarks and authenticity with its base clientele could bring part of them to turn away from Apple, feeling in a way rejected. Yet the strategy of Apple always was to make the customer be, not only a simple buyer, but a member of the brand’s circle. Furthermore, having tested the "low-cost" strategy with the iPhone 5C, Apple takes, with its repositioning, the risk of "widening" its clientele too much and subsequently diluting its leading identity, following the example of luxury brands as Louis Vuitton. “He who embraces too much, holds little” as it was said in the XIVth century! Finally, the border between an object of fashion and a luxury object also goes through the temporal and geographical horizon which they draw from: the luxury object is timeless, a characteristic difficult to claim in the universe of the digital technology. It joins a traditional, otherwise ancestral savoir-faire. There is a strong identification to a specific country which gives the Watch all its meaning: the beautiful mechanics is German, the watch-making is Swiss, the fashion design is Parisian, the design is Italian, but what about connected objects? By wanting to be a "global" company in an essentially "technological" universe, Apple deprives itself from the status of luxury brand. It should not however prevent the brand from being successful.