In April 2016 a slender, dignified, impeccably dressed Frenchman took the stage at the Oxford Union Society to be interviewed by an articulate young woman in front of a live audience.
What the Frenchman said in that interview holds great wisdom and advice for creatives, or anyone striving to sell a product or create a successful business.
Who is this mystery Frenchman?
His name is Bernard Arnault, Chairman and CEO of the world’s largest and most successful luxury goods conglomerate, LVMH, which controls brands such as Louis Vuitton, Fendi, TAG Heuer, Bulgari, and Marc Jacobs. Arnault successfully grew LVMH’s portfolio of prestigious brands over the years, including the 13.1 billion dollar purchase of Christian Dior in 2017.
Arnault periodically trades places with Elon Musk and others for the title of the richest person on Earth, but wealth isn’t the point of this essay. Actionable wisdom is the point, and to that end, Arnault has much to teach us.
I never heard of Bernard Arnault until I read an online article in the Wall Street Journal titled, “Louis Vuitton’s Formula for World Domination.”
The article includes a brief video clip of Arnault’s 2016 Oxford Union Society interview. In that video clip, the interviewer asks Arnault to define luxury.
Arnault’s brilliant answer forced me to scour YouTube to find and watch the entire Oxford Union Society interview. If you’re interested, you can watch it below.
After watching the interview, I wrote down some notes and major takeaways that can inspire creatives, businesspersons, or marketers and provide an edge in their work.
The power of a name
What is luxury?
Most people will say the answer is expensive goods and products. When the question was put to Bernard Arnault, he said:
Luxury, for me, is: how can you create desire?
Arnault told a story about arriving in New York in 1971 and hailing a cab from the airport. He chatted with the cab driver, who told Arnault that he loved France. Arnault asked what he loved about France, adding, “Do you know who the French president is?”
The cabby answered, “No, I don’t know the French president…but I know Christian Dior.”
Arnault understood, even in 1971, the power of a name. Christian Dior was known all over the world because people were familiar with the brand and its reputation for excellence. It’s probably why Arnault went on to purchase Christian Dior in 2017.
If you want to find success with your creative work or business product, create a strong desire for it.
But how do you create desire?
Quality, creativity, and innovation
Leica cameras are insanely expensive.
Part of the reason for this is that they are handmade, built like a tank, are aesthetically beautiful, and enjoy a rich history. Some of the most famous photographers, like Henri Cartier-Bresson (a master of candid photography) were Leica users.
While Leica cameras and their impeccable lenses produce stunning photographs, much more affordable, competing camera brands like Canon, Sony, Nikon, and Fujifilm take equally beautiful photographs.
So why do people spend small fortunes on Leica cameras?
The answer is desire.
Photographers love great gear, and Leicas are highly desirable cameras. Their appearance, simple menus, portable size, and overall design and functionality make them highly desirable.
But it’s also about the brand name.
Leicas are universally known as high-end, impeccable cameras that become collector items and even family heirlooms. Leica stores are immaculate, and even the packaging for their cameras is beautifully designed. Leica buyers feel like they’re joining an elite group of fellow photographers who want a particular experience. All of this creates desire.
But you need more than a brand name to make a thing of art.
Bernard Arnault, in the Oxford Union Society interview, went on the state that his businesses strive for quality, creativity, and innovation in their products. They give their artisans and creators the freedom to design and create things.
“We don’t do marketing,” Arnault told his interviewer.
He explained that marketing analyzes what people want. Arnault’s businesses focus on innovation and allow their makers the freedom to come up with new things. Some succeed, and some don’t. And once they figure out which ones are a hit, then they support those products with marketing.
If you want your creative work or business products to be desirable, focus on quality, creativity, and innovation. What can you create that’s new, different, and yet of the highest quality and creativity? If the thing you create excites you, there’s a good chance it will excite others.
Desirability, quality, creativity, and innovation are the four qualities that will give your creative work or business products a huge edge.
But there’s one more magical quality you should aim for.
Timelessness is a magical quality
The interviewer asked Bernard Arnault if Apple Computer is a luxury brand. After all, Apple products enjoy high desirability, quality, creativity, and innovation.
Arnault said that he knew Steven Jobs, the co-founder of Apple. Jobs once approached Arnault about placing Apple Computer stores adjacent to Louis Vuitton shops. Jobs understood the importance of location and positioning.
Arnault praised Apple as an excellent product and brand, but he doesn’t consider it a luxury brand.
Why?
It lacks timelessness. And timelessness is a magical quality.
Some of the most iconic brands are a blend of both modernity and timelessness. For example, Leica cameras offer modern systems that include auto-focus and a host of other features. But their bread and butter is still their old-school rangefinder camera, which can only be focused manually. Leica was founded by Ernst Leitz Wetzlar in 1869, in Wetzlar, Germany.
The reason why there’s still a market for manual focus, rangefinder Leicas is because of their iconic history and timeless user experience. When photographers are forced to slow down and focus manually, they become a bit more immersed in the artistry of photography.
Some photographers scoff at the Leica brand, its “groupies,” and its antiquated rangefinder system, but Leica continues to sell their “timeless” rangefinders at a premium.
The same can be said about Louis Vuitton, a brand that was founded in Paris, France in 1854 and is synonymous with quality and luxury. It’s a timeless brand, and buyers want in on the experience.
All that is not eternal is eternally out of date
Whatever kind of maker you are, from the fine arts to the business world, you want your work to stand out.
If you aim for quality, creativity, and innovation, it will be easier to create desire for your work. You can limit the availability of your work, which creates scarcity and thus urgent desire. But this only works if the product already possesses quality, creativity, innovation, and some level of desirability.
The harder thing to offer is timelessness.
Because timelessness demands a long track record of consistency and excellence. How to start? Create a memorable brand through reliable quality, creativity, innovation, and desirability.
Then double down on consistency.
Stick it out through the good years and the bad, as Louis Vuitton has done. Keep innovating, and insist on the highest standards. Stay true to your creative vision and integrity.
Be like Steve Jobs and try to position your work with other luxury brands. Allow yourself and/or your collaborators to create freely, instead of slaving over what the marketers think people want.
All that is not eternal is eternally out of date. — C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves
Once you have that special thing, put it out there in the world. If people love it, then you know what to market.
People will always love timeless brands.
The kind of brands that are synonymous with quality, creativity, innovation, and desire. The kind of brands that have stood the test of time, and make people feel special.
If you can do all this with your brand, either creative work or a business conglomerate, you might one-day inch past timelessness.
Your brand just might become eternal.
Before you go
I’m John P. Weiss. I write elegant stories and essays about life, shoot artful photos, and draw whimsical cartoons. To receive the latest creative work, check out my free Saturday Letters here.
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This post was previously published on Medium.com.
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Photo credit: cody gallo
