

Selling Form, Not Just Function: What Prada Can Teach Us - iamvictorious
http://iamvictorio.us/post/34519406110/selling-form-not-just-function

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mcantelon
TLDR: The value of luxury goods is a result of marketing/design, not features.
Pretty well-known principle.

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whatusername
Have you seen this TED Talk (It's worth a watch):
[http://www.ted.com/talks/rory_sutherland_life_lessons_from_a...](http://www.ted.com/talks/rory_sutherland_life_lessons_from_an_ad_man.html)

He puts an interesting spin on the fact that in a world of declining physical
resources - increasing the intangible value of products is very valuable.

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rscale
Shopping at Prada is an interesting, carefully designed experience.

As an example, here's the google street view of their flagship store in NYC:
<http://goo.gl/maps/bHMZS> There's no sign, and the window displays could be
strange art installations just as easily as they could be retail displays:
<http://www.flickr.com/photos/alreadytaken/31015342/> The whole thing is
reminiscent of bars that don't have signs, designed to make the consumer feel
like they're "in the know" before they even enter the building.

Inside the store, the retail experience is similarly unusual:
<http://www.flickr.com/photos/12582419@N02/2679233658/>
<http://www.flickr.com/photos/scottnorsworthy/3031713197/> they have a massive
space, but they display the goods more like a gallery displaying art than a
retailer displaying pret-a-porter clothing.

I find top luxury brands particularly interesting because so much of the value
they create is intangible, or arises from the handling of easy-to-miss
details. There's a lot to learn from companies that charge multiples of
typical solutions and earn devoted, passionate advocates in the process.

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iamvictorious
it'd be interesting if there were any digital equivalent experience to this
... I'm not even sure what a website without a "sign" or "logo" would look
like.

