Author Topic: Thowing money at expensive names  (Read 4574 times)

Rich M

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Thowing money at expensive names
« on: October 25, 2012, 01:33:10 PM »
We know the drill.  People pay a premium just to have a big name fashion product.

Here is a perfect example.  A relatively basic bike with a "Gucci" label on it; $14000

http://www.thedaily.com/article/2012/10/22/102312-biz-gucci-bike/

Plus $895 for a helmet and an astonishing $105 for the water bottle. 





Angelfishtitan

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Re: Thowing money at expensive names
« Reply #1 on: October 25, 2012, 02:11:44 PM »
I can't wait for society to get to the point where someone seen riding this would be a laughing stock to everyone.

What's even worse than being "designer" is that it isn't even interesting artistic wise and doesn't preform as well as the same company's other bikes (that at the high point are a quarter the cost). Stuff like that isn't even consumerism, it's just plain stupid.

MrSaturday

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Re: Thowing money at expensive names
« Reply #2 on: October 25, 2012, 02:46:48 PM »
I don't see any place to hang my $630 lunch bag.

sol

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Re: Thowing money at expensive names
« Reply #3 on: October 25, 2012, 03:29:40 PM »
I don't see any place to hang my $630 lunch bag.

For another $7500 I'll design you a custom lunch bag mounting system.

JulieB

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Re: Thowing money at expensive names
« Reply #4 on: October 26, 2012, 06:57:33 AM »
Too bas there are no nmore Chanel skis to match your pretty Gucci bike...
http://www.benjaminkanarekblog.com/2011/01/30/chanel-ski-wear-ski-slope-strategy-marketing-magic/

skyrefuge

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Re: Thowing money at expensive names
« Reply #5 on: October 26, 2012, 10:17:30 AM »
This isn't anti-mustachian, simply because I don't believe that such bikes exist.  Oh, I'm sure they exist, but they aren't really intended to be bought and used by consumers.  The bikes were 'released' a year ago, but a Google Images search shows only tons of versions of the stock photos without any photos of an actual person who has one.

It *is* anti-mustachian because it's a plot hatched by evil geniuses of marketing.  I believe the strategy is two-fold. 

#1) Put out a press release saying that you have some common object at a ridiculous price. It gets swept all around the Internet (even to MMM forums!), mostly by people who *think* they're showing how stupid the object+price is, but they're simultaneously doing free advertising for the luxury brand and embedding the idea of high prices and unobtainability in the minds of consumers.

#2) One of these bikes can sit in a display in their stores, fancily lit, almost like a museum piece.  No one visiting a Gucci store is expected to want to *buy* such a bike; it's there just to add some sort of aura of "coolness" to the luxury brand.

Too bas there are no nmore Chanel skis to match your pretty Gucci bike...
http://www.benjaminkanarekblog.com/2011/01/30/chanel-ski-wear-ski-slope-strategy-marketing-magic/

Aha, perfect, this article basically confirmed my suspicions about these things!  Through much effort, the author was able to track down a pair of the skis (via a concierge service, who probably bought them when Chanel was switching its displays from winter to summer), but still was unable to acquire the matching poles.

Rich M

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Re: Thowing money at expensive names
« Reply #6 on: October 26, 2012, 11:14:50 PM »
I thought it as more of comedy myself.

JanMN

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Re: Thowing money at expensive names
« Reply #7 on: November 01, 2012, 09:51:28 AM »
I don't see any place to hang my $630 lunch bag.

Ok, that totally made me laugh -