Break Free From the Product Life Cycle

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Recommended: Marketing strategy chapter 1

Kotler, P. (2003). Positioning and Differentiating

Break Free From the Product Life Cycle
Youngme Moon
Harvard Business Review

Summary
A company must differentiate itself from others during the product life cycle by creating an image that demands attention and fosters unique brand awareness. Louis Vuitton is a company that continuously rejuvenates itself and has maintained a highly coveted brand for 150 years. A $1,000 monogrammed Louis Vuitton handbag is in such demand that it has spawned a multi-million dollar market of counterfeit products, most commonly referred to as “knock-offs.” The demand is so high for these knock-off products that LVMH Moet Hennessy, owner of the brand, has a special team that works with international police organizations. Last year there were 6,000 raids by police, resulting in the arrest of nearly 1,000 counterfeiters (LV, 2005). The LV logo has become an icon in the designer luggage, handbags and accessories market. The words Louis Vuitton are the code for describing an internationally recognized and exclusive fashion empire.
LVMH Moet Hennessy’s target market is aimed at women aged between 18-35 who have a love of fine design, and the taste for tradition and luxury. Louis Vuitton has maintained its lead in fashion through clever advertising in magazines like “Vogue” with print ads that focus on LV logo products as chic. In recent years the company has expanded is product line into ready-to-wear, shoes, watches and jewelry. Since 1998, Marc Jacobs has provided the artistic direction to develop and market these new collections. Tapping actress/singer Jennifer Lopez as a model was another key move in skewing younger and getting some zest in print ads. Clearly LVMH Moet Hennessy’s market strategy is its high-quality and high-priced image which is promoted via elaborate packaging, exclusive distribution, and status symbol advertising. This ability to differentiate themselves from the crowded designer marketing place is why they continue to be highly successful and have significantly extended the product life cycle.
Relationship/Reference to the Text
Our text discusses the product life cycle and how companies must position and differentiate their market offerings throughout the cycle. Youngme Moon points out “there’s nothing inevitable about the product life cycle. Marketers are disrupting it by rede...

... middle of paper ...

...o find ways to train the next generation of consumers (2005).

Branding is 100% human emotion and everything else is just dressed up as rationality to give people permission to act on their emotions. Women (or their spouses--like me) are not buying a Louis Vuitton hand bag, they are buying prestige and the ability to demonstrate to others they are different and have achieved a certain level of status. Some will call it the snob factor, others just chic taste. Regardless of your social views of designer products, Louis Vuitton continues to differentiate themselves in the designer market. It constantly looks for ways to extend the product life cycle through innovative new products and advertising strategies to keep the brand highly recognized and coveted.

References

Kotler, P. (2003). Positioning and Differentiating the Market Offering Through the Product Life Cycle, Marketing Management, pp. 307-343
Moon, Y. (2005). Break Free From the Product Life Cycle Marketplace
Harvard Business Review, May 2005, pp. 87-94
Vogue (2003) http://www.vogue.com.au Alexandria: FPC Living
Louis Vuitton Magazine Online (2005). http://www.vuitton.com/

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