Image Ain't Everything

“Conspicuous consumption” is definitely out of style, says one industry type in this Journal story. More intriguing, however, is her insistence that luxury retailers resist “deep discounts,” because of the irreparable harm it does to their brands. “You’ll get your revenue in, but your brand is really going to be deteriorated.” We've also heard the competing view that discounts help brands maintain their presence "on the ground," i.e., on consumer's backs, during tough times.



Either way, our advice is to generally avoid brands that rest their reputations so heavily on "image." From quality to utility and fit, a product should stand up on its own merits.