New Luxury Brand Positioning and the Emergence of Masstige Brands

Abstract

New luxury brand positioning strategies often combine a high perceived prestige with reasonable price premiums in order to attract middle-class consumers. These strategies are radically different from those implemented by traditional luxury brand owners, who maintain a strict consistency between perceived prestige and price premiums so as to preserve their brand's exclusivity. Although some authors have suggested the existence of masstige strategies, few empirical studies have been conducted to support this claim. The results confirmed that the two brands under study have adopted a masstige positioning strategy. The authors also discuss the implications of masstige strategies for researchers and practitioners.

Keywords: new luxury brands, masstige, positioning, prestige