LVMH
Word Count – 3,154 words.
Index
Topic Page No.
Introduction 3
Marketing in a Contemporary Context 4
Understanding Consumer Behaviour 6
Market Research 8
Segmentation, Targeting & Positioning 10
The Marketing Mix 12
Conclusion 14
References 15
Appendix (Including Additional Readings) 18
Introduction
“There are four main elements to our business model – product, distribution, communication and price. Our job is to do such a fantastic job on the first three that people forget all about the fourth.” (Bernard Arnault, CEO of Moët Hennessy-Louis Vuitton. Taken from Anonymous, 2009)
Merging into its current form in 1987, Moët Hennessy-Louis Vuitton (henceforth referred to as LVMH), serves as one of the largest luxury goods providers in the world, trading in over 65 countries and employing over 30,000 individuals. With the concept of consumer value ever being redefined relative to the constricting nature of the current economic climate, one could be forgiven for imagining that the process of marketing luxury products/services to an increasingly conservative consumer base would be a difficult one to maintain successfully. In spite of this, LVMH has upheld its profitability when so many of its competitors have failed to do so.
At the forefront of the 50 or so brands that fall under the LVMH umbrella is the company’s flagship marque– Louis Vuitton (LV). Despite a recent slump in demand within the luxury leather goods industry, LV has proven to be representative of the adaptable nature of the conglomerate as a whole. Whereas for many, the must-have features of yesterday are today’s can-live-withouts (Quench, 2008), LV has adopted a consistent, innovative marketing strategy to ensure that whatever it chooses to sell never falls into the latter category in the minds of customers.
This piece intends to
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